Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 522

chilli and coriander, served with a watery
vegetable or bone soup. One variety
worth trying is nàn-gyì thouq , made with
thick rice noodles that look like spaghetti.
Lunchtime is also when you should try
Burmese curries if you're worried about
hygiene, since they are usually cooked in
the morning then left in pots all day.
Local people, however, would typically
have curry in the evening at home. A
meat, fish or prawn curry will be
accompanied by rice ( t'ămìn ), a watery
soup and fried vegetables. A great deal
of oil is added to Burmese curries,
supposedly to keep bacteria out, but, like
locals, you can skim the oil off. At the
best restaurants, the meal will also
include a selection of up to a dozen small
side-dishes, plus fresh vegetables and
herbs with a dip (such as ngăpí-ye , a
watery fish sauce). Green tea will usually
be thrown in, and sometimes you'll get a
dessert such as tasty lăp'eq (fermented tea
leaves with fried garlic, peanuts, toasted
sesame and dried shrimp). You may also
get t'ănyeq (jaggery, unrefined cane sugar).
here are plenty of regional variations
to discover as you travel: the food of
Rakhine State, for example, is influenced
by its proximity to Bangladesh, so curries
are spicier. hey also tend to include fish
paste as an ingredient, rather than on the
side as a condiment.
Vegetarians should find it reasonably
easy to find suitable food throughout
the country, since some Buddhists are
restrained in their consumption of meat.

male clientele. hese places usually serve
draught beer (around K700 for a glass) as
well as bottles (from K1700 for 640ml),
with the former usually restricted to the
most popular brew, Myanmar Beer
(produced by a government joint
venture) and sometimes its rival Dagon.
Both beers are also available in bottles,
as are Mandalay Beer and several hai
and Singaporean beers, including Tiger,
Singha and ABC Stout.
Mid-range and upmarket restaurants
will often have a list of imported wines .
here are a couple of vineyards making
wine in Shan State, and it's better than
you might expect: look out for Red
Mountain (see p.567) and Aythaya. Fruit
wines are produced around Pyin Oo
Lwin, while local spirits include t'àn-ye
(toddy or palm wine).

7

CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
As in other Southeast Asian countries,
clothing in Myanmar is usually modest. In
some ethnic minority villages it's still the
norm to wear traditional dress, and even
in cities many men and women wear a
skirt-like garment called a longyi . hese
days, though, it is also common for locals
to wear Western-style clothes and you'll
very occasionally see men in shorts. People
will be too polite to say anything, but they
may be offended by the sight of tourists
wearing revealing clothes. his would
include shorts cut above the knee, and
- particularly for women - tops that are
tight or show the shoulders. It's especially
important to dress conservatively when
visiting temples, and some travellers carry
a longyi for such situations.
Most women and girls, as well as some
men and boys, use thănăk'à (a paste made
from ground bark) on their faces;
traditionally thought to improve the skin
and act as a sunblock, it is often applied
as a circle or stripe on each cheek.
Avoid touching another person's head, as
it is considered the most sacred part of the
body; feet are unclean, and so when sitting
don't point them at anyone or towards
images of the Buddha. Remove your shoes
before entering a Buddhist site or a home.
Always use your right hand when shaking

DRINKS
Tap water isn't safe to drink in Myanmar;
bottled water is available throughout the
country for around K300. In many
restaurants, free green tea ( ye-nwè-gyàn ) is
left in jugs on tables and is safe to drink.
In teahouses, black tea is usually drunk
with plenty of milk and sugar, while
coffee is almost always instant, other than
in expensive Western-style cafés.
Although there are few places
resembling Western bars or pubs outside
of Yangon and Mandalay, most towns
will have a couple of beer stations which
look like simple restaurants but with beer
adverts on display and a predominantly