Back in Baipai...

Yes, my parents and I immersed ourselves deeper into Thai cuisine at the Baipai Thai Cooking School. I mentioned before that I was pleasantly surprised at how they were such troopers during their entire visit --- expected this from my Dad but I have to give my Mom a lot of credit. In the midst of complaints to our Thai teacher that she'd rather be eating the food we're supposed to be cooking (when the dishes started to get more 'complicated'), not only did she manage to cook her own set perfectly but is, as of this writing, already recreating it now that she's back in Manila. My Mom would have most likely graduated valedicatorian in Baipai if we were graded! Good thing we weren't. She rose up to the teacher's challenge: "This is not a restaurant but a cooking school. You're not here to eat. You're here to learn to cook." Taray.

If there's anyone, however, who seemed to have had the most fun, I would think it was my Dad. This was the first time I saw him smiling ear-to-ear out of all the snaps I took while they were here. Here are my proud parents with the Goong Sauce Ma-kam (Prawin in tamarind sauce) they cooked:

Other dishes we learned to cook that day: Gai Hor Bai Toey (Chicken wrapped in Pandanus Leaf)

Som Tam (Papaya salad) --- Very different from our own achara (pickled papaya). This is one of my favourites. I could eat it everyday!

Gang Pehd Ped Yang (Roasted Duck in Red Curry) --- lives up to its being Royal Thai food. Not the easiest thing to make because there's just so much that goes into it.