The Master Pastry Chef of Kalaw

November 30, 2014

We sat down in what seemed like any teahouse in Myanmar. I chose it because the last rays of sunlight were warming the place beautifully. I've always said the light in Kalaw is especially clean and crisp and this was proof. As always we ordered the thick, sweet Burmese tea. And, as always, a couple of plates of deep-fried things and pastry-like things were set in front of us, if we so desired. Normally we avoid such foods because they've been offered to many a tea drinker before us and have been landing sites for many a fly.

This time, included were some wedge-shaped pastries that I had never seen before. As I drank my tea I was more and more intrigued by them because they seemed to have many thin layers of pastry as well as some sort of filling. I debated. I searched to see where they maybe had been stored and noticed there was a glass case. I was hungry for something to go with the rich tea. Could I chance it? I talked to Andrea about it and she shook her head motioning that she sure wasn't going to have any. She said, "But, go ahead."

Looking around as if I was a cow nonchalantly wandering through an Indian produce market I plunged my hand into the pile, came up with the largest wedge and took a big bite. Wow! It was mung bean paste filling! Delicious! The outer layers of ultra thin pastry, flaked - the inner bean paste, stuck. Brilliant! I gobbled the entire thing just like that cow in India had gobbled a couple of onions after plunging her nose into the pile. We both were off and running, happy for the moment.

We stayed at that teahouse long enough to watch the young chef in the process of making more. He worked effortlessly at a small wood table just a few feet off the main road through Kalaw next to a large, round piece of thick iron, flames licking over its sides.

We watched as he rolled out round after round of pastry dough placing them together on a cross section of a log and rolling them out again and then repeating the process over and over. He seemed to love his work often breaking into song, laughing with regulars and greeting passersby. He watched all the action on the street, never missing a thing, but somehow managing to roll and cut to perfection.

It was a joy to watch him as I ordered a second tea to go with one more pastry. He was humble as could be and couldn't figure out what I was raving about or why I was photographing him. He obviously doesn't know he's The Master Pastry Chef of Kalaw.

"And, three more to go, please."

Lovebruce

Making the many layered pastry I became addicted to.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0