Elephants...one blue, others straying like cats

The Blue Elephant. Recently had the pleasure of dining at this famous Thai cooking school and restaurant specialising on Royal Thai Cuisine with Elaine Limbaco and Roel Hernandez (aka "Coach" by Unilever Pinoys...in Bangkok for a workshop). We found the food to be aroi (delicious) but my opinion must have been influenced by its delicate and meticulous presentation - fit for kings, as Coach wisely pointed out. Photo below is just appetiser.

I was so delighted to explore this "100 year old mansion." It's rare to see an old colonial-style structure in Thailand. At the top floor of the building is the cooking school. One room is for "theory class" where the students get to watch the kruu (teacher) do a live demonstration of how to cook the dishes to be learned that day. The other room is a big kitchen with individual stoves for each student. For me, The Blue Elephant was reminiscent of Casa Manila and Chef Gene Gonzalez' Cafe Ysabel. Suddenly missed evaluating the occasional full-course meals prepared by his graduating students! I hope we have more of this kind of novelty back home.

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Stray Elephants.At the start of the year when everyone else had gone back from the holidays, I was so stunned to see not just one but four elephants on a vacant lot outside my office window! I remember my Dad remarking, when I texted him, if the elephants I saw were "ceramic or live ones!" Well, they were live enough to loiter near our parking lot for more than half a day. Learned later on the elephants were part of a parade that evening for the 100th year celebration of the resident bank in our building complex (Siam Commercial Bank) where apparently some royalty had graced the affair. Of course, how could anyone have missed that!