New Tastes

With Delia doing more grocery shopping lately, I haven’t gone to the wet market as often. Last Friday I made a quick trip for fresh produce and chicken for Emily’s birthday party. The fruit stall is my favorite because the guys there always lead me toward the best they have to offer that week. I also appreciate that they let me taste different fruit so I know what I’m buying. Thank goodness I went there last week because I discovered Chinese Hami Melon. The meat inside looks exactly like cantaloupe (known as rock melon here). The difference is in the taste. It’s absolutely delicious. Hami melon is sweet like a good cantaloupe with a crispier texture. It tasted good enough for me to make an exception to my rule of not buying food from China. I bought half a melon and it was gone within a day at our house.  I need to buy more while it’s in season.

Of course, not every new food discovery is a positive one. Today’s lunch comes to mind. Delia cooked “Bee Hoon,” thin rice noodles. She makes it periodically so I thought I knew what to expect on my plate. Well, this bee hoon looked pretty bland because she didn’t include any vegetables in today’s version. Instead, I found little pieces of some kind of mystery nut (turned out to be chestnut) with a few hunks of something resembling pork. At that point, I wondered what I was eating because I didn’t recall seeing any of these items in our refrigerator. When I inquired about the ingredients, Delia handed me the can that read: “Chinese Quality Pork Leg with Mushrooms.” I may have found lunch more appetizing if she hadn’t showed me the can of Chinese meat she used in cooking it. Of course, Emily devoured her portion.

I will try to focus on my positive food discovery of the week.