QUOTABLE QUOTE

To all young parents, with young children, make it your top priority to 'spend time' with them. It is 'time' they want, especially from you.

To all of us with aging parents, the same applies. It is also 'time' they want from us, be mindful of the difference in this case though, there is not much time left.

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'To the world you may be just one person, to one person you just might be the world'.

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CHRISTMAS 2010

Christmas and Chinese New Year are always family biased occasions but for 2010 it is highlighted by the arrival of the twins, Jamie & Sonya Fung who are a few days shy of their second month on Planet Earth this Christmas Day. Parents will always be parents, regardless of misgivings we sometimes have about the unbecoming behavior of our offsprings. We forget, we even forgive, a parental trait that transcends the ages on this special day.

Many have said that when your children start having children of their own, attitudes change as they begin to realize the hardships and challenges ahead. As I said in my annual family report, I get a certain 'evil satisfaction' from telling my daughter & son-in-law ' ... if you think managing the twins now is hard, wait till they grow up'.

3 things, simple things, touched my heart this Christmas. I could not hold back my tears in each of the occasions.

* Watching my 89 year old mother at our Christmas Eve gathering last night ... enjoying her turkey, ham & cakes; mingling with her grandchildren; the smile on her face when she opened her presents. Tearing quietly, I want to lock that away in the sacred recess of my memory where they cannot be erased.

* An email from a childhood friend came today, one that reminds us how we might have missed the growing up of our children when they needed us the most, when we were preoccupeid with business and less important things. This is the story : a father opened a page of his son's diary in the attic that read, "Dad took me fishing and that was the best day of my life". The son is a grown up now, with his own kids. He hurried to his study, found his own dusty diary, and on that same day his entry was "I wasted a whole day fishing with John". It brought immediate tears to my eyes, shamed by all those evenings I chose to stay in the office rather than coming home for dinner, many many unforgivable years ago.

* Andrea stayed at home last night, something she hardly does anymore. Comfortably tugged into a warm blanket next to our virtual fireplace in the living room, she slept through the night. When she woke I made her favorite breakfast, a cheddar cheese omelette on rye toast, which she consumed at hurricane speed. "That was very good Dad, thanks". Well, another tear jerker alright, on Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to you all ....

GUANGZHOU EATERY : A MUST TRY!

I have no idea how to get there, aside from the fact that it is on the other side of town from Tienhe where the action is these days in Guangzhou. Still catching her breath from the 'high' of the Asian Games, the city is resplendent as the taxi took us through mesmerizing streets and boulevards, all dazzled with lights. All of a sudden we stopped in front of this gigantic, 4-storey restaurant on Jiang Nan Si Lu. Front and centre is a large Chinese character 'eel', a dead give-away of the specialty la maison. At the entrance is the obligatory live fish tank but what catches everyone's attention is a long tank of eels after eels that hardly wriggle because they are packed so tightly.

The menu is a delight to navigate, and the photographs are among the best shots of food I have seen yet, a truly professional job. We over ordered, deliberately, so we can get a feel as to why it is so popular. It was a wonderful meal, not only on the eel front, but across the board. The notables were ; blanched eel in crushed ice with wasabi soy, sauteed crabs, fish jaws, even char-sui in their famous house sauce, and lastly, the special eel rice .... delish!

My Dad used to tell us the story of my great-grand-mother's favorite : 'eel rice' prepared at the table. The drill involves boiling, almost ready rice in a fish stock that her cook will let a few live baby eels in. The idea is to let them meander through the half congee/half rice concoction until they, too, are cooked. Supposedly this will yield maximum flavors, as well as medicinal effects for chronic coughing, if I remember correctly. I really doubt if it would sell today. While our rice was made in heaven, we certainly did not see any wriggly objects in it, thank God!

SAM SHUI BOUILLABAISE

It was a tradition started by Dad at his first homecoming visit to Sam Shui, 40 years after he fled Guangzhou in March 1949 right after I was born, when the 'writing was on the wall' ..... He invited all the Tangs to a clan dinner at the one and only local banquet hall. We had little option but to carry his flag last week.

This is the Guangdong version of what is served in Marseille, the definitive Bouillabaise a la Cantonese. Dora and I walked all over Marseille last Spring looking for what made the city famous, only to be disappointed by a pot of 'sea food tasting thick soup' and nothing more, at E45 per head. This Sam Shui creation is infinitely better which the Michelin Guide might disagree. Does it matter, no it does not, nor do I care. I believe fishermen on the southern coast of China were of like minds as their counterparts in the south of France and voila, out comes more or less the same recipe, sans tomatoes, hence the darker color. As for the taste, it is so similar it is uncanny.

