New Adventures In Backpacking

As I’ve mentioned previously, there is a wealth of things to do in Chiang Mai, but the most popular activity to take part in whilst you are here is to take a Thai cookery course.

The food in Chiang Mai is more than enough reason to come visit, it’s just so good and there are so many places to sample it. What sticks out the most for me is the amount of yummy dishes you can eat here that you will not find on any menu in Bangkok, on the islands or any of the other popular Thai backpacker destinations. Visit any Thai restaurant in your home country and I am happy to wager you will not find Khao Soi soup on the menu. If they have it, order it and you will not regret it.

Once you are here there are numerous cookery schools to choose from. You can take courses from a one day introduction class to a four day advanced school or there are vegetable carving courses for those of you who want to be popular at Halloween. The courses range from about 850 baht (17gbp) to 3,000 baht (60gbp). Already being a massive Thai food fan and being a bit of a whiz in the kitchen, I knew quite a lot of the dishes being offered on many of the courses, so I picked “Perm’s Thai Cookery Course”, who looked like they could offer to teach me more new things than the others.

I was picked up from my guesthouse at 8am and taken to a local market where your course starts. This is where we met Perm, the owner, who gave us a guided tour of the market, pointing out and explaining the differences between the various vegetables, rice, and tofu, we would be cooking with. Perm has owned his own cookery school for several years, which explains why Perm is an accomplished performer, and could easily double as a stand-up comedian. He giggles like a small child on cue at every bad joke he makes like it was the first time he has ever delivered the line and in turn my fellow class mates and I laugh on cue at every ‘same same but different’ comparison. Such ‘highlights’ include him telling us his parents gave him the perfect name as in the Thai language Perm apparently means ‘strong and handsome’ and that he feeds his wife coriander before bed every night as it makes women horny. Given my skills in the kitchen and knack of telling unfunny dad jokes I think I may have missed my calling in life.

All the other cookery schools are also at the market, which gives all the schools a chance to show off to the others, such is the competition between them. Perm seems visibly delighted to see that his two brothers’ classes have attracted less numbers than his and bragging rights for today are his. Sibling rivalry runs very high in that family for sure.

At the class we are all stationed behind our cookers with Perm in the middle orchestrating. We were then introduced to Boom, his assistant. It’s a real good-cop, bad-cop routine, Perm with his plump face, big smile and terrible jokes leading the class and Boom with her hair tied back, serious face, walking around the class barking instructions and bossing around those who cannot follow Perms instructions. I enjoyed this act, as it was quite clear in Boom’s case it was not an act and she did not suffer fools gladly. Later in the day Boom told me she gets lots of unwanted attention from older men on her course that see her as the ideal women. Attractive, bossy, and can cook. Says a lot more about them than the delightful Boom, whom I became good friends with and who was responsible for many of the highlights of my visit to Chiang Mai

I learnt to cook six dishes, Tom Yom Soup, Spring Rolls, Papaya Salad, Sticky Rice with Mango, Panang Curry with Tofu, and Pad Thai. I already knew the last two but they are so yummy I could not resist a little refresher course and to pick up a few tips on how to improve both dishes, so it was well worth it.

Along the way there were plenty of photo opportunities for my master chef application form, including the flaming wok picture, which I would imagine is a staple of any Thai cooking school. My flame was not so big, but it’s what you do with it that counts! I hope anyway…….

Last but certainly not least is the feast at the end when you get to eat your cooking efforts. Very yummy, even if I say so myself. There is such a quantity of food that you may not need to eat again for the rest of the day so that alone justifies an already very modest price.

I would highly recommend anyone go on the cooking courses. You don’t need to be a whiz in the kitchen, nor really enjoy cooking as Perm and Boom practically spoon feed you, if you pardon the pun. It’s a really fun and relatively cheap way to spend an afternoon learning, taking goofy pictures and chatting with fellow travellers.

A fun day out. Now I’m off to find myself some coriander

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