Chef's Corner in the UNC Connection newspaper

Chef Essig teaching at the Student Cooking & Nutrition Series held Spring 2004.

Fall Article Archives
Chef Essig's Corner, Featured Menu Item of the Week

(Did you like reading the Fall 2007 articles? Check out the ones for Spring 2008!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Spring Rolls
Where: Tobey-Kendel Dining Room
Station: Wok 'n Roll
Date: Monday, October 1st
Meal: Lunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

Do you like Eggrolls? You should try Spring Rolls! Spring Rolls have a long history that can be traced over 1,000 years as far back as the Sung Dynasty. They are extremely popular during the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, and they have become a hit here at UNC. Eggrolls and Spring Rolls share one similarity in that they both contain a variety of ingredients encased in a wrapper... but that is where the similarities end. Spring Roll wrappers are made out of rice versus the wheat-based wrappers used for Eggrolls. Unlike Eggrolls, Spring Rolls are not deep fried in oil. Ingredients are prepared fresh and rolled in a light wrapper. The combination of textures, freshness, and flavors of a Spring Roll are incredible!

At Tobey-Kendel Dining Room you can try this wonderful celebratory food on Monday October 1st by visiting the Wok 'n Roll station during lunch. Our Cooks will prepare a Vietnamese-style Spring Roll made-to-order with rice noodles, cabbage, fresh mint, carrots, bean sprouts, and selections of shrimp, chicken, and tofu wrapped in a delicate rice wrapper. These refreshing rolls are commonly served with a variety of sauces: Soy, Sirachi, Peanut, and a freshly made light Chile sauce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Chicken Jalfrezi
Where: Holmes Dining Hall
Station: Wok 'n Roll
Date: Thursday, October 11th
Meal: Lunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

The Wok 'n Roll station at both Holmes and TK offer a variety of foods. Some are very familiar favorites, yet some may be new to you - so give it a try. It might just become one of your new favorites! I have overheard many people say this about Curries and foods from India. At first they don't know what to expect, but after trying it, they're hooked and can't wait to try new varieties! Periodically the Wok 'n Roll station will offer you a taste of foods from India. On these days there are usually three types of curries offered: red, green, and yellow. At least one will always contain meat (either lamb, poultry, or seafood); there will also be vegetarian options available. Along with the curries, you will usually find fragrant Basmati rice grown in the Himalayan mountain ranges, cucumber raita and warm flatbread. One type of curry (or cooking style) is known as Jalfrezi. This dish can be traced to the mid 1800’s in the time of the British Raj. Jhāl (spicy) Frezi is thought to come from the Urdu word parhezī which indicates someone with discriminating taste. It could also be interpreted as the term for Spicy Fry. Jalfrezi dishes will usually have visible onions, tomatoes, and peppers. The spiciness of the dish is derived from green chiles and sometimes additional chili powders or curry pastes. The dish itself is cooked until very little juice or sauce remains in the pan and flavors are concentrated into the dish. If you are new to curries, this is a good place to start! Although Chicken Jalfrezi is spicy, we try to keep the heat level approachable for all our parhezī guests.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Edamame
Where: Tobey-Kendel Dining Room & Holmes Dining Hall
Station: Field of Greens (Try it at the Salad Bar!)
Dates: October 15th-19th