ANCESTRAL VILLAGE VISIT

At 89, Grandma has things on her mind that she needs to check off, it is her list of 'outstanding business'. A key item is to visit our ancestral shrine in the small township of Sam Shui, in Guangdong Province. What used to take 2.5 hours via dusty, unpaved roads is only an hour away from the centre of Guangzhou. The lovely tree lined roads with minimum traffic are replaced by super highways, with hazy, polluted air as backdrop. Welcome to the modernization of China.

The shrine is not really a shrine per se, but a large courtyard with plain, interconnecting buildings that sit on 2 acres of idyllic landscape including willow trees and a lotus pond. It was purposedly built almost 150 years ago when a Great-Great-Grand-Father of the Tang clan earned what is equivalent to '1st class honors' which brought much glory to our village. It was a super big deal then. He later commissioned a study cum library in his own name, a place where he could be left alone to think, and to write. Though run down, it miraculously survived the early years of the Communist regime, including the Cultural Revolution. My late Father, in his position as the eldest son and eldest grandson of the clan, took up the challenge of restoring this unique heritage structure 25 years ago on his retirement and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. After much fund raising and endless refurbishment it is now in excellent condition, a landmark that made the clan proud. The 4 procelain pictures at the front were of our forefathers, in Qing Dynasty garb, those on top were deceased descendents from the family tree, including Dad.

Together with elders from the Grandma ranks, plus cousins, we had a wonderful visit, catching up with all the Tangs who still live and work in the village and nearby. It is them who look after the place, which has become our 'virtual' ancestral shrine. I have been 'promoted' to Dad's position as the 1st son of the 1st born grandson, hence my candle-lighting and wine-pouring ceremonial role. I cannot help but feeling philosophical everytime I visit, the transient nature of life is evident everytime I make eye contact with my ancestors. One day I will be back in the fold, joining Dad and the others, right here at this shrine.

'CULT OF LESS'

Heard from NBC Nightly News this morning on the captioned, where an increasing number of Americans are trying to downsize their approach to life. This movement is largely brought on by the realities of an economy that does not seem to go anywhere. America, so used to being 'the land of plenty', is now waking up to soul search, do I need all this? ' ... I have more than what I need ... the art of letting go of material possessions ... slimming down to necessities ... back to basics ...' are meaningful expressions one should take heed. We in Hong Kong are relatively immune to what America is going through at the moment. With the economy of our giant neighbor, the master of our destiny, shooting through the roof China's 'optimism' tends to rub off on us. One has to look no further than PRC shoppers with rolls of RMB, who make up the lion share of patrons at top tier retail outlets in town. Forgive me, I rather think this is when we must all be careful, it is probably the best moment to start the regimen of downsizing, just in case. BTW I did try to preach this concept of an 'apparel diet' to the 4 women in my family, rather unsuccessfully, I should add.

It was reported an opportunistic and entrepreneurial new business 'Got-Junk.Com' or something catchy like that is doing well. I just wonder if this will work in our World City here at home?

HISTORICAL PORTRAIT

Taken yesterday on Oct 31 2010 when the twins were 2 days old, at the Hong Kong Sanatorium. Jamie the big brother in front of his youthful 'Poh Poh' and his little sister Sonya in front of her bald 'Kung Kung'. Priceless!

I was nervous when Jamie was handed to me, being out of practice for almost 24 years ago when Jessica was born. The bonding was magic though, 'this is how God makes miracles', Dora said. The newly minted proud parents, Terri & Fergus, are driven by adrenalin. They must be exhausted from excitement overdose and hospital schedules but no one can tell. The twins decided to join the party early, by almost 10 days, and I missed the 'ribbon cutting ceremonies' by 1-day. I was at my finals at Wandee in Bangkok. For Terri it was like 'a walk in the park'. We spoke around 1pm when she was being prepped for the delivery room, by 5pm we were talking again and she sounded like she just did a few laps in the pool. Amazing!

Life will not be the same for everyone in the family. We all get promoted or 'kicked upstairs' starting with my 89 year old mother who is now GGM from GM ... her nickname is GM, for Grandma, but now she is GGM. Andrea & Jessica are delighted to become Aunties, while the siblings, cousins & in-laws of Dora and I will join the 'grand' generation. I am not sure if they are all ready? We are!

