RE: Typical Street Food
Hi Brian, I read your travel journal on Myanmar with great interest because I’m from there… I’m especially disappointed to hear that the food was terrible — this is one area people visiting Myanmar have very little knowledge of. And, guide books like Lonely Planet don’t point to where good and authentic food can be found because they haven’t done the right research. If you ask me about our food, I would say that it is very subtle and has many varieties. Burmese people like their food to have a range of tastes from spicy to bittery. If you tried the street food in Myanmar then you are bound to be disappointed — it’s not like Thailand or Malaysia. When I was young, I used to enjoy getting snacks from the street vendors. Nowadays, people don’t trust the oil they use and the hygiene of course. Since you live in San Francisco, I suggest you check out the typical food that we eat at Burma Superstar — try the authentic stuff. I know it’s a pretty good restaurant because I lived in the area for 3 years! George Orwell didn’t know a thing about world cuisine because he came from Britain… . sad but true. Next time you plan on visiting Yangon do let me know — I’ll point you to the right restaurants :-)
Cheers -- -- Thurain
The biggest mistake Mazda ever achieved was producing multitudes of the otherwise worthless vehicle pictured above. In that no one bought any of these cars in European and American markets, the end result was disastrous for the company; some analysts even expected that Mazda would sink and cease to exists as a result. Yet, somewhere in the bowels of the company, alongside the same stupidity that created this machine, came a stroke of luck. Someone somewhere convinced a government to take the entire line of this otherwise worthless car and buy it. And that is the story of how Myanmar ended up with thousands of these leaded-gas only, stinky, cramped, yet reliable people movers.
This is the question asked on the cover of the Lonely Planet guidebook.
Myanmar still contains culture, clothing and tradition that faded from the rest of South East Asia 50 years ago, and it is full of friendly people doing whatever it takes to make the time more enjoyable. The land is a geographic meeting point between China, India, Thailand and Laos and a melting-pot of the best (and worst) these grand and ancient cultures have to offer. Imagine!
The government is highly corrupt and abusive, but very little of the money I spent there went directly into their hands. If you go, try to follow suit. The locals, on the other hand, were ecstatic that travelers were in Myanmar supporting their fledgling businesses. It was the best vibe in the region so far and it once brought tears to my eyes to think that we would want to boycott these kind people. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the highly brave and popularly elected (and often imprisoned) opposition leader insists that people not visit her country. This decision has major merit and is worth ample weight towards your decision; but do know that without tourists money, all the small business owners in the country would be left with no source of income other than what menial jobs currently exist in the country: rock crushing, temple building, prostitution, drug running and ??? It is a tough decision, but I believe cultural exchange is the best way to solve long-standing problems. I say “GO to Myanmar and tread very lightly; give as little to the government as possible.” And while your at it, ask these questions: Should you visit the United States? Should you visit China?
The country’s official name is Myanmar, and domestically it is Myanma. The government in power employs this name to better represent all of the country’s people and to distance itself from the previous government and rule by the nation’s founding father and hero — General Bogyoke Aung San (February 1915 - July 1947.) Myanmar is also the ancient name as well, used for hundreds of years prior. If someone/thing is from Myanmar, the adjective is Myanmar. (Myanmar people, Myanmar food.) The previous, and still popular name is Union of Burma, or simply Burma. The United States still uses the name Burma in official documentation about the country. However, the name Burma does not accurately represent all the people in the country. About 70% of the citizens are, in fact, Burman. Yet, the remaining 30% come from many minority groups including Shan, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, Chinese, Indian, etcetera. In fact there are more than 100 ethnic groups in the country, most of whom have historically struggled against the Burman majority at one point. So you can see, calling the country Burma linguistically excludes much of the country. It would be like calling the United States ‘Whita’. Nonetheless, those opposed to current government control, both domestically and internationally, insist that the name still be Burma — the name instilled by General Bogyoke Aung San, the modern founding father of the country. And Burma certainly possesses a ring in one’s ears that Myanmar doesn’t seem to project. Nonetheless, I still call the place Myanmar to include all involved. (You definitely might step on someone’s toes shouting Burma deep in the Shan states!) In the future, maybe a third name may be created that would include all involved and distance itself from the current repressive government.
Myanmar (Burma) was where I spent monsoon June. What a magical country! Steeped in tradition and culture the country is as beautiful as Southeast Asia gets.
While in Myanmar, I visited Bagan— the famed ancient Buddhist landscape with over 4000 temples and stupas, Inlay Lake (quite possible the most serene and chill place on earth), Mandalay— but no Mandalay Bay (sorry Las Vegas) and Yangon— the green and peaceful capital. One great thing about a fascist government: Horn honking is punishable by fines, making Yangon the quietest capital city in all of Asia! I wish others would heed Myanmar on this issue— noise pollution outweighs all other types in Asia.
I guess my only complaint about Myanmar was its food. It was terrible, worse than what the communists serve up in Cuba! Even George Orwell states in his 1927 novel Burmese Days that the food is “hideous.” The way I understood it, oil (cooking oil) is viewed as a sign of wealth, and they would pour and fry and sizzle that grease so much it would make Shalimar (the Pakistani restaurant in the Tenderloin of San Francisco) seem like eating a green salad. The hygiene was terrible too, worse than India, I dare say. We all got hit, even the 48-year old Austrian who hadn’t had diarrhea since 1985 suffered a bout. Then again, I guess you could say Myanmar primed my stomach for what was next to come… India. Well, at least there is Burma Super Star back home on Clement Street in SF where I can enjoy California-cum-Myanmar food in air-con luxury. Can’t wait to eat that Mandalay salmon again!
Yangon is one of the most exotic places I’ve been. I guess when you have a place that is the meeting and mixing grounds for cultures as intense as Chinese, Indian, and SE Asian, you are going to have a bizarre place. Throw in a fascist government that squanders cash and doesn’t repair any public works, and a bit of rain during rush hour and you have complete chaos. The sanitary conditions have been terrible, at best, to say the least, but locals don’t seem to notice. Everything is always wet. Nothing dries (at least during monsoon June.) At the same time, the vibe is quite nice with some of the most charming people this side of Kampala.
Mandalay is a place where magic happens. I wanted a draft beer and water, so I point to both on the table next to me. My waiter takes my empty H2O bottle to throw away, but moments later, returns with it full of beer. How funny! But what a great idea! The back alleys of Mandalay are outstanding. There are wooden houses everywhere and stupas and loud speakers blasting exotic music or highly reverberated speech. The food is terrible. Really nothing to repeat here. Burma Super Star in SF is a rare case where the is better in the US that where it originates from. The people though are so cordial; whenever they give something, they use both hands! I love them.
http://oa.yahoo.com/
This used to be a way to access the otherwise banned Yahoo! email and portal.
Yangon
Okinawa Guest House
No.64, 32nd Street
Pabedan Tsp. Yangon
Telephone: 374318
This is currently the best hostel/budget hotel in Yangon. It is new, the staff are sharp and it is clean.
Inle Lake
Aquarius Guest House
The owner and staff were lovely and the common area allowed for mingling with other guests. A great vibe altogether.
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