That, paired with the fact that I could not identify the mysterious floating objects, made me hesitant to try it. This feeling seemed to be shared by the other three girls who were my companions, because although we were starving, we decided to order one bowl for the entire group. The beef stew was placed in the center and after a single spoonful of broth, everyone ordered their own bowl, on top of the bowl we shared. The taste was similar to pho, a Vietnamese soup I have often back home. I couldn't believe how tasty a soup can be that is 40 years old, and I am so happy I decided to try it.
The 40-year-old soup has no recipe, just a procedure they follow every day. At the end of each night, the cauldron is emptied out, and the noodles, vegetables and meat are carefully separated from the broth. The broth is then cooled and stored to be used as the base for the next day’s soup. The employees then add water, meat, noodles and other spices the next day to continue serving guests the 40-year-old soup. While trying the soup, I did not know this, but this daily procedure Wattana Panich follows is known as a Chinese twist on "perpetual stew" or "hunter’s stew". This technique was popular in the medieval period and has been around for literally hundreds of years! The purpose of "hunter’s stew" is to take every last bit of flavor from the ingredients added. After tasting a bowl of the stew, I definitely think they succeed in doing just that!
