Cooking School

Trip Start Feb 05, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Thailand Chiang Mai, Thailand
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

As I travel, one of my favourite things to do is wander through markets. Especially food markets and especially in Asia. There are just so many interesting things to look at and the smells are crazy and the atmosphere is always lively. And I have no idea what half the shit is, cooked, raw or otherwise. Asking usually doesn't help, although it will often result in an interesting and dynamic conversation wherein neither of the participants really understands the other. This is why the market tour component of my Saturday cooking course was probably my favourite part.

There were only five of us in the group. Silvie and Rose from Montreal, Cassia, a Kiwi, and Lyn from Auz (who had the audicity to suggest that they like to think of NZ as the newest state of Auz, in Cassia's presence.). Anyway, after a brief explanation of rices and how to cook rice, we were off to the local market where, along with purchasing the day's supplies, we would receive an indepth lesson on indiginous Thai fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices that are particular to Thai cuisine

Market tour

. Oh, the secret to cooking good rice...a rice cooker.

I can now walk through an Asian market and fairly comfortably identify most of the previously unidentifiable food items. We prepared six dishes. Spring roll (this one was for the farang and I could have easily done without it--it's easier to buy them ready made at your local Chinese superstore), stir fried prawn with curry powder, papaya salad, yellow curry past, chiang mai noodle with chicken (using the yellow curry paste) and deep fried banana. They washed and prepped everything. We did some cutting, used the wok and learned some tricks about the use of salt, sugar, oils, pepper and fish sauce. We made the curry paste. I've had only a couple of these dishes elsewhere. My favourite was the chicken dish and the deep fried bananas, served with a light coconut icecream were killer. I left armed with a cookbook and an ego boost. As you know, I'm not bad in the kitchen. Maybe now I'm even a little better. I'm looking forward to cooking Thai for anyone who's interested.

Later I rendevouzed with Tony, Maya, Steph and Thomas at the Chiang Mai Saloon. Maya is heading south. Thomas is heading towards Europe. Steph is going into Laos for a month's volunteer work north of Luang Prabang. It is likely I'll see her somewhere in Laos. Tony is interested in heading to Pai with me in the morning so we agree to meet by his guesthouse at 8:00 a.m.