My Scholarship entry - Understanding a Culture through Food
WORLDWIDE | Saturday, 14 April 2012 | Views [129] | Scholarship Entry
A lot of people who visit Thailand end up taking a Thai cooking class. I was one of them.
The first thing we did was to go to the market. Once there, we learned how important chili, basil, lemon grass and ginger are in Thai cuisine; so much so that they are actually known as “key ingredients” – the ones without which you shouldn’t bother cooking. We also learned that vegetables such as broccoli and carrots are known as “fillers” because they have no distinctive features – almost as if they fill the body but not the soul.
After the market, we moved on to the kitchen to prepare hot and sour prawn soup, fried noodles Thai style, northern chicken salad, green curry with chicken and rubies in coconut milk. Throughout the whole time, I was amazed by the vivid colours of the ingredients; I was hypnotized by the fact that they were constantly displayed in an orderly fashion; I was happy for not having to spend a lot of time by the stove; and I was pleased by the fact that, even though all the ingredients were meticulously chopped and sliced, it was still possible to recognise each of them when the cooking was done.
At the end of the day, it occurred to me that this experience was a true insight into Thai tradition and culture. The vividness of the ingredients are a reflection of the fact that, regardless of where you are in the country, you will always feel a kick of life – and the locals will help you feel alive by always smiling; their constant orderly displays are surely due to the country’s historic relationship with the military; not a lot of time is spent by the stove because it is always so hot that you need to make sure you are as efficient as possible otherwise the heat might just become unbearable; and it is possible to recognise all the ingredients when the cooking is done because, in Thailand, what you see is what you get. Thai people are simple and straightforward; they give you what they show you – and it is up to you to take it or leave it...
Tags: Travel Writing Scholarship 2012
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