My last morning of cooking school was bittersweet. It was my last full day in Chiang Mai and I had just gotten used to the routine. I felt like I was finally feeling enmeshed in the local life and its rhythms. I was looking forward to heading to the market and getting my daily sai oua from the petite Thai lady and possibly getting a bag of the coconut custard treats I had for the first time yesterday so my husband could also sample them. Alas, we were only at market for a pickup. I considered jumping out and heading to the vendors but I didn’t want to disrupt the flow. Luckily, Pon knew I would miss my daily routine and brought back a bag of sai oua for me to eat on the ride to the school.

When we arrived, our first task was to carve some vegetables. 

Then we proceeded with the day’s menu:

Tom Jued – Clear soup with minced pork

Paw Pla Tord – Spring rolls

Gai Hor Bai Toey – Chicken in pandamus leaves

Gaeng Phed Ped Young – Red curry with roast duck

Gai Phad King – Chicken with ginger 

Khao Neow Mamuang – Mango with sticky rice

My companions for my last day of class hailed from Paris, my favorite city. Throughout the day, we chatted about various subjects but at no point until the end of class when we were heading back did we actually exchange names. It’s interesting how much we collaborated, helped each other and exchanged information without needing to know specifics. We just had a friendly trusting symbiosis despite hailing from different parts of the world. I had studied French and they had studied English. Before parting ways, we exchanged contact information as my husband and I are planning on heading to Paris next summer and we wanted to get together during our time in town.

Cooking school was an amazing experience for me. I can’t cook everything I learned but I will definitely incorporate some of the techniques and will be recreating some of my favorite recipes when I get back. 
I have zero hesitation recommending this particular cooking school but equally important, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time and getting to know each of my classmates and meeting people from all walks of life, from different parts of the U.S. and the world. What we all had in common is that we were looking to take ourselves out of our comfort zone and expand our horizons despite the challenges. Thank you to my classmates and to Ning but mostly to Pon who watched over my every move and with his special sense of humor and subtle sarcasm, helped me find my way. 

Thai Cookery School 

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