This isn't my first post about che (pronounced jay-uh), but there seem to be more kinds than I'll ever have a chance to try. Some are almost as firm as cakes, most are like a tapioca pudding, and my favorites are more like watery beverages and very refreshing like a sweetened iced tea. On English-language menus, it's often called "sweet soup," served either warm or chilled, and the one pictured here looks at a glance like lentil soup when it is ladled out. It's made with different kinds of sweetened green or red beans, cooked in a kettle over a charcoal brazier, poured over ice and has coconut shavings on top, garnished with a shake of oil from banana leaves. It costs about 25 cents and the shade of the ancient banyan tree is thrown in for free.-Robert
