Asia! I mean France.

As I get more and more acquainted with French culture, I see more and more of the influence of other cultures in France, especially non-Western ones. In recent posts I've talked about the French ties to Russia (like the Alexander III bridge and the Orthodox church in Nice). Now it's time to push even further east:

Asia!

I began this trip in Hong Kong, and now the voyage comes full circle. Since I have been in France, I'm quite certain that I have eaten more Asian food than French. A sampling:

1. There are a couple of cheap (and good!) little Asian restaurants near the LDS Institute building in Paris where class was held during the Study Abroad. As we had class in the morning, and my fellow-students could only stomach so many sandwiches in a row, we headed "East" for lunch! Bo Bum for Beth and Ryan, and a Vietnamese soup called phô for Judy and me. I actually went back today... all alone, since my comrades are now back stateside. Even with extra sriracha sauce, there was something missing -- food is never as good without someone to share it with!
2. I spent the last few days, from Saturday night to Wednesday, at my dear friend Amandine's house. She's quite a unique blend of cultures -- her mother is from Cambodia, speaks Chinese and Vietnamese (on top of French and blips of English), and her father is very definitely French. Eating at Amandine's is a culinary adventure. Fresh spring rolls for an entrée (very Chinese), followed by shredded green mango with mint (also very Chinese), and then beef-stuffed vegetables (very French!) for the main course. While at Amandine's a few weeks ago, her mother Vana taught me to make soft spring rolls, a talent I am eager to cultivate -- my own mother loves them! Who says an all-American Thanksgiving can't include some rice paper and shrimp!

3. Back in Provo, Phil and I love to eat Thai food. Turns out, it's not too difficult to make! Last night I tried out a recipe for red curried chicken with coconut milk. As usual, I failed to pay very close attention to the recipe (I added the curry paste and the onions in the wrong order, added some fresh-squeezed lime juice just for kicks) and it turned out great! Even the presentation was spectacular -- complements of my host-brother Théo, who is really good at (a) making food look pretty and (b) doing the dishes at the end... the cook was tired. But here's how it turned out:
It was delicious! For an entree, we had an updated version of my curried pork lettuce wraps: curried beef cabbage wraps! Turns out a head of iceberg lettuce is just about impossible to find in France, and the beef was a gift from my host mom Nannick. Still a success! For dessert, we had sliced strawberries with mint.

I can just feel the corners of my eyes creeping slowly towards my temples.