6AM ON MY LAST DAY

My alarm went off as usual at 6am .... the sun just showed up, with all the signs of a good day as I opened the window. What a view! Thanks to the generosity of Uncle Kalid Razack, my friend of 34 years and Andrea's Godfather, I was able to spend 4 whole weeks exactly to this date, in his quaint studio on Silom Road.

I did not know what to do with the time since I no longer have school. No walk to Chong Nonsi, no 'satanee dau bai Saphan Khwai', no street side breakfast, no corn on the cob, and no wi-fi at the reception to check mail from the night before. I was a bit lost, what do I do now?

Wandee was the completion of Act 2 of my '10-year play'. LCB was Act 1 and I should start working on Act 3. Barcelona, perhaps? Tapas would be a good way to learn Spanish food culture? Should I learn some rudimentary Spanish? What time of the year is best? What started as an obsession to escape when I was consumed, exhausted and disillusioned by my last years at work has become the driving force of my retirement. I am totally commited, and very driven. Whatever energy I used to dedicate to work ... I had plenty then, but I have even more now ... is now directed to my 10-year quest. God willing, I would have attended 10 different 'cooking schools' when I turn 70. It beats preparing meaningless, long term, 10-year business plans, using assumptions that are presumptious. What I do now is totally manageable, by me, without intrusion. I measure everything against facts, reality and my capabilities. Above all there are no excuses, no pretenses and no BS politics. I and only I can make it happen, and I plan to.

What an exciting challege, and what a beautiful dream.

Thank you Thailand, thank you Bangkok, thank you Wandee and, thank you Uncle Kalid!

COOKING PARTNER

Belle Wiraphan is Thai, married to an American who works in Afganistan. She is a talented woman who will do big things in the cooking world down the road, probably in America. She speaks fluent American English and towards the latter part of the course she was assigned to be my regular partner. We worked well together, that is, if she does not mind my 'slowness'. Coming from LCB I thought I work quite efficiently until I am next to Belle, she is super fast so it is a catch-up game for me. The value of having a partner to watch over each other's back is like two soldiers on patrol in a war zone, or the wingman in air combat formation. Constantly assessing the work flow & output, a team that works well will produce the quality dishes an up-market restaurant patron expects. I may not have worked professionally as a cook but I have spent time at the Derby with a super chef, Donovan Cooke, who indirectly taught me how to spot a good team leader verses a mere follower. Belle is a leader, she is a good cook, and one day she will become a chef. My blessings are with you, Belle. Thank you for your kindness, for that ever present smile, and for your friendship.

I DID IT ....

I remember using the same caption 16-months ago when I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, now it is Wandee. I passed, with distinction I should add because I did well in my finals per remarks from Professor Wandee. There is a world of difference between the LCB & Wandee curriculum but then again, there is practically no difference whatsoever when we address the acquisition of knowledge in cookery. Wandee teaches the discipline of cooking in exactly the same approach as LCB, there is no question about it, having spent time at both.

Julia Childs, an idol of mine, wrote the following in her wonderful book 'My Life in France' which is relevant here in this blog, at this moment. It was 1950, she was attedning LCB in Paris, and she said .... 'the more I learned (about cooking) the more I realize how much one has to learn before one is in-the-know at all'. How simple, how appropriate, how humble and, how profound!

When I returned from LCB friends start calling me 'Chef' and each time I hear it I twitch nervously, imbued with humility. I am no chef, I do not deserve that title, and I will never make it to be a chef, that much I know. I am just a retiree who dreams, who yearns, who is passionate about cooking, who loves to play around in the kitchen like a little kid, in a chef uniform, pretending. Get the picture? Speaking of pretending here I am with a certificate and a grin, standing next to the doyen. The best I can do when I go home is ... 'pretend I can cook Thai', knowing all I acquired in 4-weeks is not even the tip of any iceberg, but just icicles that fell off.

Thank you, Professor Wandee!

