Afterburn — Back in the Bay Area

Home (Monday, February 21, 2005)

I’ve been back in California for ten days and my tan is starting to fade. But Thailand — its people, places, and food — remains on my mind. Not least because I’ve been poring over 2,700+ digital photos, picking out the ones that are the least blurred and (in my opinion) most evocative of my trip. It probably will be several weeks before they can be edited and resized and posted for viewing. I never imagined it would be such a big project.

Meanwhile, life goes on. I’ve almost figured out how to feed myself again, after not having to worry about it for almost a month. This past weekend I got together with college friends for one of our occasional cooking nights. In addition to a simulated grilled asparagus (asparagus charred in a very hot wok, and then steamed in plain water with salt to taste), I made a hot and sour dressing for a salad. Following the guidelines in It Rains Fishes, and the brand recommendations on Kasma’s web site, I brought home garlic, phrik kee noo, fish sauce, and limes. I dug out an old granite mortar and pestle purchased as a souvenir in Mexico, and got to work. I was told that the chillies, imported from Vietnam frozen, were hotter than the ones sold fresh and grown in Mexico, so I used about half the number called for. I didn’t get the flavor quite the way I wanted it, the lime not being as lively as I had hoped. Still, it seemed pretty close and, I thought, a good “medium” heat.

But when the dressing was served, many diners seemed shocked that it was so hot: within minutes large glasses of water had been drained, and brows were wiped. I had strained the mashed garlic and peppers from the dressing for aesthetic reasons, and was using it to season my portion of lemon risotto. In response to several concerned looks, I explained that the heat had been extracted into the dressing, and that the pinkish mush was quite tame. Shaking their heads, they told me I had been in Thailand too long. If having dreams of ordering naam manao proves the same thing, then I stand guilty as charged. But I’d do it again in a minute.