First came the banana leaves: glossy, dark-green rectangles, cut down to the size of placemats and perpendicularly striped with veins. Our server covered the table in leaves so that we could only see the wood around the edges. Then she brought out a tray of vegetables to arrange on the leaf mat, setting identical piles on opposite ends: half-moons of ripe mango, caramelized yams, and lengths of roasted eggplant with shiny, wrinkled skins. Salted eggs with yolks a furious orange. Heaps of chopped... More >>>