'A - JARN'

Meet the Wandee faculty, my teachers or 'a-jarn' in Thai. Here is a group of young women who defines the sacred people management words such as trust, team, dedication, support and above all, having fun at work. By 730am they start drifting in, some by taking 3 modes of transport; back seat of a scooter, side saddle by the way, the ferry, and the BTS for up to 1.5 hours to come to work. Their daily routine looks something like this : open the school at 8am, mise en place for the classes, teach in the mornings, enjoy a laughter-filled lunch together with each 'a-jarn' taking turns to produce her own creation .... I always sneak up to join them because their food is much more interesting .... more teaching in the early afternoon, followed by paper work, purchasing/inventory control/QC, experimenting and testing new recipes, then a last moment of sharing with tea & snacks before closing the school by 5pm and be on their way. All come back bright and early the next day, 5 days a week, with rotation on Saturdays & Sundays as some students can only attend weekend classes. Always smiling and caring for each other, they are like sisters in an extended family which fully justifies the Professor calling them 'my daughters'. I love working with them, in fact I just love being with them.

I gave everyone a nickname to help me remember my 'a-jarn' these past 4-weeks, names they are not aware but will know what I mean if they are told. Oil (Eyes) Nuch (Foodie) Nim (Weight) Air (Voice) Meaw (Model) Jeab (Smile) Si (Laugh) Noi (Eye Lash) Nong (Shy) Au (Skin) and Parm (Cool) .... I shall miss my 'a-jarn'.

STOP PRESS !!!!!!!

Dora & I officially reached grandparent status as of today, October 29th 2010. The twins, Jamie @ 5 lbs 10 oz & his younger sister Sonya @ 3 lbs 15 oz joined our little planet. True to the Chinese definition of 'double happiness at the door' they became the first of the 3rd generation in both the Fung & Tang families.

Congratulations to the proud parents, Terri & Fergus!

While Fergus was waiting to go into the delivery suite I was waiting for the verdict on my cooking finals. 3 examiners, including Professor Wandee, took turns to sample my presentation. The good fortune of the twins must have rubbed off on this newly anointed Kung Kung. I was told I passed with honors ' ... you did very well ... ' the Professor said, with her thumbs up.

What a glorious day!

MORTAR & PESTLE

Without any doubt this is the most significant kitchen gadget in Thai cooking. My right arm was sprained whilst at LCB from daily whisking but here in Bangkok, it is from pounding. It is an art form and the finesse involved comes from lots of practice over time. Aiming for perfection the ones we use at Wandee come from Angsila of the Chonburi Province in Eastern Thailand, near Pattaya. The granite is so strong the mortars will last forever, without chipping.

Yes, one can use a food processor but instead of being pounded, ingredients are sliced or shredded which of course does not yield the same curry paste, let alone the taste. Wandee demands that ingredients must be pounded in sequence as designed in the recipes, if the layering of tastes is to be achieved. I was a bit unconvinced until I pounded my 'virgin paste' and voila, you can really identify the layers. Take for example the Red Curry I did today, the sequence is : salt, white peppercorns, red spur chilies, kiffir lime skin, galangal, lemon grass, coriander root, garlic, shallots and lastly shrimp paste!

This story was told in class, in Thai, which I roughly translated as follows. Before you marry someone go to her home and ask her to make a curry. Listen for the sound of mortar & pestle. If there is a prolonged period of action she is hard at it, and you are gamed. If it is only intermittent she may be a bit lazy, so think again. If you can only hear the wimpy whining of the processor, forget it. Well, it makes perfect sense to me. Now not being chauvinistic, a woman contemplating the ring should ask her man to make a curry, and if he cannot, move on to the next guy.

FINALS

I just spent 3 hours preparing, from scratch, the 3 dishes for my cooking finals. I was brave (or stupid rather) enough to make a guesstimate of finishing under 2 hours, I could not be more wrong. The 'mise en place' took almost 1.5 hours despite all the mental planning and studying last night. What I forgot was the sharing of work with a cooking partner during class, verses doing everything myself. It was a serious morning as I was working all alone, I was not to ask questions, and the kitchen felt almost desolate for a moment.

It went well, except for a couple of presentation hiccups. The instructors seem to agree but Professor Wandee has to give her definitive blessing, yet. The Red Curry with the Roast Duck was beautifully red, the Deep Fried Catfish crispy with a powerful dipping sauce because I crushed the green chilies, and the Pad Thai was restaurant class ... so I think. Joking aside I am happy with what I did, now I wait for the verdict.

LAST 2 RECIPES

4-weeks, just like that, the Basic Course is over for me!

The final recipes were desserts ie Steamed Banana in Coconut Milk, and a delicious Tamarind Juice. The banana dessert has an interesting name ... 'klouy-boud-chee' ... 'klouy' is banana 'boud-chee' is the slightly off white color of the robe commonly worn by nuns, verses the blindng orange we see on monks. This refers to the cooking process that turns the banana from its natural color to opaque white. The coconut milk, after boiling and after adding salt, will once again yield that Thai dessert flavor, that unqiue encounter with the tongue. The beige sprinkles on the banana are dry roasted, and crushed sesame seeds to add fragrance and texture. Fascinating!

