It was a hit!

Below is a “field report” from one of our local partners that tried out our food for the first time last week…

I am excited to report that I cooked an entire bag on Wednesday morning and brought it to our center in a large crock pot. I enhanced it with some spices (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes) and herbs (chives, Thai basil, regular basil), and added a can of black beans (for additional protein). Then, I placed a few spoonfuls in a bathroom-sized cup and gave out samples (with plastic spoons/forks) to each of our 45 clients and their children who came on Wednesday. The response was very positive! I encouraged them to take a few bags home with them if they liked it (I didn’t want to put them "on the spot" if they didn’t like it), and by the end of our 2-hour session, all but two of the bags were taken. I gave the remaining two bags to a Loaves & Fishes client as she was walking to her car in the parking lot! I also encouraged our clients to “spice it up” with whatever spices they like to use and/or to add their own cut-up meat and vegetables.

A few of the Bhutanese-Nepali folks told me that they did NOT like it because it was not Jasmine rice, which is what they mostly cook with. One Montagnard gal told me it tasted more like porridge or soup than the rice she is accustomed to using in her meals, but that her kids seemed to like it, so she took some home; she also said she would try to cook it with less water than I used and see if the texture was better.

So, yes, I would say it was a “hit!”  And if you are available to deliver more to us, I think it would be great!