Some of you might remember that I went to Thailand a year ago. It was an extraordinary trip and I confess I suffered from what many cultural theorists describe: a sheer enchantment with the so-called “exotic”. I was unabashedly possessed by the wonders of the exotic in Southeast Asia. One of the aspects I loved the most in my trip was Thai cuisine, an ultra sophisticated and harmonious mixture of sweet and sour tastes, spices and peppers. I got so much into it that I decided to take a two day cooking course. The first day, our teacher took us to the local market in Bangkok so we could get familiar with the spices. I was completely enthralled by the incredible sights, smells and sounds! As I already knew, galangal, also known as Thai ginger, is one of their most important spices. To cut a long story short, we went back to Brazil with two galangal roots in our suitcases, most precisely wrapped around my husband’s socks, hoping customs officers in Brazil wouldn’t catch us. In less than two months, our Thai babies had sprouted and now they are huge. They have grown these lovely and fragrant delicate flowers, to my delight. Thailand is here! It is beyond my understanding why we don’t grown galangal in Brazil since the weather in both countries is so similar. Enough idle talk for now. This is what I’m talking about:
arizona-me 