Harmony is the guiding principle in Thai cuisine. The food is lightly prepared with strong aromatics. A balancing act between sweet, sour, spicy and salty, it is the juxtaposition of these taste profiles, together with the complexity of flavours that the Thai delight in. The dish Tom Yam Goong summarises the aromas of Thailand best: lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, shallots, chilies, fish sauce and fresh Thai basil. Other essential ingredients to have handy in the pantry (should you wish to whip up a quick Thai supper) include garlic, tamarind, coconut milk, fresh mint and coriander. Substance to a dish is provided by fish or shellfish, meat or poultry and leafy greens, paired with steamed jasmine rice ( there are over 5000 different varieties of rice....clearly a staple.....to choose from) or noodles.
In Brisbane, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to Thai restaurants. They are everywhere, some offering Thai cooking lessons (like Mon's Thai Rarnaharn in Windsor). Once exotic, Thai food now features prominently on the weekly menu in Aussie homes. Supermarket shelves are well stocked with the necessary ingredients, and just about everyone has a jar of Thai Green Curry paste in the fridge. And for the less adventurous cook, Thai take-aways offer a guilt-free fast-food alternative.
In Thailand, food is a social occasion. All dishes are shared and enjoyed together, and to eat alone is considered to bring bad luck. There were six of us sharing in the pleasures of Thai food last night. We visited Thai Ayuthaya in Kelvin Grove, 3km northwest of the CBD. The restaurant is named after the historic capital of Siam, Ayuthaya. From the 14th to the 17th centuries, Ayuthaya was one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan cities. Conveniently located equidistant between India and China, it acted as the centre of economics and trade in the East. In 1767, the Burmese burnt the city to the ground. Never rebuilt, today it is an important archaeological ruin and World Heritage listed site. The perfect city plan of Ayuthaya was used as template for the layout of Bangkok, the new capital. This perfect city plan may have worked in 1400, but today, Bangkok has some of the worst traffic issues in the world - they even have a medical team on permanent standby to deliver babies on congested motorways (Phil's fact...see blog week 1 and 19 regarding Friday Night Out rules). The fact that Bangkok is the world's most visited city (ahead of London) obviously contributes to the road chaos.
We, on the other hand, had an easy drive to Kelvin Grove, named after the famous Kelvin Grove Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on the banks of the Kelvin River. True to Thai tradition, we ordered a banquet of dishes which filled the centre of the table - Gang Karee Gai (yellow curry), Pla Nueng Ma Now(steamed fish with lemon and Thai spices), Pad Med Ma Muang (stir fry with cashew nuts) and Gang Panang Curry. This allowed us to taste all the subtleties of the cuisine, however it was difficult to convince Boetie to share his Pad Thai with the rest of us. Pad Thai is considered to be Thailand's calling card to the rest of the world: all the basic herbs and spices with noodles, beansprouts, coriander, onions and ground peanuts. Gin Khoa! (eat well!)
We all agreed that we really enjoy this style of food. The enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices, the right amount of heat and the balance between salty, sweet and sour is a recipe for success. Even though we ate quite a substantial amount of food, no-one left the table feeling full, just comfortably satisfied.
Family-Friday-Night-Out would not be complete without the facts, and this week everyone remembered to do their research (unlike last week....) with free-facts aplenty! Nielen's fact also related to the tragic traffic situation in Bangkok: All traffic police wear facemasks as protection against the dangerous levels of pollution, with more than 20% of officers suffering some form of lung disease. One Thai bank estimated that the city's pollution woes add up to $2.3billion in lost production and health costs. Martina reminded us that Thailand has never been colonised (the British and the French agreed to keep Thailand as a neutral state between India and Vietnam to avoid conflict). Keith showed images of unexplained natural occurring fireballs that shoot out of the Mekong river. Boetie detailed the origin and meaning of the Thai flag and the national animal - the elephant. The elephant plays a very important role in Thai culture and history and acts as a symbol of royal power, peace, tradition, fortune and superstition. Their traditional participation in warfare often determined the ultimate winner, as was evident in the 300 year war between Burma and Thailand. Elephants are highly intelligent and easily trained (can respond to more than 60 commands), and they love to play. Amongst their favourite games are tug-of-war, racing, and polo.
Fondly known as "the biggest" sport in the world, Ele Polo is the game of kings and dukes and people on the Forbes Rich list. Attracting sponsors of luxury goods like Piguet Swiss Watches and Mercedes Benz, the Elephant Polo World Cup of 2013 was held in Thailand. Participating countries included England, Scotland, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka and.....our next destination....Nepal.
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