Edamame (eh-duh-MAH-may) is a green vegetable commonly known as a soybean. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches” and was first introduced into the English language in 1890 when C.C. Georgeson, Professor of Agriculture at Kansas State University, used the term to describe this product being imported. Soybean domestication first occurred in China during the Zhou Dynasty in 664 BC, yet there are over 40 varieties of Edamame grown in the United States today. Though similar to common soybeans, Edamame differs in many ways. Edamame is harvested at the peak of ripening. They are sweet in flavor, yet they taste crisp and fresh. Edamame is often eaten as a snack, a vegetable dish, or used in soups or other dishes where its sweet flavor and ripe texture can enhance the dish. The edible part of the plant is the seed which is encased in an inedible pod. To remove these sweet tasting beans, you lightly squeeze the pod open and the beans will pop out. Edamame is very nutritious and is one of the few vegetables known to contain all the essential amino acids and Omega 3. It contains calcium, which not only builds strong bones and teeth, but also helps prevent heart disease and colon cancer. A serving of Edamame contains 130 mg of calcium, nearly as much as 1/2 a cup of milk. Other nutritional information for a serving of Edamame: ~ Iron- 22% of a man’s RDA for iron, and 15% of a woman’s. Carries oxygen throughout the body, so the brain and muscles work optimally, preventing fatigue. ~ Potassium-485 mg. Makes for a regular heartbeat and normalizes blood pressure. ~ Folate- 25% of the adult RDA. Folate is a B-vitamin that helps fight heart disease and prevent certain birth defects. * 62 mg magnesium * 170 mg phosphorus * 27 mg Vitamin C * Niacin, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid, B1, B2, B6, Vitamin E and K Some people are allergic to soy products including Edamame. Up to 8% of children in the United States are allergic to soy proteins. The major soy allergen has been identified by scientists at the USDA, and soybean varieties without the allergenic protein have been developed. In Dining Services, we use Edamame not only on our Salad Bar a topping for salads, but also in vegetable dishes, soups, entrees, and side dishes. Look for them on the menu throughout the semester and this week at the Salad Bar!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Chicken Katsu
Where: University Center Food Court
Station: Du Jour
Date: Wednesday, October 24th
Meal: Lunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

Today, Hawaiian foods are a culmination of the cultures of those who have immigrated to the Islands over the past century. People of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Polynesian, Portuguese, Korean, English, and American descent have all brought pieces of their culture with them to Hawaii, changing the cuisine and culture to what it is today. Influence of the Japanese culture came to the Hawaiian Islands in 1868 with the first migration of workers for the sugar cane plantations.

Chicken Katsu is one of the dishes these Japanese workers brought to the Islands. It is a familiar food to Hawaiian Plate Lunches and Luaus. The dish from which it was derived is known as Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ). Tonkatsu became popular in Japan toward the end of the 19th century. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet (1-2 centimeters thick) which is sliced into bite-size pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage.

A dish or style of eating familiar to Hawaii is the Plate Lunch. This tradition is thought to have come from the Japanese influence of Bento Boxes (a cold box lunch) which many immigrant workers took with them into the sugar cane fields on the plantations. During World War II, entrepreneurs in homemade "lunch wagons" adapted the basic Bento Box into a hot meal to feed around-the-clock shifts of waterfront workers. These meals were usually served on paper or styrofoam plates. Since its introduction, these well-portioned and inexpensive meals have maintained their popularity and are a staple in Hawaiian cuisine today. The Plate Lunch typically includes two large scoops of rice, macaroni salad, and a choice of meat such as Katsu, tonkatsu, teriyaki chicken, shoyu, Korean bulgogi, fish tempura, hamburger, or even Spam.

One of the key ingredients of Katsu (or any breaded and fried Japanese food) is panko. Panko is a form of bread crumbs which are courser in texture than the regular form most are familiar with. What makes panko unique is that the flakes are bigger and crunchier than fine breadcrumbs. Both Katsu and Tonkatsu have such a history in Asian cuisine that McDonald's restaurants in Japan serve a Chicken Katsu Burger (breaded chicken sandwich flavored with soy sauce and ginger).

Chicken Katsu was brought to UNC by Dining Services student employees from Hawaii. They shared their favorite recipes for Chicken Katsu, macaroni salad, and tonkatsu sauce... and the dish has been a huge hit ever since! This menu item shares a rich history with many cultures, and now we would like to share it with you! Come join us at the University Center Food Court this Wednesday and try a taste of the Hawaiian Islands!

E ‘ai ka-kou! Bon appétit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Cuban Sandwiches
Where: Holmes Dining Hall
Station: The Grille
Date: Thursday, November 1st
Meal: Lunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

Have you spent time in Key West, Miami, or Tampa, Florida? If so, there is a chance you may have come across the Cuban Sandwich, a lunchtime favorite of a very close neighboring country. The Cuban sandwich is a tradition not only in Cuba, but also in the Southern United States, and even in Greeley, Colorado. You may not have had the opportunity to travel to Cuba, but you can now get a little taste of the cuisine from the country that lies only 90 miles south of Florida.

