A Lesson In Chinese Food Menus

Last night we went to Ming's Noodles. A few of us had a hard time deciphering the menu, since most items looked pretty much the same as others, but when I found the Curry Coconut Milk Clay Pot, I knew all my questions were answered. Chicken and vegetables in a curry coconut milk? Yum!

Everyone's orders came out, mine coming last in a flourish of grandeur with it's own little clay cooking pot. Everyone dug into their meals, chopsticks flying, and I opened mine up to reveal a spicy, delicious looking meal. What I did not then realize was that the clay pot actually contained molten lava, designed to scorch off the top layer of my tongue in a decidedly undelicious way.

Fifteen minutes later and everyone else was sitting back, comfortably patting their full stomachs and enjoying their fortune cookies while I sat feebly blowing on my clay pot and trying to cut through the steam burns with rice. Damn you, inscrutable menu! A lesson for you all: clay pots may tempt you with their delicious smells, but it will take you twice as long to eat as everyone else. If you're hungry, stick to the noodles or rice.

But- but- once it cooled off enough to put in my mouth, and once some of my taste buds grew back, the curry coconut milk was definitely a Chinese culinary delight.