LAST WEEK i HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE THAI FOOD FOR A GROUP OF GOOD FRIENDS OF MINE,FROM DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES. BEFOREHAND ,I ASKED THEM ALL WHAT KIND OF SPECIAL FOOD THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE.MOST OF THEM REPLIED THEY WOULD LIKE TO EAT “SOM TAM” .

TO TELL THE TRUTH,WHENEVER THERE’S A PARTY WITH MANY PEOPLE ,I NEVER REALLY BOTHER PREPARING THE FOOD MYSELF,JUST BECAUSE IT MAINLY MEANS PLENTY OF HARD WORK: PREPARING THE MENU,WRITING DOWN ALL THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS,AND SO ON…

THEREFOR,USUALLY,I WILL ORDER FROM A RESTAURANT NEXT TO OUR PLACE.BUT THIS TIME,MY FRIENDS THEY INSISTED ON ORDERING…ONLY FOOD THAT I WILL PREPARE MYSELF,BECAUSE,AS THEY SAID :”WE ARE ALL ALREADY FADE UP WITH THE FOOD OF THAT PLACE ON YOUR STREET CORNER”…

OK,IF THAT’S WHAT THEY ASK FOR,I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT PUTTING ALL MY RESOURCES INTO THIS WORK..TO MAKE IT ALL AS PERFECT AS I CAN.

AND THAT MEANS,IN THE FIRST PLACE,GO OUT AND SEARCH FOR A MARKET WHERE I CAN GET ALL THE PRODUCTS I NEED .

THAT IS KIND OF AN EASY TASK IF YOU LOOK FOR THAI INGREDIENTS IN A PLACE WHERE MANY THAI PEOPLE LIVE.BUT IN THE PAST,I USED TO LIVE IN BADEN,IN AUSTRIA.THAT CITY IS SITUATED NOT VERY FAR FROM VIENNA (THE CAPITAL CITY) ,BUT NONTHELESS THERE WAS NOT EVEN ONE THAI RESTAURANT THERE,IN THE WHOLE CITY...

EVERY TIME ,WHEN I HAD THE URGE TO EAT THAI FOOD,I HAD TO GO ON A TRAIN TO VIENNA . BEFORE, I EVEN USED TO ORDER SOME INGREDIENTS (CHILLI PEPPER,KAFIR LEAVES ECT.) FROM THE RESTAURANT THERE,BUT AFTER SPENDING SOME MORE TIME IN THE CITY,I LEARNT ALREADY ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE ONE CAN GET ASIAN AND THAI FOOD.I WAS ALWAYS IMPRESSED BY THE CHOICE THEY HAD THERE OF ALMOST EVERYTHING I NEEDED.

 

 

EVEN WHEN SOMETHING WAS’NT AVAILABLE AT A CERTAIN TIME,IT COULD ALWAYS BE OEDERED FOR ME.

STILL, I HAD TO BOTHER AND GO ALL THAT WAY (ABOUT ONE HOUR) ON THE TRAIN JUST IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO BUY THOSE THINGS.

TODAY,I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE LIVING IN HONG KONG,WHICH IS NOT VERY FAR FROM THAILAND ,AND WHERE MANY MANY THAI PEOPLE LIVE .SO ,NO WONDER THERE’S EVEN A KRUNGTHEP BANK HERE ,IN ADDITION TO MANY THAI RESTAURANTS .THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE IS THE DISTRICT THAT IS KNOWN BY THE NAME “KOWLOON CITY”.

KOWLOON CITY IS SITUATED IN KOWLOON,AND IN THAT AREA THERE IS A GREAT NUMBER OF THAI PEOPLE .THERE ARE PLENTY OF THAI RESTAURANTS OVERTHERE.ON ONE OF THE STREETS IN THE AREA,SOUTH WALL,THERE ARE DOZENS OF STORES WHO SELL THAI PRODUCTS,FROM ANY KIND,WHETHER IT’S MAGAZINES,ORDINARY THAI MEDICINES THAT WE USE REGULARY BACK AT HOME,AND ALL KINDS OF THAI FOODS,EVEN FRIED BUGS…

  I FIRST “DISCOVERED” THAT PLACE BY CHANCE.AT THAT TIME,I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO MISSES THAILAND .I MISSED THAILAND SO MUCH, TO THAT POINT WHERE I HAD TO LOOK FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THAI..

BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT WASN’T THE CASE…I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO MEET THAT STREET .IT IS THE PLACE WHERE I WILL COME AGIN AND AGAIN,WHENEVER I MISS THAILAND,TO MEET AND CHAT WITH OTHER THAI PEOPLE HERE AND ALWAYS GET BACK HOME CARRYING SOMETHING FROM THERE.

AHEAD OF MY PARTY ,I’VE ALREADY CALLED AND ORDERED ALL THE PRODUCTS I NEEDED FROM MY REGULAR STORE.IN THAT STORE THEY SELL ISSAN FOOD FROM EVERY KIND,AND IN ABOUT THE SAME PRICES ONE CAN FIND IN THE MARKET.I HAD ABOUT EVERYTHING I NEEDED ,AND COULD PREPARE IT ALL NICE AND WELL.

AT THE DAY OF THE PARTY THERE WAS PLENTY OF FOOD ,FROM ALL KINDS,AND THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS MY SPECIAL DISH – THE SOM TAM,THAT MY FRIENDS WANTED ME TO PREPARE FOR THEM TO EAT.

SURELY I WAS TIRED FROM ALL THAT WORK,BUT ALSO ENJOYED IT AS WELL.

IT TURNED OUT TO BE THAT ALL MY FRIENDS ADORED MY SOMTAM,AND EVEN SAID IT WAS BETTER THEN SOME OF THE RESTAURANTS THEY TRIED..

IT ALL MADE ME FEEL I HAVEN’T GONE THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE FOR NOTHING.

WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER,I MADE ONE PHONE CALL,TO THANK ONE PERSON …THAT PERSON WAS NO OTHER ELSE THAN THE GUY WHO SELLL SOMTAM IN KOWLOON CITY. IT WAS ALL THANKS TO THIS GUY,WHO GAVE ME THE WINNING RECIPE FOR SOMTAM,THAT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE SUCH A DELICIOUS DISH.

 

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