Tamarind
11 Apr 2007 — One of our Thai spa receptionists, Jeab, just came back to the resort after a month. Other than the mangers who got mini elephant statuettes, the rest of us were each given a keychain. “Typical” you’d think. Well, there’s nothing typical about this keychain. In fact, I’ve not seen anything like it…
…and don’t think I would be using it anytime soon. Erm, yeah. I’d probably get one too many questions and/or stares. And I was thinking to myself, “Really Jeab, of all things out there, you really thought the tamarind fruit was the most appropriate thing you could give us as a keychain?!?” Why not a harmless apple or an innocent strawberry or even a banana? A tamarind. Really.
And then…
Wow, it really looks like the real thing. As it turns out, Jeab has tons of tamarind growing in the garden in her house. She brought lots back for the other girls – apparently, it’s a favourite Thai snack. They were shocked I’ve not had it before. I had to explain that no, tamarind does not grow rampantly in Singaporean backyards. In fact, most of us do not stay in houses with backyards. So they nudged me on, “Try, try.” Erh, tamarind? Isn’t it supposed to be real sour? Eeew… doesn’t sound appetizing ley. But ok, I’ll hazard a go, not the whole thing, just one teeny segment will do.
For all of you who are as suaku as I am, this is how it’s done:
Hmm… well, it wasn’t half as sour as I had thought. In fact, it was quite sweet, and actually very tasty! Ok, I’ve changed my mind. I will have the whole thing after all. In fact, pass me another two, or three. Fantastic, another au natural healthy snack. Lesson learnt — get out of your comfort zone, there’s loads of good stuff waiting to be discovered!