As I mentioned before we were visiting the muslim quarter in Mandalay for 3 consecutive days. One of the main reasons was a food stall set back in a corner of the alleys. A group of three and occasionally more women was preparing fresh food. A lot of people came driving by on their motorbikes to grab a package with delicious food.

The first day I visited this place it felt not like taking pictures. Also the second day passed without a single picture. I just didn’t want to disturb the peaceful and almost spiritual atmosphere of these dignified ladies.

But at the third day I couldn’t withhold the urge to document what I was seeing. That led to another interesting encounter. One of the ladies invited us to her home which was close by. Her neighbors excited about our unplanned visit brought a bowl with delicacies each. We sampled some really great food despite our plan to eat at the food stall in the corner.

The money we offered afterwards to compensate at least a little bit of the favors we just received was rejected and we felt ashamed again for so much generosity. We left her place with full tummies and a bright smile.

To complete my documentary I ordered a Papaya salad on the food stall that was prepared manually in an alloy bowl. It consisted of:

• Papaya freshly ground and squished to remove the water
• Few leafs of freshly cut coriander
• A few shallots finely cut
• Potatoes sliced and cooked
• Freshly pressed lime juice
• Ground red and white bean powder
• Garlic infused sunflower oil
• Tamarind sauce
• Ground peanuts
• Dried and ground red paprika
• Sugar
• A dash of fish broth (Mohinga) to soak the whole mixture a little)

Everything mixed together by hand and presented on a fresh plate. It comes with a bowl of chicken broth as a side dish to reduce the effect of the paprika and to make the quite creamy dish a little easier to digest. Delicious.