One of the best things foodies can try when visiting Thailand would be to join a culinary class. There are many choices and the cost of a day class is fairly reasonable.
In my case, I tried the cooking school that was recommended in the hotel that I stayed in. It turned out to be a good choice.
The Master Thai Chef Cookery Course was run by Permpoon and Suriyan Nabnian.
The class was attended by many foreigners. The chef's skill in fruit carving was also noteworthy.
After the cooking class, we were given a copy of the chef's recipe book that is sold online until this day.
https://www.abebooks.com/Master-Thai-Chef-Cookery-Course-Permpoon/19660930560/bd
We were picked up from the hotel by tuk-tuk (motorcycle ride) and brought to the wet and dry market. The market was impressive for its cleanliness and for the wide variety of curry pastes available.
In the Philippines, curry is usually available in powdered form although imported curry pastes can also be found in the grocery.
In Thailand, you get them in purer and tastier substance. There were also more than three kinds of curries available and presented in a manner that was appealing to the eye.
Then we also bought freshly grated coconut. The coconut was grated on a horse-like stool that had a sharp grater at the end. I used to see this in my own home when I was younger. For some reason, I hardly see this apparatus nowadays.
We went to the master chef’s residence whose garage was converted into a classroom. Each student had his own apron, ingredients, stove, cooking pots and utensils.
We were taught how to extract the milk from the coconut that essentially involved a simple process of submerging the grated coconut in water then squeezing the liquid with cheesecloth.
Among the recipes that we cooked on the spot included popular Thai dishes such as Paneang Gai, Tom Yam Goong and Phad Thai (as spelled in the recipe book).
After doing the exercise, I was surprised to discover that such exotic dishes were easy to do. Of course, the availability of the right ingredients contributed a lot to the perfect taste experience.
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Another foodie experience to try in Chiang Mai is known as the traditional Khantoke Dinner.
The highlight of my trip included a Khantoke dinner and cultural show, a Lanna Thai tradition where guests eat sitting on the floor with a small round table filled with bowls of food.
The whole place including the architecture was reminiscent of the days of “Anna and the King.”
After dinner, we also witnessed sky lanterns going up the heavens. The lanterns were lit by flame and flew away – it was a magnificent sight to witness for the first time.
It is worth noting that this lantern festival was done over a large body of water. I have witnessed certain individuals in the Philippines who have tried this act inside a village that made the exercise a definite fire hazard.
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After watching the Thai cave boys rescue, I tried cooking Pad Kra Pao that is a dish that some of the children requested.
https://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2018/07/thai-pad-kra-pao-in-my-kitchen.html
