Scavenging & Cooking

We had two activities scheduled for today.  In the morning we had a scavenger hunt in the broader vicinity of the hotel.  Then after a little down time, we got on the skytrain and went to have a class at a Thai cooking school.

For the scavenger hunt, students were divided into four teams and given a series of things they had to find and photograph.  Also included was to video record interactions with an older Thai man or woman which required that the students speak Thai to ask questions.  In this photo, Bryce and his team found a "funny sign."  This is a blue collar area of Bangkok, so there aren't any tourists.  Thus, the students were immersed in real Thai culture where the locals were just doing what they do every day to make ends meet.

Here AT, Mackenzie, Morgan, and Clarke are trying to find something on the list while perusing very odd looking vegetables that we don't see in the US.

There's a cool local produce & meat market down a side street near the hotel.  The vendors are always very friendly and happy to exchange greetings with us.

Entrails was not on the scavenger hunt list...

nor was live fish...

nor were fish-sticks.

AT found chicken feet, but they weren't fried.

Clarke tried to make a vertically-challenged dog feel better about himself.

The cooking class was really fun.  Our instructor was Chef Toom.  This year we were in a newly acquired facility so everyone was in the same room.

The students' faces tell you how the class went....

We learned to make tom yum soup, phad Thai,  and green curry chicken, and we finished it off with my favorite dessert: mango with sticky rice.  After each dish, we stopped to eat what we cooked.

What's that in Morgan's mouth?  She's holding her Go Pro camera to video record cooking her green curry dish.

Lyndi and Grace enjoying the cooking class.

I'm pretty sure this is Kristen's tom yum soup.

Here's Nat showing me her gang keyoh wahn (green curry).

And the best for last... khao neo mamuang... sticky rice with mango. Mmmmmm.  I don't see any reason why the students couldn't cook a Thai meal for the parents when they return home.