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Monday 10 October 2016

Chopsticks!



This afternoon, Poppy was kind enough to give a cookery demonstration at Little Bunting Village Hall.   She freely gave up her time, her food,  and her skills to amuse, entertain and inform a group of us, golden oldies, silvertops, call us what you will.

On second thoughts, village elders will do.

The hall quickly filled with tantalising aromas as garlic, ginger, onions, star anise, chillies both wet and dried and yellow bean paste cooked merrily in the (extremely heavy) wok.

There were two dishes - a deliciously spicy beef one and an extremely popular mixed vegetable dish, all served with perfectly cooked rice.



Chopsticks were offered round and everyone got stuck in.   Some people with slightly less dexterous fingers soon abandoned the chopsticks and used a fork, but other people got a free lesson in how to use chopsticks correctly and were soon proving to be very adept and cleared their plates right down to the last grain of rice.

Fair to say that we all really enjoyed our plate of food and several people came back for seconds!

I don't think our little village hall has smelled so wonderful for many a year, if ever.   The atmosphere of gentle friendship and simple fun was very special.    This small gathering, designed to winkle people out of their own homes and into the company of other people for an afternoon of social chit chat and new interests, has definitely started to fulfill the brief.  

Poppy, you are a brilliant cook and a superstar for producing such delicious food, especially under these difficult conditions, and for being so generous with your skills and time.  

Thank you.  xxx

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hello Sol, She is a treasure beyond measure!

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  2. I almost always use chop sticks when eating my favorite Vietnamese cuisine. It can be a challenge at times, for these old hands. How lucky your small community is to have Poppy.

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    1. Hello Meggie, I bet you handle them with great style and dexterity!
      There will be a great change of pace, next time...one and a half hours of board/card games! I shall volunteer to man the kettle and the teapot, hoping to prolong the job so that I don't have to play 'Snakes and Ladders', 'Ludo', 'Whist' or 'Snap'!

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  3. ooh, Poppy's food sounds and looks delicious. How wonderful to have such an accomplished cook in your family.
    Have a wonderful week :)

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    1. Hello Prunella, With or without chopsticks, it was wonderful! Poppy is very petite in stature and yet she is a hugely important part of our family, we love her to bits!

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  4. Would love to be able to use chopsticks. I have some in a drawer. Wish I had your poppy to cook that delicious food and give me a chopstick lesson. Your village hall certainly hosts a variety of events!!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Linda, Come to supper and have a little coaching session from Poppy! You would soon be wielding those chopsticks perfectly and tucking into some fabulous food.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.