A plate of various Thai desserts

Cravings And Why I’m Not So Vanilla

Every now and again in life you will reach a moment when, for all intents and purposes, you were happy, but then there comes another moment and you realize that all along you had a deep craving.  A craving so long-buried that you were unaware that it was even there, but you know now because that craving, at this very moment, is being fulfilled.

Mine is this- these flavors of salt, sweet, sour, and ocean on my tongue all at once. It is the amazing spread they serve at breakfast for the toast-sang khya-sort of a creamier less sticky, less sweet version of dulce de leche made with coconut milk, strong tea, sugar and beaten egg which is just the most delicate and delicious thing you have put in your mouth.

It is the huge plate of tropical fruits (mind you, all of this comes with a room that only cost $23 a night to start with),these fruits that are finally quenching my thirst and causing my 20 hr headache to fade. It is the freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice, the jasmine white chocolate, the duck red curry, whose very flavors, I cannot even begin to analyze. It is the very fact that the restaurant that I went to tonight felt sorry for me that I was alone, and they brought a stack of cookbooks (cookbooks!) for me to read while waiting for my meal.

I am so glad that I am not afraid of the unusual, the unknown, the new that has made my life what it is. I really have my mom to thank for helping teach me to always have an open mind. She always said, “you think vanilla ice cream is your favorite, but how do you know it really is your favorite unless you try all the other flavors too?” I guess that really has become the motto of my life, now hasn’t it?!