American Way Magazine: Oriental Cooking School

A cooking school in Bangkok teaches the secrets of Thai cuisine.

We sit classroom style in a room with teak walls and mahogany desks. Sansern Gajaseni, our instructor, stands at the front of the room explaining the secrets of Thai cuisine. “Only in Thai cooking do you find the coexistence of all flavor characteristics,” he says, writing ‘sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter’ on the blackboard. “But the most important principle is balance—we strive for a variety of flavors, textures, and colors in Thai cooking, but all must be in balance.”

The popularity of cooking school vacations is rising. The Guide To Recreational Cooking Schools (www.shawguides.com) lists 1165 cooking vacation programs worldwide. In Thailand, The Thai Cooking School at the 120 year-old Oriental Hotel (regularly ranked the best hotel in the world) is widely considered the best in the country. The school was founded 16 years ago on the banks of the Chao Praya River—a waterway of barges, multi-colored longtail boats, and glittering Buddhist temples.

Classes cover the full range of Thai cuisine: snacks, salads, curries, noodle dishes, condiments, steamed, fried and grilled foods, and desserts. All classes are conducted in English by Thai instructors and are limited to 15 people, mostly travelers. Brief lectures are followed by a demonstration and hands-on participation as students learn to compose a “balanced,” visually attractive Thai meal, complete with fruit and vegetable carvings.

“Our foods are divided into three categories,” says our instructor. “Popular foods—“fast food” found at street stalls; country foods– farm-style cooking that satisfies a large number of people at the lowest cost; and “City Thai,” a refined cuisine found in the best Thai restaurants.”

Thailand deserves its reputation as one of the world’s great culinary destinations. In Bangkok, some 30,000 restaurants and countless street stalls the produce some of the most delicious food in the East.

After steeping yourself in Thai cooking in the morning, forays into the city become more meaningful. Whether shopping or a day of sightseeing, a cooking school experience will give you will have a greater appreciation of Thai food and its place in Thai life and culture.

The Thai Cooking School at the Oriental offers year round, four-day courses (Monday – Thursday) 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Individual classes range from $120 to $1,788 ($2,500), which includes double (single) occupancy lodging at The Oriental, most meals, planned activities. Phone: (662) 439-7587

http://www.mandarin-oriental.com/bangkok/