The video says it all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1XuP2VFuSs
(And yes, it's actually worth it to click on the link. Pooj and I make guest appearances near the end).
intern year anthem
11 years ago
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
too many chefs spoil the green curry...almost.
We had gotten a recommendation from Ben and Aliyah to take a cooking class when we were in Chiang Mai...we thought, "hey why not? when else can we learn to cook pad thai for 20 bucks."
So after we got our prison massages (check out Ben's blog about it at: delhidispatch.blogspot.com, similiar experience except we definitely got medium to light) we headed over to Baan Thai cooking class down the street from our hostel.
We were told to pick four dishes to prepare and it would be our dinner...most people would probably have picked an appetizer, a couple of main dishes and a dessert. Not us. Jess and I (along with our three new friends from Canada, Switzerland, and Finland we met on the train from Bangkok) picked 4 main courses: Green Curry, Pad Thai, Spring Rolls and Coconut Chicken Curry Soup.
We started with the curry paste for the green curry. I can't even remember all the ingredients (thank god they gave us a cookbook as a parting gift) but there were definitely over a dozen fresh vegetables and spices. I was in charge of chopping the root of the corriander plant and so, as best I could, I diligently began chopping it up into small pieces, including what I thought to be all the necessary parts.
The curry paste was then one part of the green curry, which turned out to be probably the best curry we've tasted yet (obvi). The five of us were all at our separate stations trying to avoid spilling coconut milk and causing grease fires. The spring rolls came along really well and our wonderful teacher (who knew such phrases as "hey you, get your ass in gear") let us enjoy the first part of the meal.
Somewhere between the amazing green curry and the fresh spring rolls, our teacher came up to us and said "Who cut the corriander root?"
I got really excited, as I thought I was going to be the "best student" and be given extra "points."
"I did!" I screamed between mouthfuls.
"Well," she said holding up a corriander root in her hand, "You only cut the stems and forgot the root. Next time, include the root, that's where all the flavor comes from."
Oops.
Needless to say, the curry tasted perfect to us, as did the two bites of pad thai and coconut soup we were able to stomach after the first two main courses.
It was the best cooking class ever...followed by after-dinner whiskey shots to help us digest the meal and a night out to a late night club called "Spicy."Let's just say that our night out turned into a morning out, after which 3 of us missed our 8:30 am trek the next morning and one delayed his departure all together from the city...so we spent the next day recovering, getting foot massages and eating greasy western food for lunch and greasy indian food for dinner.
We heart Chiang Mai.
So after we got our prison massages (check out Ben's blog about it at: delhidispatch.blogspot.com, similiar experience except we definitely got medium to light) we headed over to Baan Thai cooking class down the street from our hostel.
We were told to pick four dishes to prepare and it would be our dinner...most people would probably have picked an appetizer, a couple of main dishes and a dessert. Not us. Jess and I (along with our three new friends from Canada, Switzerland, and Finland we met on the train from Bangkok) picked 4 main courses: Green Curry, Pad Thai, Spring Rolls and Coconut Chicken Curry Soup.
We started with the curry paste for the green curry. I can't even remember all the ingredients (thank god they gave us a cookbook as a parting gift) but there were definitely over a dozen fresh vegetables and spices. I was in charge of chopping the root of the corriander plant and so, as best I could, I diligently began chopping it up into small pieces, including what I thought to be all the necessary parts.
The curry paste was then one part of the green curry, which turned out to be probably the best curry we've tasted yet (obvi). The five of us were all at our separate stations trying to avoid spilling coconut milk and causing grease fires. The spring rolls came along really well and our wonderful teacher (who knew such phrases as "hey you, get your ass in gear") let us enjoy the first part of the meal.
Somewhere between the amazing green curry and the fresh spring rolls, our teacher came up to us and said "Who cut the corriander root?"
I got really excited, as I thought I was going to be the "best student" and be given extra "points."
"I did!" I screamed between mouthfuls.
