One of the local markets in Chiang Mai
Here we go again…. Cooking Class Round 2.
Since I had already spent my money and my poor stomach, although not 100% better, was feeling good enough to eat regular food again I decided to give the cooking class another try. The instructors welcomed me back with open arms and they all greeted me with hugs and inquired about my illness which I thought was really sweet.
As a vegetarian who had just weened herself off of veganism (well 95% vegan…cheese pizza from Sal’s Pizzeria is the DEVIL!!!) before starting my travels I’ve been quite bored stiff with the food I’ve been eating. It can be quite a challenge to enjoy white rice, white bread, fried this and fried that when all you are craving is a green smoothie, a huge salad loaded with fresh crunchy veg, and some grilled asparagus drizzled in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with a dash of garlic and Himalayan sea salt. YUM! But when you’re in Rome sometimes you and your stomach have to do as the Romans. Well minus the dried spiders, cow penises, and other miscellaneous flesh parts.
I absolutely love Thai food and eat it quite often. And was doing so up until the week before I left the states when I realized that the $15 meal I had purchased would be a couple meals plus a nights stay in Thailand. When I found out exactly what goes in to the meals during this class I vowed that it will be a looooong time before I buy a Thai meal from a restaurant in the US that charges me any more like $1.55 for some vegetarian Pad Thai. Moving along……
I signed up for the cooking class so I could educate myself on what actually goes in to the food I heart so much and to learn to make healthier versions when i get back home. I chose this particular cooking class because you got a chance to get away from Chiang Mai and travel to another small city that is surrounded by organic farms, trees, and gardens. Each person had the option of choosing their own menu, we got a cookbook to take home, and best of all we got to devour eat everything we made.
The instructor, Pair, was really nice
I was the only vegetarian in the class and they teacher had no problem tailoring all meals to suit my dietary needs.
My chopping skills with the deadly butcher knife
Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup…..hated it :-(
Veg. Pad Thai
Learning how to make deep fried spring rolls can be detrimental to your healthy diet
Tadaa! All rolled.
The finished product
Who wears a muscle shirt to a cooking class?…I Do!
The Massaman curry paste I made by hand…I know it looks like something else :-|
Massaman curry in the making. By this time I was too full to cook or eat.
Now this was good!
Last course….Dessert! Mango and sticky rice. YUM!
With the exception of the Vegetarian Tom Yum soup everything I made tasted like it came from a three star Michelin Rated restaurant. OK well maybe that’s a stretch…but it was yummy!
After it was all said and done I had a severe case of itis
….because it’s extra safe to take a photo of yourself while riding a bicycle on a roughly paved road while you’re on the way to a farm in the middle of nowhere :-|
A local organic farm in Paseo
Hard work!
Me and my lovely instructor, Pair
I am so happy my stomach and I made it to the end of this class. I was full as a tick but I had a blast!
when you come back home, i’m gonna need you to reenact those spring rolls again 😀 I LOVE THAI FOOD!
Now you know I’m going to be a spring rollin fool!