Spring has Arrived

The first half of the winter, fom November to January was actually pretty nice. It was usually in the mid 50s to low 60s. But from January until last week, it was really cold. One day it late March, it even snowed. I am very glad that spring has finally come. For the rest of the year it will probably only get as high as the mid 80s. So we will have plenty of oportunities to visit the many parks, and take some nice rides on our electric scooters. - Frank

Ancient Chinese Secrets - The Perfect Pot of Rice

One thing that many people struggle with is making rice. You may think that it is a simple thing to do, but if you believe that you have probably never had to eat gummy, sticky rice. I was blessed to have grown up in a household that had an expert rice maker in it, my mom; hence we were not blighted with that curse. When I got married, I passed the family method of making good rice to Amanda (along with the recipe for making pistachio cake which we will discuss at another time). Since moving to China, we have not had to use that method however, because we have discovered the ancient Chinese secret to perfect rice. As you know the staple food in Asia is rice, so they have come up with a simple solution to that age old problem - the rice cooker. With this amazing device, all you have to do is add the ingredients and hit a button and about twenty minutes later, voila! the perfect pot of rice. Like the refrigerator in America, this appliance is a "must have" in every home. There are probably more that don't have a refrigerator, than those that don't have a rice cooker. What I want to know is that with all the things we import from China, how is it we don't have rice cookers in America? - Frank

Chinese Tea Ceremony

Last week we had some friends visit from Thailand. They wanted to buy some tea, so I took them to a shop where one of our Chinese friends works. As many of you may know, one of the things China is famous for is it's tea. Traditionally, tea is not just consumed, it is experienced. There is an entire ceremony involved in serving it. Today, it is still one of the fluids that lubricates society. It is used at business, political, and social functions as a way for the host to show respect for the guest, and for the guest to relax and savor the subtle flavors of the variety of teas that are available, usually in a soothing and comfortable setting. Our hostess was a young lady named Xiao Zhou. She studied the art of serving tea for six years. How can serving tea be so complicated as to require years of study? Well, according to Xiao Zhou, if you don't heat the water, pour the water, or soak the tea leaves in the correct way, it can drastically alter the way the tea taste. When you are dealing with tea leaves that have been drying for anywhere from five to hundreds of years, your technique is very important. The water must be boiling hot. The hotter the better. You must pour the water onto the side of the tea pot, not directly onto the tea leaves. I was told that doing it incorrectly will unleash the flavors too quickly. You do not serve the first or second steeping. You use the first steeping to rinse the tea cups that you will serve the tea in by filling the cups then pouring the tea out. You do this right in front of the guest. You then add water to the pot a second time and then pour it out too. Finally, you serve the guest. You must be careful how you do this also. The most important person at the table must get served first. Be sure to only fill the cup seventy percent full. This is also very important as it is considered rude to fill the cup to the rim because the traditional tea cups are tiny and have no handle. The guest could burn their hands if the tea is overflowing. I was told if you do this to a Chinese person, it is an insult and they will get very upset. IMG_0227 After Xiao Zhou served us a five year old tea from the PuEr region of the Yunnan province, she then informed us that she was going to teach us how to serve tea properly. I took my turn and quickly came to appreciate her skill. They all laughed at me because my hands were shaking. I wasn't nervous but handling the delicate tools of this trade takes concentration. The most skilled servers make it look effortless, they move with a fluidity that matches the tea that they serve. I now know why they study for so long! In the end, my tea did not taste as good as hers, mine was a little more bitter. After all who wanted to learn got their chance, Xiao Zhou then arranged for us to go to a different store that sold the same tea for a better price. She even arranged for someone to drive us there. Upon arriving at the second store, we again were served numerous cups of tea. So we then discovered that another important feature of a tea shop is having a restroom close to the serving area. I really enjoyed our afternoon experiencing the tea ceremony, and I now want to get a traditional tea set for our home. Who knows, maybe if you come to visit, I will be able to make you a proper cup of tea. - Frank

“The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort and refinement.”- Arthur Gray

China and Japan - Different Countries

I know that it may seem that I am stating the obvious, but I think the time has come to clear things up just a little bit. Why? Well, when many of our American friends hear that we are living in China, they often ask us how learning Japanese is going. Recently, we have been asked how we are doing since the earthquake. You know, we really appreciate everyone's concern with our well being and our studies, but I just want to let everyone know that China and Japan are not the same country. Nor, as I have been asked by some, is China a part of Japan. I guess that once again this shows that for most of us American's geography is not our strong suit. - Frank

"Acquire new knowledge while thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others." - Confucius

PS- Just in case you were wondering, no, I never see any samuri either. You see, they too are Japanese.

Sunset in Paradise

Super Bowl in Thailand

I have watched every Super Bowl since 1985. Last year and the year before, I had to watch the "Big game" on a little computer screen. This year, however, I was able to watch it on a big screen at a sports bar in Krabi, and what is more my favorite team the Green Bay Packers were one of the teams that made it to the NFL championship game. Upon arriving in Thailand, I began inquiring as to where I could watch the game with almost everyone I met that spoke English. You should have seen the looks I got. "Super Bowl, what is that?" Eventually, I met an Australian who is married to a local girl and he was able to point me in the right direction. So, at 6:30 this morning, Amanda and I along, with about 20 to 25 other Americans crowded, first into a hostel lobby and then at half time we moved to the sport bar, for the showdown. The game was a classic battle, with many turns in momentum. It seemed that everyone was emotionally invested in the game, although there were only 2 Steelers fans in the group. They did not leave happy. I did. The packers take the trophy home and I get to spend the afternoon on the beach. It doesn't get much better than that. -Frank

Ya's Thai Cookery - Always Bang, Bang!

As many of you already know, Amanda loves to cook. She also happens to be pretty good at it. In fact, my sisters like to call her "Betty Crocker" because of her culinary skills. So as you might imagine, when we discovered that one of the things you can do here on Krabi is go to a Thai cooking class, it was definitely added to our "Bucket List". Now, when it comes to food, my expertise lies along a different path, that of consuming, not so much cooking. However, I decided to join her in taking this class, and why not, not only would she get to pursue one of her passions, I would also get to pursue one of mine.

Truth be told, I had a terrific time. Mrs. Ya speaks English reasonably well, with a heavy Thai accent, and has a good sense of humor. She has the personality and talent to be on a Food Network cooking show. When telling us how to prepare the ingredients, such as cutting up the garlic, shallots, lemongrass, basil, cardamon (See, I did learn something) etc., she would either tells us "first bang bang" for the garlic, shallots, and cardamon or "not bang bang" for the lemongrass and basil. Later on, while re-explaining the recipes, she said "remember...always bang bang". She is really full of personality.

So, what were some of the dishes I learned to cook? Well, I learned to cook Pad Thai, Chicken in Oyster sauce, and one of my favorites Panaeng Chicken Curry, just to name a few. In preparation for making these dishes, we also had to learn how to make both red and green curry pastes, a very important ingredient in Thai food. Throughout the afternoon, as we were cooking, Mrs. Ya often insisted that we grab a spoon and "taste, taste so you remember". All the while, I kept saying to myself "Mrs. Ya, I like the way you think". Everything was scrumptious! At the end, all of the students brought the dishes that they made to the dining area and we shared a meal together, although by that time most of us were too stuffed to eat. Another nice feature of this class is that not only are we given a cook book with the recipes in it, but we are also given a diploma which states that the recipient has "successfully mastered the art of Thai cooking". Wow, what do you know, there is actually something to this cooking thing! - Frank