I cannot believe it is all over, just like that. The journey is not over yet, I have an exit exam tomorrow, on my own, not because I am discriminated as a 'farang' but because I started on my own 4-weeks ago while the rest of my class has different joining dates. I am told the ingredients for 3 dishes ... 1 appetizer, 1 main course, 1 noodle ... willl be ready by 930am, and I have till noon to get them done. I told my 'a jarn' ie instructors or teachers I aim to finish before the nominated time. Knowing how much I like the following dishes they made them my exam items.

* Deep Fried Catfish Salad
* Roast Duck in Red Curry
* Pad Thai

I cannot wait!

'KAENG KIEW WAN KAI'

'Chicken in Green Curry' is yet another world renowned dish, and we were privileged to be taught Wandee's interpretation. If you follow my blog, you should be familier with 'kaeng' or curry by now. The color green is 'kiew' and 'wan' means sweet, 'kai' is of course chicken. Nothing in red in the ingredients which means no red spur peppers or red chilies. Instead they are replaced with lots of green objects like regular green eggplants, green baby eggplants looking like giant Skittles, green chilies that are just as potent, green kiffir lime leaves etc. The definitive color agent, however, comes from coriander leaves and collective they give the curry its color, and hence its name. Apparently beef or pork are sometimes used, but the classic way is chicken. Unlike the other curries, this must be in fluid mode, almost watery. I know I am on the right track when I took that first sip, I am there.

This is the last curry course taught in the Basic Course and by now everyone seems to have grasped the essence of steps. We need to memorize the sequence, and make it second nature as we cook. It reminds me of procedures for making sauces after roasting, or preparing puff pastries or creme patisseri .... the principles are the same. In cooking Thai curry we do the following ..... pound the ingredients in sequence to a paste with the right texture and consistency, boil coconut cream until oil surfaces, add the paste, wait for oil to resurface a second time, add meats, wait for boil, dilute with coconut milk ie coconut cream mixed with water and so on. It is all about discipline, and it is so rewarding to witness the formula working, the end product being a curry that looks and tastes like the real thing.

KAENG KIEW WAN KAI : Chicken Green Curry
KAI PAD MED MA MUANG : Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts
PEEK KAI SOD SAI : Stuffed Chicken Wings
KLOUY BOUD CHEE : Steamed Banana with Coconut Milk
NAM MA KARM : Tamarind Juice

'KAO KA MOO'

This is a must-try whilst in Bangkok, It is 'braised pig's knuckles', usually served with rice, and the dish is a staple for many in this city ... for breakfast, lunch & for dinner. The taste is a mix between the texture of Cantonese trotters, with a sauce that is strong but less sweet than Shanghainese trotters or 'de pong', but delicious none the less. If interested you only need to visit 2 food courts ie at the Emporium which I discussed in an earlier blog, and also at MBK which several Thai friends of ours swear by. You will see many such outlets at street eateries or from pavement hawkers but for authenticity and genuine taste you must try one of the two to 'set some standards'.

DEAN & DELUCA

I am not sure if this is a good indicator but this franchise do not just show up anywhere on the word 'go'. It is an up-market brand and I like to think market research points to the fact that it is a feasible investment, not to mention a profitable concern. This one is located next to a new apartment block that locals consider 'super expensive'. Not constrained by land, it has a stylish front with alfresco service which, despite the hot weather, is still welcome I am sure. The big menu on a board behind the service counter is classic D&D.

To give you an idea; coffees in all shapes and forms are billed between HK$20-40, shakes & frappes from $30-40, pastries $15 -20 and these are local products. Then comes the imports with scary prices; like $100 for a small bag of D&D blended coffee, $120-150 for pasta or $250 for a bottle of Tuscano olive oil. I had a good Cafe Latte but I just could not get excited with the display of Reuben & Pastrami sandwiches, not in Bangkok, not even at Dean & Deluca.

