There are many cooking classes in Bangkok – most of them have pretty names involving elephants, colours or spices (or some combination of the three). I choose one called Cooking With Poo, but as much as the name makes me giggle, it wasn’t the reason for my choice. One of Poo's neighbours and customers was Anji Barker, an Australian with Urban Neighbours of Hope who had been living and working in the slum for many years. She heard about Poo's situation and, together with some friends, supported Khun Poo to start her own cooking class.

with Poo in Bangkok!…And You Should Too I Cooked with Poo in Bangkok!…And You Should Too

It’s so bad I even had to call him the other night to find out how the grill worked. I fancied cheese on toast, I assembled the ingredients, put it under the grill and stared at it for 10 minutes while nothing happened as I had it on the wrong setting!. I found Poo’s story incredibly inspiring. Poo is an excellent example of what can be achieved when you have a dream and are willing to work hard for it. Poo can now take time off and have a holiday, something that is unheard of within the slum community. In fact, only 30% of the people living in Khlong Toei are able to take time off. The majority work 7 days a week for the entirety of their lives without ever considering retirement. Poo also volunteers regularly with a number of other projects within the community, including acting as a mentor for other young people wanting to start their own business. Where does the cooking class take place? Now, ten years later Poo not only speaks excellent English, she has a dedicated cooking school (still in the slum) and employs numerous people from the area in her business. Taste buds more than satisfied and Facebook posts prepared, we have time for a peruse of the Second Chance gift shop and the souvenir “I Cooked with Poo and I Liked It!” aprons. I finally hug Poo goodbye, and leave with a huge smile and great memories. To learn more or book a class, please visit www.cookingwithpoo.com. All the food items were pretty much prepped (thank heavens) and so, it really was a case of just getting on with it. Poo cooked first so you could see what was going to happen – then it was my go,Can't remember the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth At the time an Australian was working with people in the slum and, having tasted how good Poo’s cooking was, he suggested she started offering cooking lessons to tourists – at the time, she didn’t speak English and the school was run out of the front room of her home, but it slowly became a success. Many travellers are looking for that special non-touristy travel experience — a taste of real life rather than a contrived tourist spot. 'Cooking with Poo' is exactly that — a chance to see another, very real side of Thailand and its people. It is not just a great cooking adventure, it is also a way to help this wonderful lady as she in turn helps herself and her community. A real feel good story — now captured in this book! Welcome everyone to the Poo Kitchen!” exclaims a beaming Thai lady to the twelve heat-weary foreigners perched on wooden stools before her. This is Khun Poo (short for Chompoo), head chef and owner of the Cooking with Poo school in the slums of Klong Toey. We, her twelve disciples, take a break after an unforgettable tour of the local fresh food market. If 30-minute meals with Jamie or domestic goddessdom with Nigella fail to tempt this evening then it might be worth considering the latest big thing in home cuisine, Cooking with Poo, which has just won the Diagram prize for the oddest book title of the year.

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I like the weird, the wonderful and anything that makes me jump and down with glee like I’m about three. That’s what you’ll find here. Sharing is Caring The class costs 1800 baht (at the time of writing) which includes transport, the Klong Toey market tour, your cooking lesson and whatever you cooked to eat. The Khlong Toey Tour… In the eight years she’s run the school, Poo has seen the community change for the better. Now, she says, many students in “our family” go to university, and with the financial support, families are able to take weekends off and even have the occasional holiday from work. The twelve staff Poo employs are all neighbourhood friends. Since Poo trained them up they earn more money and rest time than they would otherwise.Other dishes on the list include the coconut soup Tom Kai Gai, the spicy salad Som Tum, Green Curry, Tom Yum soup and the noodle dish Pad See Ew. If just reading the above makes you squeamish, then there are plenty of vegetable and fruit isles to explore! They had such a wide variety of exotic fruit, of the likes we had never seen before. From spikey strawberries (rambutan) to yellow watermelons and everything in between. Some of the fruits are similar to what we are used to, only different. Just like the famous Thai saying “same same but different”. For example, their apples appear to have a porcelain film on them. Their tomatoes are pink rather than red, and their bananas are stumpy and green (you eat them when green!). Cooking With Poo Von Saiyuud Diwong (Autor) Cookbook and More Khun Poo's World Renowned and Award Winning 'Cooking With Poo' is a Fabulous Collection of Thai Recipes and Stories of Her Community All Beautifully Photographed in and Around Her Kitchen in... - hardcover If you’re fed up with seeing the same 5 things listed time after time in a destination you’re in the right place.

COOKING WITH POO - Asia Books COOKING WITH POO - Asia Books

To say a cooking class is not my normal home is, therefore, an understatement…so, the fact that I not only enjoyed Cooking with Poo, but I produced three edible dishes is nothing short of a miracle – and probably all you need to know as my review! About a square mile wide and home to around 100,000 people Klong Toey is a tough place to live and, in 2007, Poo was struggling. Khun Saiyuud Diwong, affectionately known as Poo (short for "Chompoo" or rose apple), is a long-time resident of Klong Toey, the largest slum in Bangkok. In late 2007, as the price of rice in Thailand doubled, she found that she could no longer make a living selling food from her house.The second reason was the owner. Cooking with Poo is named after its founder Khun Poo who grew up in the Klong Toey slum in Bangkok.