My Love-Hate with "Huhu" (Curry Stews), and That Unopened Packet

These days, my taste buds feel like they’re jumping between two dimensions—chasing curry “huhu” (stews) on Sri Lankan streets 🚀, then staring at Chinese food on Maldives’ Hakuraa Island, thinking: the food’s not bad, but why am I craving hotpot’s spicy broth 🥘 and instant noodles’ seasoning packets 🍜? Sri Lanka: The Joy of Being Stuffed with Curry Huhu In Sri Lanka, my stomach felt like a “curry receiver.” Street stalls’ iron pans bubble nonstop—pale yellow chicken curries 🍛, thick with coconut milk, clinging to wooden spoons, scented with lemongrass and cumin; dark brown fish curries are bolder, smoky-spicy 🌶️, with fish stewed so tender you can suck the meat off the bones. I’d squat by stalls watching vendors scoop the huhu: left hand grabs a piece of roti (Sri Lankan flatbread) 🥞, right hand piles curry on it with a small copper spoon, then grates lime over the top—the roti’s chewy enough to wrap all the sauce. First bite: coconut sweetness. Second: chili kick. By the end, I’d even lick the huhu off my fingertips. Once in Colombo, I ate dark lamb curry, so spicy I chugged iced tea, but couldn’t stop 🤤—this huhu, why does it hit so right? Maldives’ Hakuraa Island: Good Chinese Food, But It Feels Like Eating “Foam” Hakuraa Island surprised me with its Chinese food 🥢: stir-fried greens crisp with dew, tomato scrambled eggs with fluffy eggs, even vinegar-fried potato shreds once, tangy enough to cut greasiness. The head chef, a Chinese-speaking uncle, always asks, “Want some spice today?”—full of sincerity. But here’s the thing: the five packets of preserved vegetables I brought? Never opened to go with meals. It’s not that the food’s bad, just… lacking “substance.” Breakfast porridge is fluffy as clouds, dinner fish fillets tender to the point of no chew, even fried noodles glisten like a film. One day, chewing the hotel’s cream bread 🍞, it hit me: this texture, it’s like eating foam 🫧—soft, light, filling, but no grip on my taste buds. My travel buddy called me “fussy,” saying “having Chinese food is lucky enough.” But feeling those five packets in my suitcase (I later ate two dry, with iced cola—surprisingly good), all I could think of was hotpot 🥘: red oil bubbling, tripe dipped seven times, wide noodles soaking up broth; or instant noodles at midnight 🍜, seasoning packets torn open, scallions sprinkled— that bold, salty aroma, the kind that anchors your stomach. Today’s day seven on the island 📅. Staring at the sea 🌊, I suddenly crave lifting a hotpot lid 🥘. Turns out, after all this travel, the most missed flavors aren’t fancy dishes—they’re the smoky, hearty ones that feel like home 🏠. #Maldives #SriLanka #TravelFood #CurryLove #HotpotCraving