International Supper Club: Thailand
The first time I went to Thailand, I was traveling through on my way to Nepal with my Peace Corps N200 group. The second time was when my Peace Corps group and other Volunteers were evacuated from Nepal in 2015 right after the earthquake. It was a very chaotic experience, getting pulled from our villages quickly and getting plopped down at the Pullman Hotel, the most opulent hotel I’ve ever stayed in. All I remember from that stay was how overwhelming the food choices were. The hotel had so many buffets, I don’t think I made it through the first room of buffets during our four-day stay at the Pullman Hotel. In the evenings we were free to explore the streets of Bangkok, where the real food experience begins. The streets are filled with food stalls with different vendors selling fresh fruits, spicy mango salads, fried noodles, and fried insects. Admittedly, my food experience in Thailand was short-lived and, unfortunately, I haven’t been back to continue to explore those flavors. However, I have continued enjoying Thai flavors Stateside at restaurants and through my cooking.
My Peace Corps group on our way to Nepal.
Pullman Hotel Buffets (Photos from Google)
Thailand is the first country International Supper Club (ISC) will be exploring on our culinary tour. The inspiration for ISC came from discussions with friends wishing there were more food choices in Mankato like Thai food. So give the people what they want, Thai food. Culinary legend, Guy Fieri, does a great job summing up Thai food, “… it’s simple and complex at the same time.” Thai cooking requires uncomplicated cooking techniques with “daunting” ingredients. Some of the daunting ingredients that you’ll find in Thai cooking are fish sauce, tamarind, oyster sauce, chili paste, sriracha, and not to mention all the different herbs and vegetables not common in many U.S. households. But all these “daunting ingredients” make Thai foods so tasty.
I fell in love with Thai food through its street foods. According to Chawdee Nualkhair and Lauren Lulu Taylor in “Real Thai Cooking”, many Thais depend on street food, it is the backbone of the economy. Many believe street food allowed more women to enter the workforce, as they could easily pick up food on the way home from the office. Also, it provided many women with entrepreneurial opportunities to work in their own food stalls. My research for this International Supper made me fall in love with Thai food and Thai street food all over again. Thai food is a labor of love, and I hope you enjoy the first International Supper Club meal, and can feel the love and intention that went into each dish.