NAPKIN ART

The class spent almost 9 hours yesterday on this non-cooking subject which is a key part of Thai dinner presentation as the style of napkins 'enhances the tablescape, the mood, and the theme of a dinner party'. We are talking about elegant ideas here, from the basic to the complex. It is common to use square cloths and the 2 most popular sizes are 15" x 20' or 22" x 26" and the larger size is easier to manipulate. Napkin art involves lots of delicate finger work but surprisingly it is not as challenging for me as carving vegetables because I work directly with my hands & fingers rather than a cutting utensil. We went through 21 designs, started at 9am and did not finish until almost 6pm!

My favorite is the attached ... BISHOP'S HAT ... as it ia easy to do, and attractive on the table. The others are : Bishop's Metre, Cock's Comb, Buffet Napkin Fold, Ship, Lazy Butler, Windmill, Shirt, Kimono, Peacock in his Pride, Japanese Fan, Double Japanese Fan, Princess, Scallop, Lily, Lotus, Double Swam, Cream Horn, Flame, GI Cap .... well, this is for the Basic Course as we are not quite 'qualified to fold for special occasions'. They are serious! I cannot imagine how one can wipe the residual red or green curry sauces from the corner of our mouths on these precious creations. BTW after learning it once from the Instructor, we have to cut and paste, using paper, a step by step visual manual so we can remember. A brilliant tool, one just cannot forget.