2552

Happy New Year Everybody!!
Welcome to 2009! Or in Thailand's case, 2552! That's right, we're waaay ahead of ya'll. ^^
Maybe you weren't wondering how they celebrate New Years here, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

As some of you know I am moving families in a week, (this is relevant I promise) and I wanted to do something for the Utchins as a sort of 'thank-you-for-being-an-amazing-host-family' present.


I wanted to do something that they would actually enjoy and somehow incorporate my falang-ness. (falang = foreigner)... so whats the obvious answer?


FOOD!!!


Maybe it's just my having been raised by a professionally trained chef, but this seemed like a good option. The Utchins love to eat. But it's not just them, food is one of the most important parts of Thai culture. Not only is it delicious fuel and a social activity, but it also provides most of the conversation material.

In Thailand you do not ask a person how they are doing. You ask them if they have eaten and then the conversation grows from there. For example:

Me: Sawat dee Kah Ahjahn [hello teacher]

A Teacher: Sawatdee Kah, gin kao leeung? [Hello, have you eaten yet?]

Me: Lao, kah. [Already *enter polite particle here*]

Teacher: Gin alai? [what did you eat?]

Me: Gin kao neo sai guy tord te mah muang hai kanom wahn. [I ate sticky rice with fried chicken and mango for dessert.]

Teacher: Gin kao chow mai? [Did you eat breakfast?]

Me: Gin Ka. [Ate. {yes}]

Teacher: Gin alai? [What did you eat?]

....and so on and so forth.

The trick of course was deciding what on earth to make for everyone. After some investigation I found out that my host siblings miss pasta and cheese (they were on exchanges in the states a few years back). After much hemming and hawing, I decided on guacamole with chips for starters, Linguine with a Creamy Pesto Sauce as the main dish with a garden Salad for a side, and Chocolate/fruit fondue for dessert.

Now, I have a confession to make. Despite my culinary genetics not only have I never cooked a full three course meal by myself for any number of people, but I also have very little talent in the kitchen. However, I have been sue-chef to countless dinner parties hosted by my wonderful mother so naturally I visualized my party to be somewhat like hers. In my head there were candles, a long table with enough room for everyone, a table cloth, real ceramic plates, and Buena Vista Social Club in the background; everyone would be laughing, talking in english/thai, munching on falang food, and praising the ambrosial taste of cheese.
Ha.
Reality set in when I realized I had to make pesto for 10 people by hand which meant chopping 5 cups of basil on a cutting board the size of an iPhone.

Help came in the form of my older brother Nont. (he likes to cook) He helped put the green salad together. We even had a cute clash of cultures moment when I had to teach him how to cut up a bell pepper. Shoshanna, my best friend, also came to my aid mentally and physically. She helped me peel garlic and keep the body count to zero (I stress easily).
Thankfully, a random Rotarian waltzed into the kitchen with a blender. If it wasn't taboo, I would've kissed him.

By some miracle I got dinner on the table and while it was not even close to my fantasy, (we couldn't fine enough chairs for everyone) it was still really fun.
One of the highlights of the evening was realizing that every single dish i had created was a vibrant green. While my food may resemble bog froth at least it tastes good.

The fondue went off without a hitch, except that everything I had to dip in the chocolate was bright yellow... go figure.

After the feast, Sho and I went out to meet some other YE friends at the walking street outside of my house. We hung around for a bit, played with fire, and watched the general hubbub around us. The food/walking street had been set up outside of my house for about 2 weeks. Anything you can fry (and some things you shouldn't) was for sale... from worms to ice cream.
But clothes, shoes, hair clips, birdcages, brooms, puppies, and pirated movies were also available.

The countdown was approaching fast and we ran back to my house to watch the firework display on the roof terrace. A bunch of Pee Pangs friends had come over for the countdown and we really had the best seats in the house.
The show lasted for a good half hour and it was the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Normally, fireworks are cool, yes, but nothing that is really special. Except for that one time in Disney land, most shows are pretty much the same.
I'm not quite sure whether it was the Thai people talent with fire, or perhaps the garlic fumes had gone to my head but it was beautiful.
Sho had to go home to her host parents but Pee Pang & Co. stayed on the roof. I brought out some cards and we had an epic 2 am game of Bullshit (its a card game, if you don't know it I'll teach you one day). Around 4 or so we grabbed all the unoccupied blankets in the house, made a nest, and slept under the swirling ashes.

3 hours later...
We all stumbled down the three flights of stairs to feed a hoard of monks. This is Thai tradition to start the new year off with good luck. It was an unorganized affair at best, we hundreds of Thais holding huge platters of juice boxes and bowls of dried rice. I had to be careful not to touch one though as women are not allowed to do that. (I'll save my feminist rant for later) After about 20 minutes the monks and people dispersed and we were allowed to spend our first day in 2552 as we pleased.


p.s. I shall post videos of the event when I figure out how to do such a thing.