Here now and now here or nowhere

The title of this blog comes from a play on words that "now here" is also the same letters as "nowhere" just with a space added in the middle. I am always trying to get better at being in the here and now, and I've always been a bit of a joker so that is why I chose this name.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Day 11 - Bagan (Bean Sauce Tour)


After the mornings outing we were dropped off at our guesthouse to relax a bit, nap and avoid the heat.  I took a long nap and then headed off to the nearby soybean sauce factory.  A local food only made in Bagan is a black soybean paste that some compare to vegemite, but to me tasted more like a cross between chinese black bean sauce and miso.  It's famous in the country and many burmese people come to Bagan specifically to buy the paste.  I went to one of the local production places to watch and learn about what it was and how it was made.  While they were so friendly and excited to show me around, the unfortunate thing for me was that no one spoke english so I really don't know what was happening.  I think they basically just boiled soybeans for a long time, though something else had to be added into it as why else would it turn so dark?  The waste was used for animal feed (or so I read somewhere else) and so it was green friendly, in a way.  They gave me some packets to try. When I got back to the guesthouse the older lady there saw this and asked if I wanted to try it. So we prepared it by thoroughly mixing the paste with a little sesame oil, some chopped small onions, fried garlic and a little chili. You'd mix it and mix it till it became more liquid like. Then eat. You can cook meats or veggies in this but I just had it on rice. A very strong taste, but I liked it. In fact I liked it so much that in the evening I'd order a dish of pork cooked in it.











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