A Thai Cookout

For every negative there is a positive and it seems that this thought is exemplified so much more through my experiences here in Chiang Mai. My negative for this week comes in the form of going through the hassle of simply trying to get a little line of communication open to the world and friends that I know in the states. And my positive comes in the form of a weekend of pleasure and tranquil peace. It is so very nice when the positives in ones life outweigh the negatives. This weekend was just another, once in a lifetime experience, that keep seeming to sprout up in such a serendipitous way for me. I owe this wonderful weekend to my new friend Bo, her amazing and extremely gracious family and their friends.  

            Initially I had had plans to go out on Monday to Chiang Rai with Bo and Goff. Chiang Rai is a mountain town located about 3 hours out of town, that I hear is packed with a multitude of natural beauty; with such sights as waterfalls, mountain vistas and green lush paths for trekking; these plans were pushed off for next week. Although I was unable to make to Chiang Rai this week, I was invited to a yearly family event that Bo’s family put on, and with my weekly calendar being so open, I accepted the invitation immediately. And so, Saturday morning at 8AM Bo and Goff came by in there little beat up four door to pick me up, we were on our way.

            Upon our arrival to Bo’s father’s home, which is about 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai; I was overwhelmed by the smells and activity of so many people cooking and prepping for a big event. Every year, Bo’s family and friends cook for a Buddhist day of celebration. They set up tents, tables, chairs and provide a large quantity of homemade Thai food for the monks and worshipers at the town’s Buddhist temple. Introductions were made, but there was no way I was going to remember all of these Thai names, and so I just kept saying Say Wat Dee Kraap – this means hello in Thai – again and again. Bo’s father was able to speak a little English but not very much.  Here I was, surrounded by locals and in an element that for many may have been a difficult affair. And by difficult, I mean that it might be tough to enjoy ones time when communication is such a difficult thing to achieve. Fortunately for me, I have found myself in this sort of situation a good number of times since my arrival here to Chiang Mai, so I just figured that I would do all that I could to enjoy myself and the experience. The best way that I find to fit in with a new group that is busy in activity, is to lend a hand and work along side them. This communal participation allowed for non verbal communication to occur and help alleviate the language deficit. They put me to work separating Kefir leaves from the stems; this was Kefir that was pulled from the trees located on the property. This home is more like a farm really; there are different types of fruit trees located randomly across the property bearing all types of unfamiliar produce, herbs growing in the ground that are putting out a cornucopia of smells to excite the olfactory senses, and chicken clucking about. After tearing leaves and stacking them in a large bowl, I was put to the task of rolling up small balls of pork that were to be placed in a large vat where the heads of some sort animal were floating alongside thinly sliced veggies and spices. These pots and woks were the largest that I have ever seen and there were so many of these large vessels holding all types of dishes that ranged in density, color and smell.

 After rolling about 100 balls of flesh, a seat was offered to me by one of the friendly Thai faces and along with the seat a glass of a light tan beverage on ice. That’s the moment I knew that I would be starting the morning with a little Hong Thong and soda, the things I will do in order to ingratiate myself to a new culture. There is something that I am quickly learning about the Thais. They drink, and they drink all day long. What’s amazing is the way that they go about drinking; I see them as the marathon runners of drinking. Since they know that they are going to be drinking all day; a glass is just filled with a fingers width of whiskey and then drowned in soda or water and Ice. It is actually looked on as gluttonous to fill a glass with more whiskey than water by the locals. This sort of thinking differs from what I’ve come accustomed to; where I’m from the darker the glass of whiskey and water the better. Now of course this darker version leads to a much faster end to the experiences of what the day and evening have to offer. Here we are at 9:30 in the morning drinking whisky, cooking up an ass load of food and preparing for an appreciation of the towns spiritual leaders. After having two of these almost clear beverages we were packing up for the big show.

Setting up the serving area went like a cinch and there is no drinking at the temple, so I knew that we would at least have a few hours before we got back to the small sips of whiskey we had started earlier in the AM. Those small sips, I knew, would be like a million little cuts to clarity and I enjoyed the lull. Oh, and I forgot to mention; earlier in the day I was given a team shirt. Yes, this group has a team name. The primary function of this team is philanthropic. From what I understand, they do work for a couple of temples and a small town in the country where they teach and support the town’s children for one thing, but I will get to more of that later. Anyway, I was now a member of the team and I found it to be quite a kind gesture to have been given the team shirt to wear. One thing I want to say about the temple where we had set up this meal; it is true that I once said that all of these temples begin to bleed into one iconic image in ones mind. However, during my wait to serve the multitude, I was able to take in more closely the decor and beauty of the temple grounds. Also, I was able to observe the ceremony that was occurring within this golden story book of a building. Worshipers sat with legs tucked beneath their bodies and feet facing away from the Buddha, grasping upon a small string that hung from a larger intricate web which ultimately led to a singular line held by the principal monk. As he grasped this unifying thread he was accompanied in ancient chants by the other monks that lined the interior walls. These monks created a buffer of orange between the worshipers and the decorative walls of the temple. The constant hypnotic sound of the chants reverberated across the temple grounds and with this resonance, a since of calm enveloped me and I so much more enjoyed my viewing of the temple and of it’s multitude of intricacies. A stillness of mind lends itself to the viewer during the appreciation of such things I suppose.

            Once the chanting and worship had finished the parishioners came to us with plates outstretched and we obliged with ladles consisting of a multitude of flavors. It was so nice to be an active participant in this event; also, it was nice to partake in a sampling of all these tasty choices. After filling myself with more Thai food than I thought was even possible; the leader of the temple made many announcements of thanks to the team for setting everything up and providing the food. He also had a little fun at my expense by introducing me to all those present and making a small show of his introduction of me to the head Monk. There was a bit of blushing on my part but I was very grateful for the introduction and the welcome.

            There is no need to go into the breakdown of the tents, the washing of the dishes, and the way every person gave a bit of themselves in order to make the event come together so nicely. However, there is a great deal more to tell of how the evening unfolded and I will tell this tale in my next post.

            Wishing you all the best.

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