Today we ventured to a country village where we spent the day at a Thai cooking school. A driver picked us up from our resort and drove us to an outdoor market. At the market our instructor, who introduced herself as Pear, gave us a lesson on the basic ingredients used to prepare traditional Thai dishes, including herbs, spices, sauces and vegetables. We also saw many colorful tropical fruits, live eels and catfish, and many varieties of rice.
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| Photo by Emily |
After the market the driver took us to the train station, where we boarded an antique train for a ride to a small village in the countryside. We arrived in the village before our driver, and while we were waiting we played in the park across the street from the station. The park contained a full circuit of exercise equipment, including resistance and cardio machines. After a brief and entertaining workout, the driver arrived and drove us to the cooking school.
When we arrived at the cooking school we met the other students in our class, a couple from New Zealand and a young couple from Canada. It was fun to meet other travellers and learn about their experiences and perspective on Thailand. We enjoyed getting to know them throughout the day.
Pear gave us each a menu that had 4 or 5 dishes in each of 5 categories -- appetizer, soup, stir fry, curry, and dessert. We each picked one dish from each category to prepare. As a family we decided to each take a different dish so we could learn how to prepare -- and taste -- them all. We then took a tour of the school’s “farm” - a large cooking garden that contained many of the ingredients we used to prepare our dishes. It was interesting to learn about new ingredients such as longan fruit and banana blossom. It was also interesting to see how the ingredients grew.
We spent the morning learning more about the ingredients and flavors that are used in Thai dishes, as well as the general techniques used to prepare the dishes. We each had a cooking station with a cutting board and chef’s knife for preparation, and a second, individual station with a burner, wok, pot and utensils. The set-up enabled us each to prepare our dishes in parallel, while observing and chatting with our fellow students. Although I’ve done a fair amount of Thai cooking, including preparing some of the same dishes we made during the class, I learned new ingredients and techniques. It was particularly interesting to learn how many common ingredients different dishes shared, and how making a few key changes could totally alter the taste and result in a completely different dish. The entire cooking school was set in the garden, outdoors, a pleasant and authentic setting.
We spent the day alternating between preparing our dishes and sampling them, sitting together at a long table to eat, compare flavors, and chat. It was great fun to taste each others’ creations! Around midday we had a break to bike around the village and enjoy the countryside. We saw local homes and residents, chickens and dogs, fields and a creek, and the local wat. After another round of cooking and dining we were each given a cookbook with recipes for all of the dishes we made, ensuring we can return home and practice our new Thai cooking skills. (This made Michelle particularly happy, because now everyone can be chef for a day and take a turn preparing a Thai dinner on occasion.)
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| All photos credited to Emily |
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