Help me eat, please
Dear linguaphiles,
I'm going to Vietnam and Cambodia this winter (wheee!). The problem is that coriander leaves, often used in Asian food, taste like soap to me. It takes very few leaves to make an entire dish taste absolutely vile, and I'd really like to eat now and then while I'm there...
As far as I've been able to figure out, I need to stay away from rau răm in Vietnam and chi krasang tomhom in Cambodia. Is that somewhat right?
Could you please help me with what I need to say to waiters to order my food without coriander leaves, when wild-eyed screeching of "NO CORIANDER" in English combined with exaggerated arm movements won't help (which I'm assuming it never will)?
Thanks in advance!
PS: I do eat Vietnamese food now and then where I live, and sometimes deal with surprise coriander on those occasions when there's been a communication breakdown between the waiter and me. I can get it down, it just tastes really really REALLY awful.
I'm going to Vietnam and Cambodia this winter (wheee!). The problem is that coriander leaves, often used in Asian food, taste like soap to me. It takes very few leaves to make an entire dish taste absolutely vile, and I'd really like to eat now and then while I'm there...
As far as I've been able to figure out, I need to stay away from rau răm in Vietnam and chi krasang tomhom in Cambodia. Is that somewhat right?
Could you please help me with what I need to say to waiters to order my food without coriander leaves, when wild-eyed screeching of "NO CORIANDER" in English combined with exaggerated arm movements won't help (which I'm assuming it never will)?
Thanks in advance!
PS: I do eat Vietnamese food now and then where I live, and sometimes deal with surprise coriander on those occasions when there's been a communication breakdown between the waiter and me. I can get it down, it just tastes really really REALLY awful.