I scream, you scream...
We all scream for ice cream, right? Well, maybe not. One of the things about living in Thailand is that I am constantly discovering that my assumptions about etiquette and other things are challenged daily. For example, it is common practice here to pick your nose in public. Not just in the car when you think nobody is looking or in the privacy of your bathroom, but everywhere. It is as common as breathing. Another thing, cutting in line seems to be the norm; whether you are queuing up to use the bathroom or waiting to pay for something, it is very likely that some Thai person will just make there way in front of you like they were there first. Lastly, urinating in public (at least for the men) does not seem to be illegal. Makes you very cautious of your footing around puddles.
Besides the unique Thai etiquette, food pairing can often be surprising as well. A few weeks ago, I was at my stylist’s studio getting my hair done. Kang, my hair dresser’s boyfriend and the prettiest little Thai man I have ever seen, asked me if I wanted some ice cream. It’s that kind of salon. They make you coffee, toast, bring you pastries, whatever. This particular day, Kang was dishing out some cookies and cream. When he asked me if I wanted some, I said sure. How can you say no to ice cream? After a few minutes, he brought me a sundae. I said thank you and graciously accepted it. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that in addition to the ice cream and chocolate syrup, there was corn and what looked like potatoes sprinkled on top of the cookies and cream. That’s right, corn and potatoes.
This posed a problem. To eat or not to eat? Yes, there have been times in my life when I have remarked that corn is like candy, especially when it is sweet summer corn right off the cob and bathed in butter. But even then, I would not think to pair it with ice cream. Likewise, sweet potatoes are definitely a dessert when they are in a casserole with brown sugar and marshmallows but these were not sweet potatoes.
I thought maybe I was wrong about the potatoes. Kang couldn’t have possible put potatoes on my ice cream, could he? Maybe it was some of that tasteless, waxy candy that the Thai’s like so much and it just looked like a potato. I knew I had to eat it; not eating it would have just been rude. I took a bite of the might-be-potato first. A cube of solid starch. Next came a few kernels of corn with some cookies and cream. Much to my dismay, this was not sweet summer corn. Instead it was fibrous and hard, like the corn you feed the ducks at the park.
Kang walked by, smiling. “Good isn’t it?”
“Mmmmmm,” I nodded with my mouth around the spoon.
I kept on at a steady pace until I finished every last creamy and starchy bite of the odd creation. This would count as a time that I was thankful for Thai-sized portions. If that had been a massive sundae like my dad used to make for himself in the orange Tupperware bowl, I don’t think I would have been able to finish it.
Besides the unique Thai etiquette, food pairing can often be surprising as well. A few weeks ago, I was at my stylist’s studio getting my hair done. Kang, my hair dresser’s boyfriend and the prettiest little Thai man I have ever seen, asked me if I wanted some ice cream. It’s that kind of salon. They make you coffee, toast, bring you pastries, whatever. This particular day, Kang was dishing out some cookies and cream. When he asked me if I wanted some, I said sure. How can you say no to ice cream? After a few minutes, he brought me a sundae. I said thank you and graciously accepted it. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that in addition to the ice cream and chocolate syrup, there was corn and what looked like potatoes sprinkled on top of the cookies and cream. That’s right, corn and potatoes.
This posed a problem. To eat or not to eat? Yes, there have been times in my life when I have remarked that corn is like candy, especially when it is sweet summer corn right off the cob and bathed in butter. But even then, I would not think to pair it with ice cream. Likewise, sweet potatoes are definitely a dessert when they are in a casserole with brown sugar and marshmallows but these were not sweet potatoes.
I thought maybe I was wrong about the potatoes. Kang couldn’t have possible put potatoes on my ice cream, could he? Maybe it was some of that tasteless, waxy candy that the Thai’s like so much and it just looked like a potato. I knew I had to eat it; not eating it would have just been rude. I took a bite of the might-be-potato first. A cube of solid starch. Next came a few kernels of corn with some cookies and cream. Much to my dismay, this was not sweet summer corn. Instead it was fibrous and hard, like the corn you feed the ducks at the park.
Kang walked by, smiling. “Good isn’t it?”
“Mmmmmm,” I nodded with my mouth around the spoon.
I kept on at a steady pace until I finished every last creamy and starchy bite of the odd creation. This would count as a time that I was thankful for Thai-sized portions. If that had been a massive sundae like my dad used to make for himself in the orange Tupperware bowl, I don’t think I would have been able to finish it.
posted by Michelle at
6:20 PM
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