Speaking with my family on Skype today (everyone was at Jenn and Kevin’s for dinner so they gathered around the computer much in the way that families gathered around the television back when it was first introduced), my father asked why I hadn’t updated my blog in a week.  Sensing that his may be a representative voice, I decided I must yield to the wishes of my readers and post another entry.

The reason for the delay was simple: I’ve spent the better part of the past week editing the video footage I took last Saturday during the dinner at Ja’s house.  Tawn’s friend Ja owns a cooking school with her mother, and from time to time she’ll host dinners for their group of friends.  So on Saturday, Tawn and I went over there in the middle of the afternoon and went with Ja to the local market.  We shopped for veggies, meats, seafood, and curry paste before heading home to chop, wash, slice, peel and cook the food.

The cuisine for the day: traditional Thai Royal Palace cuisine.  These are largely dishes that were at some point reserved only for the royal family and the residents of the inner court.  Tasty stuff.

At one point in the kitchen, there were three different curry dishes going along with some chili sauces.  The kitchen was filled with fumes and even the Mae Krhrua Yai (master chef), Ja was coughing, eyes watering.

Here are some pictures:

Left and below left: Tawn and Ja at one of the many vegetable stands, making purchases.  Ja goes to this local market almost every day, so she knows all of the vendors and is a tough bargainer.

 

Below right: Still life of the talat (market).

   

 

Right: Notice the spider in the upper right-hand corner of the picture, having spun a web in the corner above the lime vendor.  In accordance with Buddhist beliefs, the vendors do not disturb the spiders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above left: Chicken, chicken, and more chicken.   Above right: Fish, fish and more fish.

Left: Ja selects fresh river prawns, the bodies of each about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm), ready to be thrown on the charcoal grill.  The price: about US$1.00 a piece.

 

 

 

 

Above: Back in Ja’s cooking school kitchen, the entire gang is engaged in prep work.  From left to right: Tawn, Jack, Eddy, Pim, Sa, and Ja.  Below: Dinner is served!

Two videos below showing our adventure:

What else happened this week?  Well, some things.  But I’ll write about those later.  But not a week later!