Spinach, Mushrooms, and other fine dining

Last week we finally got to "take" one of our friends out for dinner to give them their Christmas/New Years/ Chinese New Years/ Valentine's Day/ whatever other holiday may have fallen in there since we asked them. We really didn't take them out since they paid- but nonetheless we got to go out with them. This is always an exciting evening because they don't really speak English and we don't really speak Thai- Our friend's wife always orders all the ingredients for us to make the soup in the hot pot, so we eat what she orders. Here in Thailand they have many vegetables that I normally don't eat; and they are always cooked making them even less appealing to me. For example they have bean spouts in almost every soup- and I don't like them- not one bit. (If you do like them then you would love them here-very flavorful) So I usually pick around the things I don't really like like - I'm pretty good at it too. I can pick even the smallest onion out and with chop sticks! But that night I felt adventurous. I decided that whatever she ordered I was going to eat. And I did...and I liked it. They had these neat little nests of spinach and what is called ear mushrooms- they look wrinkly like your ear, but are a dark almost purple color and a little crunchy. I am becoming more adventurous with food- I always let Ed try if first and then if his face is okay I will give it a try. (I learned my lesson in Japan)

Well I tell this story tonight to also share that I am starting a different food experience tomorrow! Tomorrow I start a short course at the Le Cordon Blue - Sawadee. My course is on "The Art of Bread-Making." I am so excited (and scared) to be studying at a real and very well known cooking school. I will try and post how class goes and some of the things I make this week.