Cuba may be the most populous island in the Caribbean, but the populated area of the island is smaller than the state of Pennsylvania. It is rich in both history and culture. The Spaniards, who have had a presence in Cuba since the days of Christopher Columbus, introduced many foods to the Caribbean islands. One of these foods was ham (jamon), which is an important component to the Cuban Sandwich. However, the main ingredient of a traditional Cuban Sandwich is pork roast. Rubbed with mojo (garlic citrus marinade) and slow roasted until tender, the pork roast forms a base for the sandwich. Ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and yellow mustard are then layered and placed between two pieces of hearty bread which has been buttered and lightly grilled. Once assembled, the whole sandwich is placed on a hot grill or in a “La Plancha” (similar to a panini press) which presses the flavors of the sandwich into the bread and heats the ingredients until they are warm while melting the cheese slightly. The Cuban Sandwich is often served with shredded lettuce and thin sliced tomatoes.

In the 1800’s many Cubans moved to Key West, Florida to avoid the tightening of Spanish Rule. These Cuban immigrants brought numerous traditions and cuisines with them, thus adding to the culinary repertoire of America. For example, Vincente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar factory “El Principe de Gales” from Key West to Tampa in 1886. This was the beginning of Ybor City, where workers of the cigar factory and their families lived and formed one of the strongest Latin communities in the United States during this time. Cuban Sandwiches were popular with the immigrants in Ybor City who worked in factories, as well as the sugar mills. Residents set up restaurants inside these locations to sell sandwiches to workers on their lunch break. Selling for 15 cents each, these Cuban Sandwiches were the "value meal" of their time.

Allow us to bring a taste of Cuba to your plate! Enjoy a wonderful lunchtime favorite!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Sushi
Where: Tobey-Kendel Dining Room
Station: Wok 'n Roll
Date: Friday, November 9th
Meal: Lunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

Tobey-Kendel is rolling out something special this Friday… Sushi!!! Don’t worry, there will be no raw fish! We will be offering a variety of ingredients that have all been properly cooked and chilled. The term “Sushi” implies that a particular dish contains rice or Sushi meshi also known as shari. Sushi rice is short-grained rice that is perfectly cooked and tossed with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes sake. The rice is usually cooled before being served.

Sashimi is the term that refers to dishes or varieties of sushi that contain raw fish, seafood, or other protein. Sashimi has its place among coastal cities and countries where fresh seafood can be obtained. At Tobey-Kendel you will not be seeing any Sashimi, but you will see a wide array of Makizushi which is the term for rolled sushi that can contain a variety of ingredients.

Most Makizushi are rolled in a wrapper of Nori. Nori is seaweed traditionally cultivated in the harbors of Japan. Originally, seaweed was gathered from the docks of the bays in Japan, rolled out into sheets and dried in the sun, in a process similar to making paper. Nori is toasted before being used in food. Today, Nori is most commonly farmed, produced, toasted, packaged, and sold in standard-size sheets (7-8 in). Good quality Nori is thick, smooth, shiny, black, and has no holes. Nori by itself is an edible snack and is available flavored with teriyaki sauce. The flavored variety, however, tends to be of a lesser quality and is not suitable for sushi.

Commonly when ordering sushi, you will receive a small amount of green paste known as Wasabi. Be cautious! It is very strong! It is often referred to as Japanese horseradish. It is a very distant relative of the horseradish we are familiar with, but it has unique differences. Real wasabi is known as wasabi japonica. It is the most flavorful, highly potent, and is also very expensive. Most of the wasabi that you will find in restaurants today is seiyō wasabi or imitation wasabi. Ironically, in Japan the horseradish that we are familiar with in the US is known as seiyō wasabi (西洋わさび?) Western wasabi.

The origins of sushi can be traced back to 700 A.D. in China. Once the cultivation of rice was established, the crop found many uses. One of those uses was as an ingredient used to preserve fish. Fresh fish would be salted, packed in rice, placed in a wood box, and covered with stones. The weight of the stones would press out moisture into the rice which caused the rice to ferment and form acids. These acids would act as a preservative for the fish. The fish would be held in this manner from 1-2 years. The rice at the end of the process would (of course) be inedible, but the fish was safe to eat.