BANGKOK CHIC

There are not that many Porsches or Ferraris on Bangkok streets, but I am told one will see them on weekends, on the highways. That said, I have seen a few cool machines around town, mostly around the up-market zones, such as this one ... a Kawasaki Ninja in Old Granny Apple green. Smashing! I was having a solidary long-black after school at the newly opened Dean & Deluca next to Chong Nonsi Station. Looking out into green foliage and outdoors sculpture my moment of serenity was shattered by this roar and declutching of gears. A cool looking couple rode off in helmets, tight jeans, and of course the regulation Ray Ban tear drop shades. 'Man ... that is style for you' I told myself, something I can never do even if I try. In they came and ordered large ice coffees and sandwiches. Amazingly they did not exchange a word, the passenger was on the phone that entire time, the driver was working on his I-Phone non-stop. The coffees were sipped but the sandwiches untouched. No more than 30-minutes later the key was in, the starter on, the engine roared again, and off they dashed. Bangkok chic perhaps? My question for them is, what happened to those sandwiches?

PAD THAI

Loved by many around the world, this dish has a bit of history. During WWII the country needed something to rally national morale, a theme her citiznes could identify with and someone .... no record who should be credited .... came up with this innovative idea of a 'National Noodle'. Noodle because it is cheap, and the ingredients were inexpensive ie mostly veggies, dried tofu cubes, and hardly any meats. The key was, the recipe was nourishing. It caught on immediately as 'Kui Tiew Phad Thai' or 'Noodles Fried Thai Style' then, but has since gained its fame gradually as 'Pad Thai' which is a global brand.


Like Italian pasta, Thai noodles come in different sizes, and the most common are (1) 'sen yai' which we call 'ho fun' at home (2) 'sen mee' which is 'mee fun or mee hoon' and the one in between is (3) 'sen lek' which is perfect for frying, if you ask me. Why, because it does not stick as easily. Again it is magically simple, once you are given the 'tips' along the way. For instance, soften the 'sen lek' in a hot wok, with a splash of water ... no oil yet .... to get the noodles going, so to speak. It works wonders. We each prepared 2 variation of the theme. At the top is the fancy omelette style that holds the noodles like a filling. Below is just plain stir fry, mixing the eggs in the noodles which I think yields more flavors, although not as glamorous.

They will be my 2-course dinner tonight. Pad Thai as appetizer, to be followed by Pad Thai as the main. Yes,they are that good and yes, I cooked them!

DAY OF THE CLASSICS

The entire class, Thai & non-Thai, was very driven today as we walked through 5 of the best known and probably most served - at least in Thailand - recipes. It was a long but rewarding day as we can now cook these at home, with reasonable confidence.

'Pad Gra-Prow Kai' is my all time favorite, and it is best served with rice, adding a runny egg on top. The flavor is unique and I guarantee it will titillate any taste bud. 'Stir Holy Basil with Chicken' is the description, and it really is as simple as those few words. Holy Basil is different from Sweet Basil or 'horapa' which is the basil we normaly use in, say, western cuisine. The stir frying technique is predominately Chinese ie a hot wok, very little oil and quick turnaround to get the best flavors out in the shortest cooking time. The only thing to watch is leaving the Holy Basil last, off the heat. Never let them wilt as they should be hardly cooked to retain fragrance in the balance. Along with the 'Tom Yum Koong', the other classic, we all polished off a large plate of steamy rice.

PAD GRA PROW KAI : Stir Fried Chicken with Holy Basil
TOM YUM KOONG : Spicy Prawn Soup
PAD THAI : Thai Style Fried Noodles
HOR MOK PLA : Steamed Curried Fish
KA NOM PIEK POON BAI TOUY : Steamed Pandan Flour with Coconut

'NUA TOON'

Closer to home Bangkok offers one of my favorites, doubled boiled beef briskets and tendons served in a clear broth, with noodles, and a generous sprinkle of parsley and chopped scallion. I get to know this little stall around the corner of Wandee and befriended its elderly proprietor who is 'Thai-Chiu' or Thai Chinese from Chiu Chow. His 'Nua-Toon' will take most of what Hong Kong claims to the cleaners. 'Nua' is beef, and 'Toon' describes the way it is cooked, many dishes are described this way in the recipes. This is clearly Chinese as the Thais hardly eat beef, I am told it is mostly because of religious and health reasons.

Thai cuisine is basically influenced by 3 cultures. (1) Indian; from the way the omnipresent 'kaeng' or curry paste is prepared, the key difference is instead of yogurt, a dairy product, coconut cream or a diluted form the coconut milk are used. (2) Chinese; from the way the wok is used as a primary cooking tool, and of course Chinese spices. (3) Portugal; indirectly is also an influence and this may surprise you. Apparently chilies were discovered by the Portugese in Africa, and Asia did not have chilies before the 1500s when the Portugese brought and sold them to Asian cultures.

