2010, Day 347 - Bangkok, Day Three

Today was a food oriented day. After getting up rather early, again, we decided to get breakfast in the hotel again. They have a very nice buffet and it changes a little every day but the staples are always there and quite good. The problem is that we don't know where else we might go for a quick breakfast and while the buffet isn't terribly cheap it isn't expensive either and, as far as we can tell, most breakfasts are going to be similarly priced unless we eat street food, which would be fine but the street food in our area is a little more frightening than others we have seen.

Anywho, we had a full day of cooking classes at Baipai Thai Cooking School. They picked us up from our hotel bright and early. Upon arrival we were given some lemongrass tea and were introduced to the first menu. We made crispy rice crackers with spicy tofu topping, pomelo salad, massaman curry and stir-fried tofu with crispy basil. The class was a lot of fun and it made the cooking of Thai food much more accessible. Our afternoon menu included egg custard, spring rolls, spicy grilled mushrooms and green curry tofu. I must admit that I enjoyed the afternoon class more even though I found that I liked the first menu better. We had different instructors in the afternoon; Chef Noi and her assistant Golf were a lot of fun. They joked around a lot between giving instruction and were both entertaining and informative.


Part of the compound that makes up Baipai.


The instruction area.


The dining room used by the students upon completion of their culinary masterpieces.


Surprise! Chef Noi and her assistant Golf.



Lesson one - a good assistant needs to be beaten into submission.


Much was learned about the properties of Thai food as well. Spicy food makes you sexy. Hard rapid striking of the pestle against the mortar is an indication that the person will make a good spouse. The making of egg custard will give you soft hands. Kaffir lime juice is good for your hair when directly applied. Polemo skins boiled in water make a soothing treatment for chickenpox (you bathe in the water).


The culmination of the day's work, green curry with tofu and eggplant.

When the class was completed we were asked where we would like to be dropped off. I had bullied Brad into the idea of going to Chinatown earlier in the day. Yes, I know, Chinatown in Thailand sounds odd but there is a historic Chinese presence throughout the country and Chinatown is reputed to be a bustling hectic network of stalls and shops littered throughout narrow allies. Seeing as I am the kind of person who finds markets fascinating I really wanted to go. Fortunately the driver at Baipai ultimately decided that he would brave the traffic and drop us off in Chinatown.

Our adventure in Bangkok's Chinatown was everything it was reputed to be. There were crowds of people and scooters down the tight allies filled with street food, purveyors of dried foodstuffs, fresh produce, random electronics, pieces of Chinese decor all partially sheltered from the setting sun by a variety of tattered awnings. It was a little overwhelming but I enjoyed it immensely.




Dinner, cooked for order.


A Siamese alley cat.


Narrow, cramped and crowded.





After a while we decided to find transportation back to our hotel. Although we had wanted a taxi we were talked into taking a tuk tuk, after all, what's a trip to Thailand without a harrowing tuk took ride? Despite the fumes from the little engine and the lack of any kind of safety equipment it was no more frightening than a cab ride in China.


In all, it was an informative day with a touch of adventure.

Day Two in Hong Kong - Market Crazy

Today marked our second day in Hong Kong and today we hit the various markets. While Laura was getting ready for the day I walked across the street to watch more of the old folks get take their morning exercise.







All of the markets are on Kowloon rather than Hong Kong Island so we had a little bit of a journey by underground train, known locally as the MTR. I keep being surprised at how small Hong Kong is because everything is so dense and they divide the city into a number of very small distinct neighborhoods. What seems to me to be far away is actually not all the far and might even be just a short stroll away.

We started at the northernmost point and worked south so the flower market was our first stop. Unfortunately it opens at 7am, well before most of the others, so many of the vendors had nothing left or were well picked over, but since we weren't buying anything it wasn't a huge loss. What was most impressive is that the market is a couple packed blocks long and everything arrives first thing in the morning so there are no day-old flowers waiting to be sold, most are gone early, we arrived at 9:30 and there wasn't much left.




Next we went to the bird market, adjacent to the flower market. Here we arrived early and only a few of the shops were open but it was already teaming with old men carrying their cages with their prized birds to show off to all the other old men. The craftsmanship of the cages is really amazing, the wood is carved delicately and the base is well polished, the birds eat and drink out of glazed and decorated bowls attached between the bamboo bars. In order to keep the birds from becoming anxious they put covers over the cages and don't take them off until they arrive at their destination. Those birds that aren't attractive sing sweetly and often they are the ones most prized. In some of the shops that were open cages were squeezed into every possible space and were filled with birds while others sold seed, grubs or live grasshoppers as food (they hold the grasshoppers with chopsticks and feed them to the birds one by one). The bird market is obviously the hangout for Hong Kong's grumpy old men.















It was a short walk from the bird market to the goldfish market. In some ways the goldfish market was not that different from the flower market in that many of the shops get daily deliveries of the inexpensive fish to supplement their stock of the more expensive. Many displayed their fish in little bags hung like the inventory of a dry goods establishment and the prices are clearly marked.



There were shops selling animals other than fish scattered around the street. Some sold rabbits and chinchillas and were jammed with people. There were a couple of stores that sold only large ornamental beetles and they had supplies that were obviously mass-produced just for beetle care. It must be a new trend or a simple pet to keep in a big city. The animals that Laura and I were most excited about were the variety of turtles sold throughout the market. There were all kinds of unusual turtles available for pets and many were only a few dollars!


On we went to Tin Hau Temple. In front of the temple itself is a large courtyard that was filled with men playing checkers, couples sitting and even a man painting the temple scene. Inside it was quite busy with people praying, lighting incense and hitting the bell and drum. The smoke from the incense was so thick that Laura and I made a small donation and headed for the door.





Feeling peckish, we made our way further south to the Jade Market. Filled to the brim with false antiquities and jade of varying quality, Laura and I waded into the thong of eager shopkeepers. They kept trying to push their wares into our hands while telling us that they would give us a "special price." We suspected that was a euphamism for something rather undesirable but made a few purchases of non-jade goods while we were there. Aunt Nancy said that she would be in Hong Kong before we leave so if we want jade we might ask her to come along and help us out.

Because we had a destination in mind we cut through the Reclamation Street market and made our way to Tsim Sha Tsui where our intended lunch awaited. On the way we were approached many times with offers to make us suits but we declined, somewhat forcefully because no other way is effective, and ducked down the side street leading to the restaurant.





Laura found the approach a little disconcerting because the establishment is on the second floor and you have to be buzzed through the security gate and climb a narrow flight of stairs but when we arrived our table was waiting and we enjoyed a nice lunch at Branto Pure Vegetarian Indian. Although we're had a lot of good food it was night to have something a little more familiar and a menu from which I could order anything!

After lunch we perused a few shops before heading back to the hotel to catch our collective breath. A little later in the afternoon we explore some more of our neighborhood, made a few gift purchases and by that time we were getting hungry again. The streets were packed as were most of the eateries so we gave up and ordered a little room service which, surprisingly, was quite good and no more expensive than most of the places we have eaten thus far!

After eating we watched a movie and decided to have an early night...