Sushi, as we know it today, started in Edo (Tokyo) in the 1820's. Hanaya Yohei is documented to be the first to introduce Edoites to a mixture of vinegared rice and sashimi (fresh sliced raw fish). Bite size morsels of various combinations were prepared and served for customers directly from Hanaya’s sushi stall. Not only did he introduce raw fish to sushi rice, he began a tradition of serving snack food at its freshest and fastest. His idea won immediate favor over the more time-honored sushi dishes. The portable stall was popular through World War II and was the "Fast Food" predecessor to the sushi bars of today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event: Thanksgiving Brunch
Where: Tobey-Kendel Dining Room & Holmes Dining Hall
Date: Sunday, November 18, 2007
Meal: Brunch, 11:00am-1:30pm

Happy Thanksgiving! Fall time is undoubtedly upon us. The harvesting of crops is complete, the days have grown shorter, and we now have time to celebrate and enjoy the season’s bounty. Traditionally this time of year is a time to enjoy the plentiful crops that have matured over the summer months. Foods during the winter months traditionally were limited only to those that could be preserved through the season. People enjoyed the bounty of this time of year when things are ripe, fresh and plentiful. Fall harvest celebrations have occurred ever since the first planting of crops. Almost every region and country has a history of celebrations for the fall harvest. These celebrations evoke a common humanistic feeling of joy from seeing the fruits of labor ready for enjoyment.

The very first Thanksgiving was in 1621, the Plymouth Colonists were joined by the Wampanoag Indians to share in the Autumn Harvest. The celebration lasted for three days. During this time both the Pilgrims and the Indians set out to hunt and enjoy the harvest. This is traditionally known as the "First Thanksgiving." The foods we now associate with Thanksgiving today, most likely did not appear at the Plymouth feast. Sweet potatoes and potatoes in general were not cultivated at this time; corn was not eaten fresh but most likely dried for winter. Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce were also not a part of this original feast. So what was on the menu that autumn day? The only menu items we know for sure were venison (the Wampanoag Indians had offered three deer to the Pilgrims as a gift) and wild fowl which the Pilgrims had hunted. Other items that were most likely on the table were seafood, such as lobsters, cod, clams, and eel... as well as vegetables such as parsnips, leeks, onions, squash, carrots, and radishes. Some fruits such as wild grapes and plums may also have been available, as well as walnuts and acorns.

Thanksgiving in the United States occurs on the fourth Thursday in November as declared by President Lincoln in 1863. This was not entirely President Lincoln’s idea though. Thirty six years earlier, Sarah Hale, poet and editor of Ladies Magazine, began to advocate a national holiday of Thanksgiving. Through her poems, letters to President Lincoln, and her books, Sarah fought for women’s rights and national unity in a time of civil unrest. "If every state would join in Union Thanksgiving on the 24th of this month, would it not be a renewed pledge of love and loyalty to the Constitution of the United States?" Hale wrote in an 1859 editorial. Sarah may not always be credited with instituting Thanksgiving but is best known for her children’s poem “Mary had a little Lamb.”

Every family has their own traditions associated with Thanksgiving; most will be eating turkey. According to the National Turkey Federation, over 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Others will be watching football or starting the day by tuning into the eight-decade-old Macy’s Day parade. Whatever you do this year for Thanksgiving, do not forget to thank those who have spent their time planting, caring for, tending, and harvesting the foods we enjoy everyday, as well as for the blessings you have in your life. "And although it is not always so plentiful as it was this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty." Edward Winslow, Plymouth Plantation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Chicken and Dumplings Soup
When: Friday, November 30th, during Lunch at Holmes Dining Hall
When: Sunday, December 2nd, during Dinner at Tobey-Kendel Dining Room

My joy of cooking started when I was very young with my grandmother as a big influence. She was always in the kitchen, making breakfast, whipping up lunch, or working on dinner. At Grandma’s house, my cousin and I would help out with the farm animals, which was an educational experience. Occasionally we had to chase the chickens into their pen; I learned that chickens are not always intimidated by small children and will chase back. We would get off the school bus and chase the chickens out of the road and sometimes they would chase us into the house. Grandma always had an eye out for any chicken that was getting a little too “cocky,” which would guarantee them a spot on the menu. Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings was one of my favorite dishes and she made it often, especially if someone was sick.

