Friday, July 08, 2005

Mmmmm, congee

I ate roast duck and king prawn congee at our favourite noodle bar last night. Yum!

Every time I order congee there, the person taking my order always asks, "Have you had congee before?"

Does this mean that there are people out there who order congee, then complain when they get a bowl of rice porridge?

I don't understand.

1 comment:

Megan said...

I have experienced this congee phenomenon Beche (is it alright if I call you that?) I'm not a fan of congee myself, and I wonder whether it's the Chinese equivalent of Vegemite - ie. one of those things that you love only if you've been brought up on it throughout childhood. I have the classic Anglo reaction of "Oh yuck, a bowl of porridge" and would never order it. The only time I've eaten it is when I've been at a Chinese restaurant in the company of HK Chinese, who have ordered it, been wildly enthusiastic about it and encouraged me to have it. I understand that my reaction is very very common among Anglos, so I would think it highly likely that the waiter at the noodle bar you went to was trying to head off disappointed customers - and perhaps you should be appreciative of his concern!