Becca > wrote:

> My husband makes good stir fries, but Vietnamese cooking was new to him.
> I told him about the nuoc mau before I showed him the jar, because I did
> not want him to taste it first. If most people tasted a spoon full of
> salt or sriracha sauce for the first time, they might not care for it,
> just by itself. Used right, it tastes great.

Nuoc Mau/Nuoc Hang taste nasty on their own - There's no arguing
that. But Nuoc Cham and Nuoc Mam are even harder for people to
accept because of their taste AND smell.

And then we have shrimp paste, which de-feets all known
sensibilities. They literally smell like da feet.

But together in the right quantities and when cooked properly are
simply heaven on the taste buds.

Unfortunately my cow-orkers don't share my love of Asian foods.
Especially when I heat them up in the microwave. I miss living in
San Jose with non-Texans.

-sw