Growing Old(er)

I didn't think I'd mind growing older, and for a while, I didn't.  I was prepared for the crow's feet around the eyes, the little laugh lines around the mouth, the age-spots on the hands, the grey in the hair.....  As these things began to gently change my appearance, I embraced them.  I felt they gave me a touch of dignity, an air of maturity that encouraged respect and maybe even admiration for a life well lived.

What I had not considered, and what horrifies me, are some of the other signs of aging: the hairs that suddenly one day decide to grow on one's chin, neck, and even cheeks; the flabby, loose skin under the upper arms; the tiny skin flaps that can appear in various places; the sagging, drooping skin around one's neck; the moles; the embarrassing noises one's stomach starts to make as it digests even the simplest of foods.......  Of course, I knew that lots of old women had these things; but I just assumed they'd been born that way.  I didn't quite realize that one could become hideous over time.  Oh!  the injustice!

And these are just the things that I can mention without totally embarrassing the reader.  There are more.  Many, many more!  (I haven't even touched on the aches and pains and loss of physical ability!)  If you are older, you know what I'm talking about.  And if you are younger, then I don't want to scare you lest you stop enjoying the pleasures of youth in anticipation of the horrors of old-age.

As we age, however, nature gifts us with some tools to help deal with these changes.  For example, our close-up eyesight dims, making it difficult to see the extent of the hideous damage to our faces; our memory comes and goes so that often times we don't even remember if we ought to be embarrassed; and we seem to care less and less about our physical appearance than we did when we were younger.  These things are all blessings!

And we do become wiser.  Which is a mixed blessing.  Because now we are able to analyze with clarity the stupid and impetuous behavior of our youth; the decisions born of ignorance and emotion.  If only old-age came with a giant eraser, there are so many things I would erase out of my past.  Thank god I am wiser now and will no longer be engaging in such embarrassing behavior. 

I am only at the beginning of this final journey.  With any luck, it will be a long journey and by the time I reach my destination, I hope to arrive with the aged wisdom of a buddha, even if I must end up looking like a withered turnip.

The Kanom Krok pan

So, after spending the evening with Pimpa the other night, I felt convinced that I needed to try kanom krok.  The first step was to obtain a kanom krok pan.  I got on the Internet and did a search for kanom krok pans and found one for $17 plus $5 shipping and handling.  They also had lime paste (an ingredient in kanom krok), so I ordered a small container of that for $2 as well.  Three short days later, my kanom krok pan arrived!

I was so excited!  I tore open the box and pulled out my pan, lid, and lime paste. 

The day was Saturday and I knew Pimpa would be working at Mahnin's, so I grabbed up the pan and headed down to the restaurant to share my excitement.  When I arrived, the restaurant was empty, except for Mahnin, Pimpa, and the cook.  I showed Pimpa my amazing treasure and there was a brief exchange of excited Thai as they admired my kanom krok pan.  I sat and smiled, thinking they were expressing awe and amazement at my cleverness and resourcefulness in obtaining this authentic cooking vessel.

Pimpa turned to me and asked, "How much you buy this pan?" 

"Seventeen dollars," I told her.

At this, there were shocked gasps all around.  Well, of course there would be!  I had accomplished an amazing thing!  But the gasps were immediately followed by giggles and laughter.

"She sell for $11 next door,"  Pimpa told me, pointing at the Asian market across the street.  "And how much you buy this lime paste?"

"Two dollars,"  I said, almost under my breath....

"She sell next door for seventy-nine cents!"

More giggles and laughter.  How was I supposed to know this? A farang in my own country!! Thank goodness I hadn't told them about the $5 shipping and handling fee. I'd look like a total sucker.

O.K. well... the important thing is, we  now have a kanom krok pan.  What are we going to do with it?  The ladies grabbed up my pan and headed off to the kitchen.  Since there were no customers in the restaurant, they were able to whip up a batch of kanom krok in no time. 

The first batch was made with basically nothing more than rice flour and coconut milk and turned out gummy and tasteless.  It went in the trash.  The next batch turned out a bit better, but there was quite a lot of arguing about whether or not to put sugar in the batter.  The Burmese cook did not want sugar as they are made without sugar in Burma, but Pimpa wanted sugar as they are made with sugar in Thailand.  I left them to argue it out and went to sit down at a table and wait.

Pimpa came out a few minutes later and said, "Oh!  I so mad I just want scratch her face up!!"  It was my turn to chuckle!  I guess they can be quite serious about their food.  (true confession number one.... so can I!)

As we sat around tasting the second batch, it occurred to someone that perhaps the market across the street carried not only the pans, but the treat itself as well.  Pimpa called over and sure enough, the owner told her a local Thai lady made them up in her kitchen and that they were available out of her refrigerator case.  $3 for a plate of 8 or so.  Less than 5 minutes later, we were all sitting around eating authentic kanom krok made by a real Thai cook.

I didn't let that deter me from coming home and trying the pan out myself.  The recipe in my Thai Street Food cookbook looked good, but there were some problems with it; it called for 2 T of salt in the batter and I thought that was WAY too much, it also didn't tell when to add several of the ingredients.  So, I got on the Internet again and did a search for recipes.

After reading six or seven different recipes, I came up with my own combination and gave it a try.  But before I could make my kanom krok, I had to season my new pan.  This took several hours as I had to heat it up, oil it, cool it down, repeat several times.  But my efforts paid off as my kanom krok did not stick to the pan and released beautifully!

Now, I don't like to sound arrogant, but I think I have every reason to be proud of my kanom krok! They turned out BETTER than any of the ones I tasted at Mahnin's. (True confession number 2 - since I've never been to Thailand, I have no idea what they are supposed to taste like. But I believe I nailed it!)

Today, I plan to make up another batch and take them down to the restaurant.  If they want to make fun of me for paying too much for a kanom krok pan, let them have their fun.  But the last laugh will be mine when they taste what I'm able to do with that pan!

The First Gathering

It's been one year since I started this blog.  In some ways, it seems like time has flown by, but on the other hand, it seems I've been blogging forever!  The year 2010 saw me headed to Haiti to bring aid to victims of the earthquake, traveling to Turkey to deliver an elderly man home to his family, making lots of new friends and reconnecting with old ones, following a life-long desire to work with clay, finally visiting the great state of California, and of course, cooking up a storm in the kitchen!  If you'd like to see a photo album of my year, you can click this link.

Last Sunday, I hosted the year's first gathering of friends in my home.  My new friend, Pimpa came over with her husband, Khambay, and another young friend from Thailand, Nam.  We had a wonderful time in the kitchen cooking together.  I made an Indian dish of stewed potatoes and split peas, Nam made a Thai dish called Lap, and Pimpa made a pot of Thai chicken coconut soup.


Nam, preparing vegetables for Lap



Pimpa, slicing chicken for Thai coconut soup



Pimpa and Nam busy in the kitchen






Nam, squeezing lime juice over the Lap





at the dinner table



After dinner, we sat in the living room and visited for hours.  Pimpa was quite taken with my coffee table book.  It's an oversized book on street food in Thailand (Thai Street Food) with beautiful pictures and intriguing recipes. 

The first recipe in the book is for a treat called kanom krok.  Pimpa got excited when she saw the picture and told me that whenever she goes back to Thailand, the first thing she wants to eat is kanom krok.  By the time they left, Pimpa had made me promise I would order her a copy of this book.

This past year has been tough with me looking for a job and changes being made at Eddy's work that affect us in unhappy ways.  But the joy that family, friends, and food bring into my life more than compensate for the hard times.  I am so blessed!!