"Well," she said holding up a corriander root in her hand, "You only cut the stems and forgot the root. Next time, include the root, that's where all the flavor comes from."
Oops.
Needless to say, the curry tasted perfect to us, as did the two bites of pad thai and coconut soup we were able to stomach after the first two main courses.
It was the best cooking class ever...followed by after-dinner whiskey shots to help us digest the meal and a night out to a late night club called "Spicy."Let's just say that our night out turned into a morning out, after which 3 of us missed our 8:30 am trek the next morning and one delayed his departure all together from the city...so we spent the next day recovering, getting foot massages and eating greasy western food for lunch and greasy indian food for dinner.
We heart Chiang Mai.
Mother and daughter from a Long Neck tribe
Antti, Claudio, Mike, and Katie McHugh!
Sign posted outside a wat. Yes, you read it right--"Women are prohibited to go up."
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
the week...in pictures.
Jess is kissing Buddha. This might be sacreligious but our guide made us to do it. No really, he said all the cool kids did it.
I rented a motorcyle thinking it would be no big deal. Let me tell you, it was one of the scariest experiences ever. The hills were bigger than San Francisco hills and I almost stopped on the way up one of the hills because the guy didnt teach me how to "rev" the engine. ahhh! but it was hot pink and the helmets were cool and it cost $5 for 24 hours.
Full moon party with old and new friends.
Trivia at Tropical Murphy's, an irish pub in Koh Samui. The "american girls" whose team name was "fat kids are harder to kidnap" came in last place. Saaad.
Sunset over Koh Samui. Gorgeous!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
WAT WAT!
Wat Wat! (Not to be confused with WHAT WHAT!)
What a whirlwind of a week. Jess and I have been in 3 countries in the past 1.5 weeks. From Vietnam we went to Cambodia and now we are back in Thailand...
Cambodia. The whole country is like one big dollar store (no really, they actually use dollars). Upon arrival, Jess tried to get money from the ATM in Cambodian currency and realized she could only take money out in dollars...US Dollars. And everything costs a dollar-- from motocycle rides to coca cola light, it's all a dollar.
Angkor Wat was amazing. We visited 5 of the 39 temples of the massive old city, starting the day at 4:30 am to make it in time to see the sunrise. So impressive! Some of the Wats (aka temples) were over 1000 years old. Many of them started as Hindu temples and others were Buddhist temples that were later converted to Hindu temples...when we asked our guide what he thought of the Hindus that changed the ancient carvings of Buddha to lotus flowers he replied "Oh, they all went to Hell."
Um, yeah.
So yeah, we're back in Thailand after a 28 hour commute for a party...but not just any party...the Full Moon party on Koh Phagnan. Buckets of cocktails, thousands of backpackers and lots of neon lights...like an International spring break. Thank god we're fully immersing ourselves in Thai culture (but we survived and it was amazing and we are buying tshirts).
What a whirlwind of a week. Jess and I have been in 3 countries in the past 1.5 weeks. From Vietnam we went to Cambodia and now we are back in Thailand...
Cambodia. The whole country is like one big dollar store (no really, they actually use dollars). Upon arrival, Jess tried to get money from the ATM in Cambodian currency and realized she could only take money out in dollars...US Dollars. And everything costs a dollar-- from motocycle rides to coca cola light, it's all a dollar.
Angkor Wat was amazing. We visited 5 of the 39 temples of the massive old city, starting the day at 4:30 am to make it in time to see the sunrise. So impressive! Some of the Wats (aka temples) were over 1000 years old. Many of them started as Hindu temples and others were Buddhist temples that were later converted to Hindu temples...when we asked our guide what he thought of the Hindus that changed the ancient carvings of Buddha to lotus flowers he replied "Oh, they all went to Hell."
Um, yeah.
So yeah, we're back in Thailand after a 28 hour commute for a party...but not just any party...the Full Moon party on Koh Phagnan. Buckets of cocktails, thousands of backpackers and lots of neon lights...like an International spring break. Thank god we're fully immersing ourselves in Thai culture (but we survived and it was amazing and we are buying tshirts).
