Life's vagaries explained through football, food, travel and canines.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Paucity of Parsley or Have You Seen This Green?


MIA in BKK is Petroselinum neapolitanum, the humble, indispensible flat-leafed Italian parsley.
I have searched high and low, at Villa, at Central Food Hall and I didn't even bother with Tops-those jokers never have it. Now, I am sure there is maybe one or two places I haven't checked--Gourmet Market, anyone?-- but really, what gives?
I know it's quite ridiculous to feel this way, especially since almost every other ingredient one would want is readily available in this city, which sometimes makes you feel like a spoiled, pampered farang.
It's the Ur-Herb, but I suppose since I am still breathing that I am living without.
But a curious thing happens each time I can't find it at the grocery store, I end up classically overcompensating by buying bag upon bag of the curly leaf kind (of which there is a plethora.)
And everyone knows that curly leaf is for garnish, preferably on a plate at a diner in Meso America. You can chop it up fine and hit it with olive oil all you want, but it will never fool anyone. And now because of my not-yet-named phobia of being without ANY kind of parsley, I have tons of it in the fridge.
Oh, I realize I am being hysterical--I threw some of it into the pesto I was making after I discovered that most of the basil was black and it was FINE.

2 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Hilarious. But honestly, your cooking is so good that even without the official Italian variety, it's always still more than delicious. And I'm not just saying that :-)

10:50 PM

 
Blogger Dia said...

Ah Newlinho! Don't make me blush. Thanks, though.

1:54 AM

 

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