Habits blind a cook's eyes

When it comes to Hue food, I found myself conservative. I believed good food must be original and authentic. I enjoy the fact that I have to work really hard to make my food authentic and truly Hue-styled. The enjoyment indeed comes from my hard seeking for authentic materials, choosing servingware, styling food, and adorably gazing the product.

When it comes to cookery cultivation, I have found myself in the line of openness. I want to be and am open to acquiring this art to my fullest. It is this 'wanting' many times moves me forward and backward in cooking and evaluating food. Chè bắp Huế (Hue styled sweet corn sweet soup) can be a brilliant example for this point.


Due to its being starchy, Hue sweet corn is often made to give (slightly) thick sweet soup. This version used to grow my tastebud up and embrace my enjoyment, at least until I encountered another breed of sweet corn in NZ. It is not starchy at all. Each slice comes on its own. It is something quite different from its 'name sake' in Hue. It is therefore a puzzle for me. Whether to keep my embraced version or to change? Why do i have to keep the authenticity while I cannot bring about a real one? Honestly, I did try by putting some flour in my soup, and it turned out not to be worthy to dive my tastebud in. Why can't corn sweet soup be as light as other kinds of sweet soups?


I now hold the belief that the light version can be something worthy to appreciate new dimensions in gastronomy.