Cooking with Poo (and friends)

 Don't let the title scare you, there was no excrement involved!

I went to downtown Bangkok with a few friends (Nicole, Christy, and Lindsay) and their daughters to go to a cooking school in the Khlong Toei slum. Saiyuud Diwong (Khun Poo) started her cooking school to bring more income to her family and it has ended up supporting not just her, but has brought income and support to many in her community (she estimates about 100,000 people live in the 1 mile square neighborhood).  Her kitchen/cooking school supports many locals in the market by purchasing all of her food and supplies from the market, having her aprons and gift bags created by vendors, etc.

We started our class by walking for about an hour through the Khlong Toei Market.  There are many open air/fresh markets in Thailand, but this one is one of the largest and one of the few open 24 hours.  Depending on what you need will determine how early you need to get there.  I made a tactical error in my choice of footwear.  It rained overnight and early morning, so the ground was wet and much of the market is a so-called "wet market".  I went for comfort and chose flip-flops (thongs) and while I was comfortable walking, my feet were filthy by the end.

Photos from Khlong Toei Market

$4 for a whole chicken (feet, head, etc.)

Eel fish

Insects

Live frogs

Baby frogs and tadpoles

Rats and Pigeons

Khun Poo talking about Thai chilis

Shopping cart Thai market style

Jasmine rice (left) Sticky rice (right)

Fresh Tamarind

Cooking rice for Mango Sticky Rice

Nothing goes to waste

It's not even lime (manao) season, yet

Chili powder and flake

Crushing ice for the market stalls

Shopping cart parking

Walking to the cooking school

The entrance

My Tom Yom (with chicken)

Chicken and cashews

Phad See Ew Gai

From bottom right around to bottom left: Tamarind, Snake Fruit, Pomolo, Lotus Apple, pink Passionfruit, white Passionfruit, bowls of Mango Sticky Rice, Guava, Marion Plum, Pineapple, Jackfruit, Sapodilla

Fruit buffet