After almost 4-weeks the one key word I learned in cooking Thai is : 'balance' or to make it more esoteric, 'harmony' between the tastes and flavors. Go into any noodle stall and watch what the locals do once a bowl is placed in front of them. The lightning dance routine of adding sugar, fish sauce, chili powder, pickled peppers, vinegar to be followed by vigorous mixing and tossing is mesmerizing, even dizzying. I guess that is how 'balance' ... at least in taste, if not in shape or form ... is interpreted at the frontline.

BANANA LEAF WEAVING

We spent an entire day on the subject matter today. It was not exactly exciting, but an eye-opener none the less given the multiple usage one gets from a single banana leaf. We learned how to clean it, cut it, fold it, and design it for different purposes. This is a bit easier compared to carving because we use fingers, without gadgets. It is much more tedious though because we have to prepare so many small pieces in order to make a larger piece. This 'Lotus Holder' is about 6 inches in diameter, to hold dessert items and guess how many moving parts are involved .... almost 100! Each is hand-cut, and sewn on using a single needle and dark green threads. Just passing the thread through the eye of the needle was enough of a challenge, for me, that is. I do not think I can do either this, or garlands, and obviously not carving, for a living.

END OF CARVING

Today was my last day of carving, and Si (who normally teaches upstairs in the kitchen) to give me my 1-0n-1 instructions. Oil, my favorite teacher, has to teach another class in floral arrangements. I am quite sure Si lost the toss in the staff room. It takes an enormous amount of patience to teach someone like me, but she did it cheerfully. Come to think of it, the entire faculty here is worth its weight in gold. Their professionalism, individually and collectively is second to none. Above all, they are so happy doing what they do. I feel envious watching them perform, tirelessly, through a 9-hour day. I only wish I had a team like that when I was in business.


I call this piece the 'Curtain Carve' ie the last one to conclude the 5-day Carving Section of the Basic Wandee Course. Central to be good at this, or to doing it right, is how one manipulates one's knife using the fingers. Needless to say a lot has to do with experience, and the curriculum is designed so one accumulates working knowledge from one technique to the next. This personalized watermelon is supposed to draw on each and every technique we learned progressively, but needless to say I need loads of reminding along the way. I was given a choice from RAYMOND in fancy italic to other simpler styles. I picked the one I can best manage ie RAY in block capital. I know who I am, there is no point pretending to be someone I am not.

If you enlarge the picture you will see the details involved, even though they are far from perfect. As in many things in life, I tried and I tried so hard everyone in class noticed. All of them are better, some much better than me, everyone was kind and encouraging. Again I owe all this to Oil from day one, whom I must thank again. I started with splitting that single strand of scallion to carving my own melon, what more can I ask? The next question is would these be displayed at TKT's Thai dinners? Well let me think about that one ...

RECIPES FIT FOR KINGS

The country remembered the passing of her beloved King Rama V this past weekend. Credited with bringing Thailand to meet the challenges of the modern world, he is arguably one of the most if not the most respected of Thai Kings, including the incumbent. If he were alive today he would no doubt be in the 'foodie' category. The history books have recorded how he loved to eat,, how he wrote poetry about the 'royal Thai cuisine' in his household, how he recognized chefs who produced good meals, and of course his keen interests in cooking as well. Seen here is King Rama V in a relaxed mood, complete with a cigar, while stirring his 'kaeng' or curry by the river. I understand many restaurants have this picture at the entrance, extolling the King's love of the culinary arts.

One of the dishes demonstrated is 'Mee Krob' ... 'mee' is fine noodles like 'mee hoon' in Southeast Asia, or rice vermacelli as we call it at home, and 'krob' means crispy. As the story goes, the King was on a tour of the Plu Market (a prominent venue where Bangkok citizens congregate during his time) and was attracted by a certain fragrance from cooking. On closer inspection it came from a small Chinese eatery deep frying crispy noodles. He sampled it, approved it and liked it so much he asked that this recipe be used in the Palace. To make a point, he awarded the restaurant his 'royal insignia or symbol' so patrons will recognize this as the King's choice. It is like a Michelin Star or the Royal Patent in the UK, with a seal of approval from Her Majesty QEII. I wonder if he picked up these practices from his historic, and apparently well documented European Tour in 1907. I love the stories about the King, but I can hardly find books, in English, on his reign. It must be fascinating to read. What a legend, what a super achiever, what a versatile character, and what a leader of men.

