Industrious

Part of my ongoing hands series.

Ex army chef Gilbert was prevailed upon to do a nem workshop this afternoon. 34 degrees in the shade at 5 pm is not ideal for deep frying, but we all survived. I actually missed the opportunity to sign up, but I went along anyway to take photos, and got to taste a crispy pork and vegetable nem at the end, served in the classic way wrapped in a couple of mint leaves and a lettuce leaf, with a dipping sauce. A couple of extras of Gilbert at work.

Even with 15 people, it took a very long time to prepare and fry around 70 nems (twice fried like chips). I won't be doing this at home, as I never deep fry anything! Once they were done some people went home, but the indefatigable Gilbert then proceeded to bring out more ingredients to make spring rolls -- these use the same rice paper wrappers and similar ingredients, but are not cooked, so they are quicker to do. I had lost my appetite by then, so I went home and brought out glasses and rosé, as did a couple of other people. Some of us hung out chatting for a while, and I didn't get home till after eight, just a few minutes before S got back from his long day out in the Pyrenees.