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
wow...we ate bow wow.
To all my veggie friends...you may want to stop reading this entry now. For the rest of yáll (I think I've been hangin out with Jess too much), keep reading!
First, a few words about the Phams. They eat more than the Bhatias...but are half our size. Seriously? Seriously. We ate so much good food in Vietnam, it's crazy. From fresh lychees to spicy Lau and super ripe mangosteins to fresh lobster-- we really ate a lot. Starting at 7 in the am and all the way until late into the night we found the best Vietnamese food around (apparently Jess's mom searched Vietnamese forums back in the States...amazing). We even stopped by a farmer's house boat in Nha Trang, purchased fresh fish and lobster and then took it to a restaurant to have them prepare it for us...did someone say byos (bring your own seafood?!?)
And with all this amazing food, we also ate a lot of meat. Like a lot. I thought I was maybe possibly going to turn vegetarian this trip, but no. Prawn eyes, porcupine, deer jerky, clams, snails, water buffalo in ADDITION to all the fish, chicken, pork and beef. Oh, and dog.
Jess's uncle, Cau Canh, actually called it bow wow.
Ok, so we had decided we wanted to try it, because, well, we were in Vietnam. So, we did. I had one (teeny tiny piece, like really really small) of bbqed dog. And to be honest, it wasn't that bad...kinda tasted like chicken...but needless to say, Jess and I both have given up bow wow for good.
Our trip in Vietnam came to a close a few days ago. We had to say farewell to the 16 members of Jess's family we were travelling with, the amazing 34-seat private bus complete with leather seats and a beer cooler (it came from the States) and the $2 million mansion with rooftop pool and 8 flat screen TVs we crashed at in Hanoi...
...and we said hello to Cambodia and hostels for $2.50 a night.
Jess having the time of her life right out side Dalat. Obvi I was the photographer.
Our lovely selves with our lovely bus.
Tommy fishing for our din din...drunk...at 2 pm
The girls in Ba Na...a mountain resort near Danang
Rooftop pool what what
First, a few words about the Phams. They eat more than the Bhatias...but are half our size. Seriously? Seriously. We ate so much good food in Vietnam, it's crazy. From fresh lychees to spicy Lau and super ripe mangosteins to fresh lobster-- we really ate a lot. Starting at 7 in the am and all the way until late into the night we found the best Vietnamese food around (apparently Jess's mom searched Vietnamese forums back in the States...amazing). We even stopped by a farmer's house boat in Nha Trang, purchased fresh fish and lobster and then took it to a restaurant to have them prepare it for us...did someone say byos (bring your own seafood?!?)
And with all this amazing food, we also ate a lot of meat. Like a lot. I thought I was maybe possibly going to turn vegetarian this trip, but no. Prawn eyes, porcupine, deer jerky, clams, snails, water buffalo in ADDITION to all the fish, chicken, pork and beef. Oh, and dog.
Jess's uncle, Cau Canh, actually called it bow wow.
Ok, so we had decided we wanted to try it, because, well, we were in Vietnam. So, we did. I had one (teeny tiny piece, like really really small) of bbqed dog. And to be honest, it wasn't that bad...kinda tasted like chicken...but needless to say, Jess and I both have given up bow wow for good.
Our trip in Vietnam came to a close a few days ago. We had to say farewell to the 16 members of Jess's family we were travelling with, the amazing 34-seat private bus complete with leather seats and a beer cooler (it came from the States) and the $2 million mansion with rooftop pool and 8 flat screen TVs we crashed at in Hanoi...
...and we said hello to Cambodia and hostels for $2.50 a night.
Jess having the time of her life right out side Dalat. Obvi I was the photographer.
Our lovely selves with our lovely bus.
