We had a fabulous day cooking up a storm with Nan and Pot from Siam Rice Cooking School in Chiang Mai. Hospitality and kindness of Chiang Mai people continue to shine through!
We were picked up ,from our hotel, at about 0930 am this morning, and Pot drove us to the market(or one of the markets) in Chiang Mai, along with four other tourists:two guys from the Netherlands and a couple from Holland.
The market tour was great. We got introduced to many fruits and vegetables grown in Thailand. We got to smell, touch and taste various products. A great way to get a sense for the Thai cuisine.
After the tour in the market, we were driven to Pot and Nan's house,where a cooking school was set up for us. We were treated to mini coconut pancakes,which were delicious, and each one chose a different option to form a seven course meal! From soups, to salads, to appetizers to the main course, and the desert, everything was delicious with a big D. We also got to make our own curry paste, and then sauce. A bonus was to learn how to carve fruits, but I really did not do well on that, so I am not going to dwell on it.
It was very interesting and amazingly easy to make all these courses. Of course, most things were prepared, and we only had to the final preparation steps. Each had their own chopping board and stove.Nan is very knowledgable of other cuisines, so she was able to point out differences and similarities between Thai cooking and other countries' cooking.She also is a very nice person with a great sense of humor. I was looking at calender in Thai language, and she taught me how to write numbers from one to ten in Thai, well it is not easy, I felt like a little kid who is holding a pen for the first time!
I will write later about the courses we made. It was nice that me and Bill got to choose different options, so we actually tasted fourteen dishes in about six hours! Yep, I think the scale will show it when we get home, but who can help it, Thai food is delicious!
After the course was over, and we ate all what we made(gasp), we received certificates from the cooking school. It was nice that Nan took the time to write our names in Thai along with English so that we have a great souvenir of our time in Chiang Mai cooking Thai style.
We were dropped off at our hotel after school was out,feeling full and happy.
What a great city to visit!
Comments (8)
This sounds like so much fun! Yum!
Thanks so much for keeping us posted. I'm really enjoying this vicarious trip!
Posted by Annie | May 20, 2009 8:43 AM
Posted on May 20, 2009 08:43
Wow, another exciting day in an exotic city. I am wishing (for Thai experience) and drooling as well. :)
Posted by Eden | May 20, 2009 7:31 PM
Posted on May 20, 2009 19:31
Hi Candi, the cooking school sounds like a great experience. And your teacher Nan seems like a sweet person taking the extra time to teach you about writings in Thai. It really sounds like you're having such a great time! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences. I may have to move Thailand up a notch on my "must see" list.
Keep on having fun...
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | May 21, 2009 6:32 AM
Posted on May 21, 2009 06:32
I'm with Annie, living vicariously through all your postings so far - glad you are having a good time.
Posted by Marcia | May 21, 2009 2:32 PM
Posted on May 21, 2009 14:32
I'm drooling at the thought of coconut pancakes! This sounds like so much fun.
Posted by sandrac | May 21, 2009 8:06 PM
Posted on May 21, 2009 20:06
What a great day!! I can't wait to hear more about the dishes you learned to prepare. That is very cool that you got a certificate with your name written in Thai. I love Thai food! How lucky!!!!
Posted by girasoli | May 23, 2009 3:45 PM
Posted on May 23, 2009 15:45
Given how much I love Thai cooking I am really looking forward to hearing more about this! It sounds as if you're having a fun time so far - lucky you!
Posted by Jerry | May 24, 2009 6:21 AM
Posted on May 24, 2009 06:21
I can't wait to see pictures of your day with Nan and some of the dishes you prepared. I'd also like to see your name written in Thai. ;)
Posted by María I. | June 2, 2009 10:51 AM
Posted on June 2, 2009 10:51