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pancakes

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I had the misfortune of coming to Penang right during Chinese New Year.  It’s a pretty big deal here, apparently, because once it starts, the city basically shuts down for a couple of days.

It’s tough to find anywhere to eat during this time, because if there’s a restaurant you want to check out, odds are that it’s closed.  It’s way, way too hot to walk around until you find one that’s open.

Here’s a very pleasant surprise, and something I hadn’t even heard of until I came to Bangkok: khanom bueang, a Thai dessert that consists of thin, crispy pancakes with a generous spread of a creamy Italian-meringue-like substance, along with other fillings (the one I tried had egg yolk threads, though coconut was also an option).

I was trying to go to a bistro called Le Comptoir du Relais; it was completely full (it almost never occurs to me to make reservations, so this actually happens a lot).  They do, however, have a small take-out window with sandwiches and pastries.  I figured this was a pretty good opportunity to try a ham and butter sandwich, which is supposedly the second most popular sandwich in France.

(The first?  Burgers.  Everyone loves burgers.)