Speedbump: March 2007

Back home, in Seaview, a lot of tourists like to come into our small little town for weekend trips. They all enjoy the kite and sandcastle festivals, as well as eating saltwater taffy at Marsh's, speeding along on the bumper cars and of course taking pictures in front of the larger than life frying pan. But for me, now as a bona fide local, I look at life on the peninsula in a different way. I love our Wednesday burger night at the Depot and taco Fridays in Astoria. But whenever I get a free night, my favorite thing to do is grab some food at my favorite Thai restaurant and catch a movie down the street.

When I found out that Stephanie was moving to Thailand, almost eight months ago, all I could think of was how there will be someone to teach me how to make pad thai and yellow curry. But that idea kind of ceased to exist when I realized that after two years in Morocco, I didn't learn how to make anything. So why would Stephanie after only eight months?

She has a kitchen in her cute little condo but with her teaching, tutoring and sports schedule, she has not had the time to take advantage of it. Plus, with no offense to her roommates, the kitchen is kind of gross. Anyway, we decided that we should both learn how to cook some Thai food. Stephanie's friend, Allison, told us that she signed up for a cooking class with a school in downtown Bangkok and that we should do the same. Well it was the perfect suggestion. We signed up immediately and counted down the days until our four hour cooking class would begin.

The day finally came last Sunday. Stephanie and I hitched a ride into town with Maddy on her way to church. The driver was nice enough to drop us off at the school, after having to call them to get help maneuvering through all the confusing Thai streets.

When we drove up, we were greeted by the cutest Thai woman. She was wearing an apron and her hair was covered with barrets and her cheeks in bright pink blush.

The Baipai cooking school looks like something out of the Swiss Family Robinson house. It’s absolutely beautiful, decorated with flowers, white fabric and hardwood floors, but I was almost expecting a rope to drop down in front of me as I walked up the stairs. We signed up for a four hour course that teaches you how to cook a full menu, including chicken sauté, spicy prawn salad, cashew chicken and mango and sticky rice. I was so excited to learn how to cook all this food! I know Steph was especially excited to learn how to make the mango and sticky rice.

Stephanie's time in Thailand has definitely given her some new habits and even some funny new addictions. For example, she has a huge weakness for mango and sticky rice. When she told me about it back in the States, I thought, that sounds gross. I needed to taste the real thing after she told me that she would pick mango and sticky rice over ice cream any day. Well, after many successful attempts, I am now a huge fan. It is amazing.

When we walked upstairs we sat with about eight other people. There was a German couple, some Australians, a Japanese woman and a some other Americans. I have to say I was a little disappointed from the lack of humor and general charm of the group. I tried to make conversation and get them to laugh at some rather humorous jokes but it didn’t really work. Is it just me or is it unnatural for people to not be social in situations like this?

It didn’t matter though, we had such a great time. The class was led by Sue, a cute young Thai girl and another woman, the “teacher”, the woman with all the pink blush that I described before.

The class started out with a tour of the market, the real market. We got to see how real Thai people buy their food and all of the unique smells that people can experience starting at four o’clock in the morning. It reminded me of the markets in the larger cities of Morocco, but without the harassment.

Back at the school, we sat at a bar in front of our two teachers. They went dish by dish, explaining the ingredients and the cooking process. After each plate, we tasted it and then made it on our own, followed by a break and chance to devour the delicious food we had made by ourselves. Everyone had their own station, equipped with a stove, knifes and already measured out ingredients. When I was making my food, I pretended I was hosting my own show.

“And now slowly add in the sauce…”

At one point during the spicy prawn salad demo, the older American woman (who must have been at least 65) asked our teacher, “Now what is the difference between a shallot and an onion?” I turned and rolled my eyes at Stephanie. I wondered if it was possible to get another group.

We had an amazing time and I can’t wait to go home and make cashew chicken for my parents. I’m hoping I’ll be able to find all of the needed ingredients but I won’t be surprised if my mom whips out a Thai cooking book from the shelf and proceeds to make a much better, much more complicated, dish on her own. All I know is that I can always go down the street to the little Thai place with any of my questions, any maybe even for some new friends.