Rice paper!

I just cooked the best dish ever, with no recipe, no guiding idea of what ethnic cuisine it was supposed to be, inspired only by the fact that I had bok choy, tofu, and ginger left to cook, and a whole package of Vietnamese rice paper just waiting to be explored. I stir-fried the bok choy, ginger, and tofu with sesame oil, hot sauce, and soy sauce, then wrapped the result in briefly-soaked rice paper. Rice paper may well be my favorite food, but I was a bit concerned that without a refreshing mint-basil-beef-lettuce-fish sauce-crushed peanuts-type filling, the whole thing would be a disaster. Far from it. No pictures, though, because despite being most delicious, it didn't look as elegant as it sounds. However, I am now determined to throw a Whatever-Wrapped-In-Rice-Paper Party, on the off-chance my friends share my obsession with the stuff. Oh, what the hell, if they don't, they will soon.

In other culinary news, the Syrian (?) store on Atlantic Avenue where I go when Sahadi's isn't open, or when I want some of that small-business charm, had this gigantic bottle of olive oil on display. The label: "$75 virgin." So that's what they're going for these days.