Food, Life: Exotic tastes right at home

Three years ago, Chit Kin drove 149 miles down to Bloomington to help Allen and Marla Aung run Mandalay Restaurant for the Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts. This year, Kin drove to help the Aungs again. Kin served simmering food on a white tablecloth and introduced Bloomington locals to an international culture.

“I like the Mandalay fritter. It’s a Burmese traditional side dish and one of the most famous foods” Kin said.

He estimated he served this spicy rice and bean plate, and other entrées, to more than 1,000 customers.

“(Fourth Street Festival) is a lot of exposure for the restaurant. We’re something unique (and) ethnic, and it’s a great opportunity to let people know what we have over here,” Allen Aung said.

Before they opened Mandalay Restaurant, the Aungs ran a sushi business. But Marla Aung’s dream had always been to own a business that honored the cooking of her culture. Allen Aung said his wife can cook almost any Asian dish, but Mandalay’s menu reflects the traditional foods their family loves most.

“We’re Burmese, between China, India, Thailand” Marla Aung said. “So the food is kind of a mix of everything.”

Café Ami reflected more of a mix of Korean and Japanese cuisine on Sunday.

“Green tea ice cream is our best seller. We had one guy who had five of them, literally,” said Sayon Ko, a waitress at Café Ami. “My favorite dish is the Kimchi. It’s the most popular and common Korean dish that every single Korean loves and cannot live without.”

Kimchi is a mix of fermented vegetables in which lactic acid bacteria promote a strong immune system, according to Ko.

“It’s like yogurt or cheese, and is why Koreans didn’t get SARS or any kinds of flus,” Ko said.

Youn Kim, also a waitress at Ami, agreed with Ko about the health benefits of Korean food.

“I feel like it’s quite natural, fresh and good for vegetarians because it has so many vegetables and rice,” Kim said.

Ko and Kim estimated that they served more than 500 people at the Fourth Street Festival.

Stan and Jennifer Sadler of Martinsville enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken from Café Ami’s tent.

“Look at this. How can you go wrong?” Sadler said as he looked at his wife. “I wish we had one of these in town.”

Mook Sownpark said his favorite part of Bloomington’s Fourth Street Festival was the jazz. He worked as a helper for My Thai Café Plus restaurant. He gave customers a glimpse of his tattoo and served traditional Thai dishes.

“I am Thai. That’s why I like Thai food,” Sownpark said.
 
My Thai’s Pad Kee Mao noodles were a local favorite and are Sownpark’s favorite dish. This spicy vegetarian dish is a constant reminder of a culture that is tattooed as ‘Terrapong’ and ‘Pitinan’ (his mother and father’s names) on his forearm — a heritage that, written in Taiwanese, introduced an estimated 200 customers to Thai cuisine on Sunday.