Thursday, January 24, 2008

Pat's Thai Home Cooking

I have to give a big thanks to Pat Thingtong for my private cooking lessons and allowing Princess and me to stay in her home. My past few posts don't really even do justice to how great the experience of cooking with her was (even though she did say I should give up and do something else when it came to my fruit and vegetable carving lesson!) - but jet lag and being thoroughly sickened by some bad restaurant food has put me way behind on posting about my adventures. I knew I shouldn't have listened to Princess' "warnings", I was doing just fine until I went to a "safe" Euro-Americana-Indo-Thai-sit-down restaurant!

A few of the reasons that I chose Pat's cooking class is that many of the classes offered in Thailand are in a theater setting where you watch but do not participate. Or, the prep has been done by someone else and you merely assemble the ingredients. The classes Pat gave me were private and tailored to my cooking level and entirely hands on, she would show me how to do something and then let me do it. I prepped and cooked all of my own dishes. As a bonus, her outdoor teaching kitchen looks out onto a beautiful garden and is very open and comfortable to work in. Pat was extremely informative and took me on a great market tour. She has a really down-to-earth, easy-going and warm personality and really made me feel very welcome in her home for four days.

At some point I'll get back to posting more recipes and dishes that she taught me how to cook. And if anyone is planning a trip to Southern Thailand, I highly recommend taking a class with Pat. She can accommodate individuals and groups. You can find her here.

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