As per my request, and as you can imagine Howie was happy to oblige, we spent the day doing one of the many cooking classes here in Chiang Mai. We chose a cooking class that took place on an organic farm, partly because we wanted something a little different and partly hoping to catch a glimpse of Norman's long lost cousin. There were no snail sightings (it is really dry here!!), but we had a pretty wonderful day anyway.
The day started with a market tour at a fabulous market on the outskirts of town. We got a quick but informative lesson on various kinds of rice and other Thai staples (our teacher was all business, but really warmed as the day went on) and then we were let loose for about 15 minutes to do some wandering. The market had about everything and Howie found a woman making fresh donuts (who can resist?) and I got my Thai iced coffee, as has become morning ritual here.
After the market it was off to the farm, about 20 mins outside the city. It is a nice place, small, but in a great rural setting and a virtual cooking school factory. There were three groups all taking classes at the same time, but they were great about keeping us separate and making the lessons personal. We did a quick tour of the farm, in our spiffy farm gear, and then it was on to cooking. We each had our won cooking station and I made green curry, while Howie made red. And this was read deal, mortar and pestle and all.
It took a lot of pounding, but we did end up with paste and from there things went fast. So we had the curries, then soup - Howie Tom Yum, Coconut milk and mushroom (a new fave for me here) then we made some stir fry, broke for lunch and then, completely full, we both made noodle dishes (I made pad thai, Howie made "big noodles") and then, last but not least, mango and sticky rice.
Everything we made in the afternoon became take-away and turned out to be a great dinner at the picnic tables outside the hostel, along with the bottle of wine we have been lugging since Jakarta. Quite possibly a perfect birthday.
For anyone coming this way, check out www.thaifarmcooking.net.
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