Take-Aways

There is a magic in the Asian rain. The magic of the exotic for those who do not have to live through it for months on end. It starts punctually every day and still manages to take you by surprise. It's a triumphant rain, a downpour that asserts itself. Nothing tentative or gentle about it. It invades all space. It takes over every sound. Is this the monsoon? Apparently monsoon season starts in June. Surely today, May 31st, we are close enough. Maybe it knew that we spent the day making curry paste and it came to take away the heat. Heat that travelled from the chillies and the spices to the eyes, nose and stomach. Heat that literally overpowered us as we pounded the pestle and mortar to make this essence of Thai cuisine. It was rewarding, very satisfying and extremelly joyful. There is something very mystical about cooking, a certain alchemy. Never was this demonstrated to me as dramatically as it was today. It's not just about the ingredients unless you also count the soul as one. There were about 20 people in the course today. We all had our ingredients measured for us. We all had the exact same starting point. In the end no two dishes were alike. None seemed better or worse but all had their own colour, texture and smell, each a unique and never to be repeated version of itself. Kinda like their makers, don't you think? :)