Chicken soup has long been known as a remedy for the common cold; it may not be a cure but in some way, it does help us to feel better. In 60 AD, Pedacius Dioscorides, a physician under the Roman emperor Nero, recommended chicken soup for respiratory illness. This was one of the first records of chicken soup being used as a cold remedy. There are also records of it being prescribed by 12th-century court physician and theologian, Moses Maimonides as a cold and asthma remedy to the Sultan Saladin, the Muslim military leader he served.

Irwin Ziment, M.D., pulmonary specialist and professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, says that chicken soup contains drug-like agents similar to those in modern cold medicines. Cysteine, an amino acid released from chicken in cooking, chemically resembles the drug acetylcysteine, often prescribed for bronchitis. Pungent ingredients added to chicken soup, such as garlic, cayenne pepper and curry are ancient treatments for respiratory diseases. They work in the same way as expectorant drugs and cough medicines. According to Ziment, the more garlic and hot spices added to chicken soup, the better the soup will be at clearing your lungs.

Stephen Rennard, M.D., chief of pulmonary medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, declared chicken soup an anti-inflammatory. Along with homemade recipes, Rennard tested 13 commercial chicken soups and found that all but one, chicken-flavor ramen noodles, had some anti-inflammatory activity.

So what is in the chicken soup that gives it such good curative properties?

Onions: Contain protein, calcium, sulfur, vitamin A, B complex, C and E. The sulfur compounds have anti-inflammatory effects. Like garlic, onions have the antibiotic oil allicin, which gives them their pungent flavor.

Garlic: Has powerful antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties. It is known for boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, assisting in treatment of heart disease, and lowering cholesterol.

Carrots: One of the best sources for beta-carotene. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which helps fight off infections by enhancing the actions of white blood cells that destroy harmful bacteria and viruses.

Celery: Promotes restfulness and sleep. Its high magnesium and iron content is invaluable as a food for blood cells. Celery is also known to be good for lung conditions, including asthma and bronchitis.

Parsley: Contains volatile oils that qualify it as a "chemoprotective" food, a food that can neutralize particular types of carcinogens.

Sea Salt: Natural balance of sodium, magnesium and potassium. Mineral salts create electrolytes, which are necessary for enzyme production. Enzymes are responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, healthy muscle function, and hormone production. Both electrolytes and enzymes are linked to healthy immune function.

Black pepper: Contains volatile oils, alkaloids, proteins and minerals. It is thought to be a circulatory stimulant, diuretic and cerebral stimulant. It reduces infection, induces sweating, tightens mucous membranes, and stimulates sinuses to drain.

The dumplings were always my favorite part of Grandma’s soup. They were always flavorful, large, and firm, yet soft on the outside from being simmered in the soup for hours. At about age 11, I started to gather recipes from Grandma. I cherish these recipes because they represent special memories from my childhood. Here at UNC Dining Services, I am sharing her recipe for Chicken and Dumplings soup. Whether you are feeling under the weather or feeling great, come join us for a favorite comfort food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Event: Special Holiday Dinner
Theme: Holidays in the Rockies
Where: Tobey-Kendel Dining Room & Holmes Dining Hall
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Meal: Dinner, 4:30pm-7:30pm

Each year Dining Services celebrates the holiday season by offering a special holiday dinner to the campus community. This year is no exception! Planning for the dinner starts in May! Yes, May! The first decision we make is what the theme will be. This year we agreed on “Holidays in the Rockies." The menu was created to give the campus a taste of Colorado, as well as a sense of the flavors of the Rocky Mountain Region.

The holiday dinner is the busiest meal of the entire year at both Tobey-Kendel and Holmes. You definitely do not want to miss out on the great food, so come early to avoid the lines! If you do find yourself waiting in line, don’t worry. There will be a variety of appetizers including Hot Apple Cider, Eggnog, Shrimp Cocktail, and Ancho BBQ Chicken Skewers awaiting guests as they enter the dining room. For the adventurous eaters out there, we will also be serving Rocky Mountain Oysters!

