the underground rice paper market ...

when i was younger, my aunt or granparents would get these stacks of special rice paper. my cousins and i used to make this concoction of lime juice, lots of very very hot thai chili peppers and soy sauce. recently i was craving these things, it's odd, i know, but i had to have them. my cousin lan didn't know where to get them either so we turn to my aunt, di em (pronounced yee-ahm). anyhow i guess it's not as simple as rolling up to a store or something, telling them how many sheets you'd like and being on your way. nope. it seems these things are only produced in the back alleys and secret basements of the southern california underground (kidding). she calls someone, tells them how much she wants and then picks them up from their house. beelan noted that once these people die or move, my connection is going to be a tad screwed.

unlike normal rice paper (probably the white kind everyone is aware of), this kind is a bit tougher, you have to really wet it with warm water. it's a tad sweet, maybe slight sour/salty. it pairs well with the spicy sauce that it gets dipped in. i honestly have never ever seen it used for anything else, outside of my grandpa making ginormous egg, sausage burritos in the morning once in a while. i can't imagine an eggroll or springroll made of this stuff, a bit too tough. it's a funky, tasty snack, although my concoction this time comprised of a lot too many habanero's, but it is quite tasty. so i was lucky lately, on a trip to the west coast for work, my aunt delivered me some. i guess i should stock up.