MEE KROB : Crispy Noodles
TOM KHA KAI : Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup
KAENG KA REE KAI : Chicken in Yellow Curry
KHAOW TANG NA TANG : Rice Crackers with Pork & Shrimp Dip
TOD MAN KOONG : Deep Fried Shrimp Cakes

'SATANEE DOR BAI'

Next Station! Well .... 'satanee' is station, and of course 'don bai' is next, what else? Why? You see, where I stay is 9 BTS stations away from Wandee, between Chong Nonsi & Saphan Khwai, with a transfer stop at Siam. This means I hear this announcement 9 x 2 times each day, or at least 540 times just from going to school. Adding the 20-30 rides on weekends, and when Dora was here, almost 600 times. I bet I can say it in my dreams, with a perfect Bangkok accent.

My other limited linguistic acquIsitions are :

SAWADEE KUP : the catch all, round the clock, greeting recognized worldwide
KUP KHUN KUP : 'thankyou' it can be just 'kup' when one is lazy
MAI BEN RI : 'OK lah' or 'no sweat'
A SAK : 'may be' or 'may be not'
A ROI : 'delicious' or 'oishi'
A JARN : 'teacher' (while desperate for help in the kitchen)
THAO RI : 'how much' but it does not matter, you will never catch the rapid fire reply
LOD DAI MAI : 'lower the price' or 'discount'

Learning Thai? Well, I do not think I am anywhere close, perhaps in my next life!

READING IN THAILAND

I neglected to show this picture of young Thai kids waiting for a 'Reading Contest' (as I was told) at the Double A Book Tower on Thanon Sathon. It is a large book store with 4 floors but almost exclusively in the local dialect. Foreigners will have to go to the Parragons of this world to get English books, a rarity on the street. Apparently reading is a big thing here, even though it is not as obvious as in say, Tokyo or Taipei. These contestants showed up an hour ahead of time to 'get into the mood', so to speak. They all looked intense, and busy preparing for it like exams. It is admirable to see as their future relies so much on how they do in this space. I strongly believe a key problem with our 'Post-80' generation in Hong Kong ie those born after 1980, is they read hardly enough which directly affects their ability to write and even speak. Their lack of proficiency is not limited to English, but in Chinese as well. It is a scary thought, especially when they are put neck-to-neck with peers from China. I am sure our 'trusted bureaucrats' are aware Hong Kong is playing catch-up in this game. It will be so sad if they are not.

BLUE ELEPHANT

The Blue Elephant is billed as 'The Thai Restaurant' a visitor to Bangkok must pay pilgrimage, so I did. It is a stone throw from the Surasak Station, which is extremely accessible. Sitting in a spacious lot in front of the brand new Thai Chamber of Commerce Tower she gives the commanding impression of the old dominating the new. The restaurant is classy, without any doubt, one can feel it as soon as one enters. She has the air of an elegant, older generation lady in her best finery. An immediate association is the Raffles in Singapore. From the picture you can see the motif is 'modern with Thai traditions' except the definition of modern here does not mean contemporary. Nickel bronze gold cutlery, dark wood furniture, heavy trimmings, starchy white table cloth, ornamented displays, service staff in Thai costumes are the regime. It is all very nice and impeccable, do not get me wrong, but she definitely gives the impression she is still lingering in the 80s, a bit out of step and a bit 'tired looking'.

The menu is classic too, in fact there is a 'Classic Tasting Menu' at Baht 1650, or Baht 1500 without TomYum Kung, the world famous Thai soup, which I find odd for a top-end venue. I consulted our local Thai friends who are obviously not regulars, their collective opinion is ' ... it has drifted away from real Thai cuisine' which is understandable as Blue Elephant's targtted clientale is altogether different.

There is a Cooking School but only short, day-courses are offered. It was recommended to me before I found Wandee but the Professional Course here is only 5 days which seems short, considering I spent 5 days here at Wandee just on carving, garlands, floral arrangements and banana leaf weaving which are compulsory subjects because 'they form a key part of the history of Thai cuisine, and our food culture'. There you have it.

I was going to try the restaurant but decided to pass, I would submit to local advice in this instance. I will come next time to organize a tasting party, to try out her menu. I am sure it will be a wonderful venue to be with a traveling group, or for a special function.

One last comment, and I know it is apple and orange. Whilst I am here, I would go back to Bonjour for more of Chef Buum, before the Blue Elephant. Oops!