On your way to the dining room you may get cold, so come warm up with some Hot Cocoa at our Winter Warmer Hot Cocoa Station. This is also a great opportunity for "chocoholics" to get their fix! Create your perfect Hot Cocoa with Mint, Peppermint, Caramel, Raspberry, Oaxaca Chili, and Cinnamon flavorings along with toppings of White Chocolate Shavings, Marshmallows, and Whipped Cream. Yum!

After you warm up, check out the selection of mouthwatering entrees including Juniper Elk Medallions, Grilled Buffalo Meatloaf, Stuffed Trout, Specialty Pizzas, a variety of Chili served in bread bowls, Smoked Salmon Latkes, and an array of creative and tasty side dishes.

Our bakers are very busy this year creating their own sourdough starters for the pizza dough and breads for the evening. The bakers will also be making Fort Collins Micro Brew Beer Bread and a variety of homemade Mile High Pies, Cheesecake, and Caramel Apple Bread Pudding. Holidays often include a variety of sweets, so if you are looking for more, head over to the cookie station where you can decorate your own sugar cookies! If you are really feeling the Holiday spirit, decorate a batch for your entire table. It is always fun to create something for others! At least that is our philosophy here in Dining Services @ UNC. We wish you all a Happy Holiday Season and hope you enjoy the menu this year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Item: Pad Thai
When: Thursday, December 13th
Meal: Lunch at Tobey-Kendel Dining Room
Station: Wok 'n Roll

Foods of Thailand are gaining popularity in the United States and across the world. The flavor of Thai food appeals to a variety of people because it reflects the balance that many are looking for. It is an artful task to successfully balance the four main flavors the human senses can experience; sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. A great cook will strive to perfect a dish by balancing two or more of these flavors; we often see the combination of items that are sweet and sour or salty and sweet. In Thai cuisine, the goal is to not only balance two flavors but also incorporate all the sensory experiences of taste, texture, and smell.
The availability of ethnic foods to us nowadays is not something we should find commonplace or take for granted. Ethnic foods speak of cultural traditions and provide a glimpse into that country's past social development, conquests, immigration, and worldly influence. Food often tells the story of how traditions were handed down from one generation to the next. These traditions and the changes made over time can be traced to social and cultural change in the country as a whole.

Pad Thai was influenced by surrounding cultures, but the dish is truly unique to Thailand (originally called Siam). Plaek Pibulsonggram, Prime Minister of Thailand (from 1938 to 1944 & 1948 to 1957) fought to give Thailand a national identity and instill pride into their people as a unique, self-sustaining culture. He also assisted in making Pad Thai the national dish of Thailand, exemplifying the national flavor of the country. This gave Thailand a sense of identity and was intended to reduce rice consumption of the nation during governmental budget restrictions.

One of the original “gluten free” foods, rice noodles are used in many Asian dishes ranging from salads, soups, and most famously, Pad Thai. Pad Thai combines rice noodles, bean sprouts, chilies, cilantro and eggs. Various types of meats can also be added. Traditional ingredients call for palm sugar to add some sweetness to the dish, fish sauce to add some saltiness, and lime juice to finish it off and add a sour component. Lime juice also provides a refreshing taste to the dish and is almost addictive when combined with the sweet and spicy flavors.

Pad Thai is a street food in Thailand. It is offered through many different vendors, each having a different sense of balance to the dish. Dining in Thailand is a very different process than in the United States. Instead of breaking the meal into courses, the meal is served all at once. This allows the guests to enjoy complimentary combinations of the different tastes on the table. When spicy dishes such as Pad Thai are offered, cooling salads and condiments also accompany the dish. The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet, and the sour. It is equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate.

Come join UNC Dining Services as we offer you various types of this special dish at both Tobey-Kendel Dining Room and Holmes Dining Hall. Along with the offerings of Pad Thai, you will find Green Apple Salad and a Hot and Sour Soup to complete your taste of Thailand!