Flavor Boulevard

We Asians like to talk food.
Subscribe

Sugarcane juice is sweetest at the throat

March 30, 2010 By: Mai Truong Category: California - The Bay Area, Comfort food, Drinks, One shot, Vietnamese


At first you taste a field of lush wet grass, then sweetness creeps in and lingers. It is neither rich nor plain. It is not colorful or sparkling. It has no charm in a 16-oz styrofoam cup. You will never be its addict. It relieves thirst better than coke, and contains nothing but natural hymn. It is the girl-next-door drink.

Where I’m from, nuoc mia carts usually park in front of school gates. They have a bucket of yard-long sugarcane stalks, some ready-to-go nylon bags filled with the yellow tinged juice, tied with a rubber band and equipped with a straw, a glass box to store the inch cuts of decorticated sugarcane – cheap, all-natural energy snack for school kids.  The sugarcane ladies, usually in cone hats with their faces charred by sunlight and sidewalk heat, can reel sugarcane stalks through the grinding wheels so fast and so rhythmically, like a skilled tailor drawing cloth through a sewing machine. I used to marvel those ladies and their cool sweet drink, from a distance, as my mother doesn’t believe in street food. I may recall one or two instances of drinking sugarcane juice over the years, some vague memory of how wonderful the taste was after you added a teeny pinch of salt. There were times my mom would buy whole sugarcanes from the market and peel off the outer shell with one heck of a mean-looking sharp knife, then cut them into bite-sized chunks that I could chew and suck. The juice was heavenly. Its memory just wouldn’t let me rest.

Around lunch time we arrive at CD Bakery. As soon as I ask the cashier lady for one “nước mía”, she yells out the order to the juice man, who starts sticking and pulling sugarcane stalks into the grinding wheels boxed up with metal walls.


After running the stalks a couple of times through, the juice man reaches into the tin box to grab a plastic jug filled with lightly foaming juice, pours it into a styrofoam cup with a few ice cubes, closes the lid and dunks a straw. Three-dollar-and-three-minute soft drink. The only way to beat this minimal procedure would be to lick maple sap from a living tree, or chew on some sweet grass. The cashier lady asks if I want kumquat (salted, perhaps?) in my nuoc mia too, but after a split second of thought I go with No. Sugarcane juice can make it on its own. That is its beauty, and it deserves my trust. How would the aged, salty, bitter, sour kumquat tantalization fuse with the tingling, deeply soothing, freshly pressed, sweet sugarcane nectar?

I’ll try it next time.

Address: CD Bakery & Deli (also called Dao Bakery & Deli LLC)
(in the Lion Market Plaza on Tully & King)
1816 Tully Road, Store #198
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 238-1484
Open everyday from 8am to 8pm

0 Comments to “Sugarcane juice is sweetest at the throat”


  1. Great blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol

    1
  2. Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?

    2
  3. Given tһе pressure of PSLE, ƅeginning math tuition early provides Primary 1 tߋ Primary 6 students ᴡith
    self-assurance and proven methods tо excel іn major school examinations.

    Math tuition ⅾuring secondary үears strengthens һigher-orⅾer
    reasoning, which prove critical for both examinations and futur pursuits іn STEM fields, engineering, economics, аnd data-related disciplines.

    In Singapore’s education ѕystem where H2 Math
    is a prerequisite f᧐r many elite unniversity programmes, math tuition functions ɑs a calculated academic
    commitment tһat secures ɑnd elevates future tertiary and career prospects.

    Іn Singapore’ѕ fast-paced and highly competitive education ѕystem, virtual mathematics tutoring һas emerged аs a vital
    resource for primary students, offering flexible scheduling аnd personalised
    one-tօ-one guidance t᧐ help young learners firmly grasp foundational PSLE topics sᥙch as model drawing fгom home wіthout
    rigid centre schedules.

    OMT’ѕ holistic approach nurtures not simply abilities уet pleasure
    in mathematics, inspiring students to weⅼcome the subject and radiate
    in their exams.

    Join our smaⅼl-group ᧐n-site classes іn Singapore fοr customized
    assistance іn a nurturing environment thɑt develops strong fundamental mathematics abilities.

    Singapore’ѕ focus on crucial believing thгough mathematics highlights the significance оf math tuition,
    ѡhich helps students establish tһе analytical abilities demanded ƅy
    thе country’s forward-thinking curriculum.

    Math tuition helps primary trainees stand ߋut іn PSLE Ьy
    strengthening tһe Singapore Math curriculum’ѕ bar modeling technique fߋr visual prοblem-solving.

    Connecting math ideas to real-wоrld scenarios ᴠia tuition deepens understanding,
    maкing O Level application-based inquiries mᥙch
    more friendly.

    Math tuition at tһе junior college level highlights conceptual quality
    օvеr rote memorization, vital fоr taқing on application-based
    Ꭺ Level questions.

    Τһe proprietary OMT curriculum distinctively improves tһe MOE syllabus ԝith focused technique
    οn heuristic ɑpproaches, preparing pupils ƅetter fօr examination obstacles.

    OMT’ѕ sуstem is mobile-friendly one, sⲟ examine on thе go and
    see youг mathematics grades boost ԝithout missing oսt on a beat.

    Math tuition constructs durability іn facing challenging questions,ɑ requirement fοr flourishing
    іn Singapore’s һigh-pressure exam atmosphere.

    Αlso visit my blog: online math tuition Singapore Masters tutor

    3
  4. My brother suggested I may like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not believe just how much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!

    4
  5. good post.Ne’er knew this, thankyou for letting me know.

    5
  6. Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the closing part 🙂 I care for such information much. I used to be looking for this certain information for a long time. Thanks and best of luck.

    6
  7. Some truly rattling work on behalf of the owner of this web site, absolutely outstanding subject matter.

    7
  8. I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or weblog posts in this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So i am happy to express that I have a very just right uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I such a lot no doubt will make sure to do not forget this website and give it a look on a continuing basis.

    8
  9. 구미오피를 검색하며 구미 지역 일반 마사지·스파를 알아보는 분들을 위한 안내입니다. 프로그램 선택, 관리 시간과 비용, 시설·위생, 주차, 예약 전 확인사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 정리했습니다.

    9
  10. 밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.

    10
  11. 밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.

    11
  12. 밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.

    12
  13. 포항오피 검색어의 맥락과 온라인 정보 확인 기준을 정리했습니다. 광고성 표현과 후기의 출처, 게시물의 최신성, 개인정보 보호 방법, 포항 공공정보와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.

    13


Leave a Reply