Another thing on my "to-do" list was to go to a real Thai cookery school. So while in Chiang Mai I earned a certificate of excellence from the Thailand Culinary Institute by completing the basic six course meal.
At the local outdoor "wet" market I learned a lot about the herbs, spices, curries, fruits and vegetables that are used in traditional Thai cuisine. They use 3 different kinds of basil, 4 kinds of ginger, lots of garlic and chilli peppers. Of course it is also good to know that the biggest chillies are the mildest while the smallest "mouse shit chilli" is the hottest. There were six people in the class, two from Switzerland, two from England, one from Korea and me... from America living in Thailand!
We all made different dishes and
ate
after each one was created, so together we sampled more than 20 recipes. I already knew how to fix some of the
foods as I had easily mastered fluffy white rice and "sticky rice" as
well as "som-tam," a spicy papaya salad. However as many times as I have eaten
"Phad-Thai," I had not made it from scratch, so that was the first dish I fixed.
Then I made sweet-sour
vegetables and stir-fried prawns(shrimp) with green curry. A delicious spicy crispy
fish salad, using the head and tail, made a picture perfect presentation. We even
did some vegetable carving. I think my favorite dish was fried cashew nut with
chicken, and for dessert, fried bananas in hot caramel sauce and homemade ice-cream topped with fresh shaved
coconut. Yum-Yum! Needless to say I was stuffed "im"
(full). Since it was an all day class, it ended just in time to visit the
famous "Night Market" where the indigenous northern hill tribeswomen bring
their handicrafts. Marvelous intricate designs, colorful natural dyed woven
fabrics, and traditional Thai clothes were a feast for my eyes. I purchased a hand loomed shawl with a
distinctive diamond shaped motif thinking it would keep me
cozy on the long (14 hour) bus ride back to Ban Chang.
The beautiful traditions of Thailand smile from the northern hills to the southern beaches and I love being here to enjoy the people and culture.
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| Statues of three Thailand Kings in front of the Chiang Mai Cultural Center |
A very ambitious undertaking with any students, but even more impressive is doing the “Lion King” show in English with students that speak Thai as their native language. The masks, make-up and costumes were brilliant, all made by the students and teachers. The music, staging, and choreography were also amazing, and the singing even surprised me. After hundreds of hours and countless rehearsals, the two afternoon performances, and three evening shows were completely sold out with over 300 attending each one. A massive success for all involved. In addition to working on almost everything, I also filmed the show and spent many, many hours editing the 120-minute DVD. The photos may give you some idea of the complexity and hard work that went into the production.
