lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

EATING IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

DRINKS

332

Many restaurants will provide as much weak Chinese tea as you can

handle – for free if you order some food. It’s a good, safe thirst-quencher,

and some people prefer it to regular Burmese tea.

Soft drinks cost more, but are reasonable by Asian standards. Since

the privatisation of industry there has been a boom in new made-in-

Myanmar soft-drink brands, including Fantasy, Lemon Sparkling, Max,

Star, Fruito and Crusher. They taste pretty much the same as their West-

ern counterparts.

Real coff ee is limited to a handful of modern Western-style cafés in

Yangon and other large cities. As a result, coff ee drinkers will fi nd them-

selves growing disturbingly attached to the ‘three-in-one’ packets of in-

stant coff ee (the ‘three’ being coff ee, milk and sugar), which you can have

in teahouses for about K2 50.

Alcoholic Drinks

In the past the people of Myanmar were not big drinkers. This was due to

a lack of disposable income, but also to the consumption of alcohol being

looked down upon by the many Burmese Buddhists who interpret the fi fth

lay precept against intoxication very strictly. However, with the advent of

‘beer stations’ – places that serve cheap draught beer – the number of ur-

ban locals who can aff ord a few glasses of beer after work is on the rise.

Beer

Apart from international brands such as Tiger, ABC Stout, Singha, San

Miguel and other beers brewed in Thailand and Singapore (typically

costing K1700 for a 375mL can or bottle), there are a couple of Myan-

mar brews. These include long-established, joint-venture Myanmar Beer,

which is slightly lighter in fl avour and alcohol than other Southeast

Asian beers (to the palate of at least a couple of researchers). A more

watery beer is Mandalay Beer. If you order it, some waiting staff may

double-check to see if you meant ‘Myanmar’ beer. Founded in 1886, Man-

dalay Brewery, in Yangon, also produces the New Mandalay Export label,

which is the best-tasting local beer. Some fi ne, newer brands brewed in

Myanmar include Dagon and Skol.

Among the locals, Myanmar draught is the favourite; a glass of it will

set you back only K500 or so.

Liquors & Wines

Very popular in Shan State is an orange brandy called shwe leinmaw.

Much of it is distilled in the mountains between Kalaw and Taunggyi.

It’s a pleasant-tasting liqueur and packs quite a punch. Near Taunggyi,

there’s a couple of vineyards making wine (p 191 ) and in Pyin Oo Lwin

there are several sweet strawberry-based wines.

There are also stronger liquors, including ayeq hpyuu (white liquor),

which varies in strength from brandylike to almost pure ethyl; and taw

ayeqq ( jungle liquor), a cruder form of ayeq hpyu. Mandalay is well known

for its rums, and there is also, of course, the fermented palm juice known

as toddy.

DRINKING WATER

Drink water in Myanmar only when you know it has been purifi ed – which in most res-

taurants it should be. You should be suspicious of ice, although we’ve had lots of ice

drinks in Myanmar without suff ering any ill eff ects. Many brands of drinking water are

sold in bottles and are quite safe, but check the seal on the bottle fi rst. A 1L bottle, usu-

ally kept cool by ice or refrigerator, costs about K300 or K400 at most hotels.

The website

hsa*ba (www.

hsaba.com),

written by

cookbook author

Tin Cho Chaw,

a contributor

to this chapter,

includes a blog

that regularly

features Burmese

recipes.

Fountain of youth

in a bottle! Spir-

ulina Beer, made

from lake algae

near Monywa,

is revered for

its ‘anti-ageing’

qualities (less so

for the slightly

sweet aftertaste).

BEER