Where in the World is Marta Senn-Diego? Fiesty Fifteen: Tom Yum Yum!

I stayed in Thailand for an extra week with the purpose of enjoying Songkran. I wanted in on the world’s biggest water war, but I also had other things to check off my bucket list including visiting a Thai night market, take a cooking class, and getting some amazing massage therapy.

Welcome Snack: toasted nuts and coconut, shallot, garlic, lime, chiles and honey wrapped in a leaf! YUM

My hostel for the week was the very chill and enjoyably delinquent Mojito Garden. This place doesn’t care what you think of it: it’s that self-confident and so cool that you’re willing to do its homework just so you can hang out with it. Here I met my wolf pack: Evan of Canada, Joel who looks disturbingly like Ser Jorah Mormont, and my roommates, Alyssa and Leanne. I hooked up with this crew on the second day of Songkran, actually. On Sunday, I arrived and eager to get started, ventured into the streets to 1) buy a waterproof camera and 2) buy a gun and pouch for my phone and money. I paid dearly for my mismanaged priorities and handed the camera store clerk a wad of soggy Baht. Back at the hostel, I met a few other guests right before they were heading out to buy guns and decided to venture out with this group of insanely tall Aussies and Kiwis. 

Sesame peanuts, rice cake, apple, and dragon fruit welcome snack

But as we stepped into the street, the heavens opened and Songkran was suddenly coming at us from both Earth and sky. It’s a surreal feeling to feel water splashing at you from all directions and in various forms from murky moat to frigid hose to refreshing rain. We shivered and drank beers when we needed a rest, shooting one handed over the railing of the bar at those who took advantage of our weakness. 

Downtime at Mojito

That evening, showered and warm again, I met my new crew for a stroll through the Sunday night market. We agreed to buy matching headbands so we’d look more unified. We also ended up looking insane because it turns out, the colors weren’t set and the dye immediately ran onto our foreheads the next day and stained Alyssa and Leanne’s hair turquoise. They looked very hip.

I also learned a great new game called "Chances." It was invented by someone's friends and it's pronounces "CHAAHN-ces" with a very droll, British drawl. It's basically "Dare or Dare" where you ask someone the chances of them doing something you ask of them. The responder has to give odds between 1 and say, 25 if it's highly unlikely or down to 1 and 1 if it's imminent. They then choose a number silently and on the count of three say a number between those odds. If the number is the same, the responder has to do the requested task. We combined "Chances" with the card game, Bullshit, and ended up with one man in a trashcan and another in a bikini.  The latter picture I will reserve out of respect for Jorah and for my own personal uses, ie blackmail.

We also required he wear the Bucket of Shame

On Monday, I escaped a bit of the madness for a while with a six hour Thai cooking class at Baan Thai Cooking School. So basically, Thai cooking classes are huge business and a lot of fun! Almost every school follows the same pattern: you choose to do either a full day or just a half day and choose what dishes you would like to cook from a set list. Then, on the day of the class, your instructor takes you to a local organic market and teaches you about most of the traditional ingredients like turmeric, galangal, kefir lime, and all the different kinds of chilies. It’s also made clear that the spicier the food, the more sexy it is.

Pile o' meat. Not so sexy.

We even made our own curry paste. At one point, a little bit jumped up square into my eye and burned like a mother!

Try not to think about all the sugar

Nok, meaning “bird,” was my teacher at Baan Thai. At her school, I did a full day class an learned how to make some of my favorites like Pad Thai, chicken and coconut milk soup, khao soi noodles, and of course, sticky rice and mango! 

Nok, Nok!

Sue was the teacher at Asia Scenic Cooking School where I sheltered on Thursday. She showed me how to make deep fried spring rolls, green curry, a welcome snack, and cashew and chicken stir fry. Both places taught me how to make curry.

Kop kun ka, Sue!

Pad Thai is considered a "foreigner's dish" because Thais eat more rice than noodles

Chiang Mai's local dish, khao soi

The thing I think I liked most about how these schools work is the method of teaching. The instructor first helps you with your mise en place, or your prep work, teaching you about the ingredients some more and showing you how to cut and separate the foods. Then, they get started and demo a dish for you mostly in woks at lightning speed. Then you’re sent to a station and it’s your turn. 

Papaya salad: don't be fooled, it nearly blew my head off with spice...from 3 chiles!

For the most part, it was very easy. Once everything is arranged, you just have to remember in what order to put things in, and for how long. Seasoning is mostly up to you and poof! You’re done! 

Thanks to a broadening and increasingly experimental view of world cuisine in the west, most of the ingredients I was using should be readily available in America when I get back. At this rate, however, my mother will want me to stay with her and cook sticky rice and mango and chicken in coconut milk soup 24/7. 

Keep smiling, "sexy" eye and all!