Myanmar Baptist Church Fun Fair

Once a year, members of this Burmese congregation dole out home cooking. Salads are always a highlight.

The most celebrated is laphet thoke (shown above). This rendition combined the namesake pickled tea leaves with garlic, green chilis, peanuts, tomato, onion, sesame seeds, minimal shreds of lettuce, lime juice, and peanut oil. In common with many other dishes at the fun fair, my laphet thoke was prepared to order, mixed by hand (gloved hand) immediately before serving for maximal stimulating freshness.

Previous fun fairs had been held in a canopied backyard. This year the event was confined to a church auditorium, which — observed the pastor with thanks — afforded only a little less space. True, open flames were restricted to the church kitchen, but this affected the food not a whit. For photos of many more items from multiple fun fairs, indoors and out, see the slideshow.

Myanmar Baptist Church Fun Fair
100-10 Astoria Blvd. (100th-101st Sts.), East Elmhurst, Queens
www.MBCNewYork.org/funfair.html
(The 2012 fun fair was held on October 13)

Comments

[Kim]

The making of the papaya salad was so much fun to watch. The lady used a pestle and mortar to grind all the ingredients together. Yum!