So, last week, I wandered. I tried a new place for Thai cuisine. The same place I had adopted as my new home for Chinese. With nine other guys, I went to feast on Thai at Asia Oriental Express.

To reserve, simply send an email to dondayinsma@yahoo.com and tell me how many there will be in your party.. I’ll confirm with an email if there’s still room. I’ll send regrets if we’re already full. And please note that no-shows and day-of cancellations are still expected to pay.

Let’s first talk about what a tamal (the correct singular spelling) is. The prime ingredient is masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn (no, I’m not exactly sure what nixtamalized means but I do like using the verb once or twice a year). The masa is then combined with…well…almost anything. I’ve seen meats, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and, of course, chiles and seasonings. It is then stuffed inside either corn husks or banana leaves and steamed.

The back ribs had a richer, more robust, fattier flavor and a meatiness that I associated more with short ribs from the chest. The spiciness was light and there was just a hint of smoke so the pork flavor was always front and center. I just loved them.