"It smells like my house in Thailand!"

Soy (left) and Knock cooking Khai Yud Sao (pork egg wrap).

"It smells like my house in Thailand!"  Kung exclaimed, causing a smile to form on Soy’s face as she stirred ground pork, carrots, tomatoes, and onions in a pan on the stove.  

"It smells so good you could open a kitchen." Knock suggested.

"Yes, and then you would have to pay me!"  Soy laughed.

Our adventure began earlier in the afternoon at the Asian supermarket, picking out fresh lemon grass, lime leafs, galanga (a soft root like ginger), oyster sauce (which, surprisingly is not fishy at all), and a variety of other ingredients.  Our friends Kung, Boy, Knock, and Soy humored us by repeating the Thai names for many familiar as well as unusual foods.  Their faces lit up any time I remembered a Thai word and threw it into a sentence.  

Within minutes of getting back to our apartment, Soy had each of us cutting up something different.  Three heads of garlic later, Gai Ka Team/Garlic Pepper Chicken was simmering on the stove.  Kung was using a whisk for the first time (he’d never seen one before) to beat eggs for the Khai Yud Sao (pork egg wrap--a thin layer of egg like a tortilla wrapped around spiced veggies and ground pork.)  Boy was reading the directions in Thai to help Jill make Thai Tea, and Knock opened a can of coconut milk to start on the Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Kai.)  Scrumptious aromas floated through the air, undoubtedly making the neighbors jealous.  

Soy, Kung, Boy, and Knock are Thai friends from the Language Institute at Georgia Tech.  During an orientation for international student ministry we learned that 85% of international students never make an American friend, so we have been intentional about getting to know the students.  

We had a wonderful evening full of laughter, good conversation, and delicious food.  Boy noticed some notes about the Kingdom of God from class earlier in the day, opening up an opportunity for us to explain that we study the Bible.  I pray this leads to further conversations about having a relationship with our Lord and Savior.

 

Garlic Pepper Chicken (upper left), Pork Egg Wrap (upper right),

Thai Chile Pepper Sauce (lower left), Coconut Soup (lower right)