Tommy fishing for our din din...drunk...at 2 pm
The girls in Ba Na...a mountain resort near Danang
Rooftop pool what what Thursday, July 10, 2008
omg V.I.P in the c.l.u.b
We stopped in Danang, Vietnam (the third largest Vietnamese port city) for a few days. Danang is the city where Jess's mom and relatives were raised. A peaceful town on the coast with nice and quiet beaches all around...
But of course, Jess's mom's mom's adopted brother's daughter's husband (aka jess's first cousin once removed) was once a dj at this club in Danang, Vietnam...
So, when we visited Danang a few days back, he gladly offered to take us all there. (Actually, he forced us out of bed when we were all switching channels back and forth between Wimbeldon and Friends repeats). Either way, we left the house in our normal, travelling gear, consisiting of no make-up, hair in pony tails (except Tommy) and semi-sweaty selves.
We got to the club...and let me tell you, were transported to god knows where.
The club was PACKED, with HUNDREDS of Vietnamese dressed to the nines. We were seriously scrubbed out, but they still let us in. We got a table in the VIP section (which in Vietnam is referred to as vip) and were immediately served half a bottle of whiskey, fruit, two types of nuts, pepsi, bottled water, etc. There were TV's around playing American music videos and American sports and the Techno (or house or trans, we're not sure) was DUF DUF DUFING in the background. On all sides of us there were strippers (or call girls) with nametags flirting with old white men (ew.) We're not sure about the nametags either.
Seriously, what a sight.
We're in Sapa, Vietnam now which is also quite a sight. It's a mountain town near the border of China that is kind of a combination of Bolivia and Cusco, Peru. It's a small world, afterall.
But of course, Jess's mom's mom's adopted brother's daughter's husband (aka jess's first cousin once removed) was once a dj at this club in Danang, Vietnam...
So, when we visited Danang a few days back, he gladly offered to take us all there. (Actually, he forced us out of bed when we were all switching channels back and forth between Wimbeldon and Friends repeats). Either way, we left the house in our normal, travelling gear, consisiting of no make-up, hair in pony tails (except Tommy) and semi-sweaty selves.
We got to the club...and let me tell you, were transported to god knows where.
The club was PACKED, with HUNDREDS of Vietnamese dressed to the nines. We were seriously scrubbed out, but they still let us in. We got a table in the VIP section (which in Vietnam is referred to as vip) and were immediately served half a bottle of whiskey, fruit, two types of nuts, pepsi, bottled water, etc. There were TV's around playing American music videos and American sports and the Techno (or house or trans, we're not sure) was DUF DUF DUFING in the background. On all sides of us there were strippers (or call girls) with nametags flirting with old white men (ew.) We're not sure about the nametags either.
Seriously, what a sight.
We're in Sapa, Vietnam now which is also quite a sight. It's a mountain town near the border of China that is kind of a combination of Bolivia and Cusco, Peru. It's a small world, afterall.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
how do we love thee rice? let us count the ways...
Vietnam is a land of many things... It is a land of great beauty from the tree-covered mountains near Dalat to the gorgeous beaches of Nha Trang. It's a land with a rich cultural heritage after overcoming a difficult past. It's a land of great seafood and spices.
And it's also a land of rice.
White rice. Sticky rice. Fat rice noodles. Skinny rice noodles. Rice paper. Fried rice paper. Rice paper with sesame seeds. Rice kernels. Rice popcorn. Rice crispy treats (seriously). Rice noodles wrapped in rice paper. Rice noodles and fried rice paper wrapped in rice paper. Rice porridge. And those are only the ones off the top of our head.
I guess I should probably give up the low carb diet.
Got rice,
Pooj
And it's also a land of rice.
White rice. Sticky rice. Fat rice noodles. Skinny rice noodles. Rice paper. Fried rice paper. Rice paper with sesame seeds. Rice kernels. Rice popcorn. Rice crispy treats (seriously). Rice noodles wrapped in rice paper. Rice noodles and fried rice paper wrapped in rice paper. Rice porridge. And those are only the ones off the top of our head.
I guess I should probably give up the low carb diet.
Got rice,
Pooj
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