The fastest way to hit the ground running in Bangkok seems to be to join expat clubs. I'm checking out Vegetarian meet ups, Indian cooking classes, raw cooking classes, and began checking in at American Women's Club events. Sarah, another expat I met through J's work, took me to an AWC coffee event to scope out the club. It turns out that the AWC is open to people from any nationality, making it a diverse group of women. It was my good luck that the AWC was scheduled to visit a vegetarian cooking class this past Thursday: synchronicity, at its best!!
Sarah and I set out for 'school' Thursday morning and found ourselves in a chaotic part of the city with narrow alleys and a maze of vendor stalls. We wove through backstreets on foot, until we came upon May Kaidee's home and school.
May is a local celebrity, appearing on both Thai and international cooking shows. She is a ambassador for Traditional Thai culture: practicing singing, dancing, and cooking.
It is easy to see how she became a success: she is a teeny woman but a powerhouse of energy. She has a magic ability to get the stiff expats out of their comfort zones and into song and dance. We sang the 'Tam Yam Soup' recipe song written by the Royal family. We sang the "sap sap" song, which explains, "yum yum, my cooking is too spicy but you keep eating it anyway because the favors are so delicious." In my experience, that is an accurate description of authentic Thai food: much hotter than what we get in the U.S!
Here are the few photos that we snapped. I didn't remember to take photos of the food, so I'll be sure to share images when I practice at home, using her cookbook.
