I was so amazed by all of the new experiences I had in Thailand. One of my favorite facets of the trip was all of the food. I frequently stop by Thai food restaurants here in Columbia. A local restaurant\u2019s Pad Thai is my favorite food. Nothing compared to the real deal. The first week everyday we were provided lunch and were able to explore and find breakfast and dinner. I usually went to the local market for breakfast where they had fresh baked goods and then I would wander to the ISDSI for a protein shake. Dinner was the real star of the show because we could scour Chiang Mai for a random place to eat. I had the best Pad Thai of my life in a restaurant my group stumbled across. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second week of the program, we were at Elephant Nature Park and everything there was vegan. The workers explained that the park has a moral obligation to be vegan because of their views on the killing of animals as well as environmental impacts. I am vegetarian and this was so refreshing walking into a room where I can eat anything I like. They provided all three meals including drinks and desserts each day. It was buffet style so you could try a little of everything there each day. There were a variety of cultural dishes to try as well as some more American foods to try. I know this was very comforting to some people in my group when they were missing specific foods from home. I chose to be very adventurous in what I tried. Some highlights included khao soi, vegan beef pad see ew, and mango sticky rice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also had a few activities that were based around food and drinks including learning to make coffee and attending cooking school. In both of these activities we were walked through and allowed to participate in the creation of a variety of consumables. The cooking school specifically gave us a cooking book to take home with the recipes we made. I am excited to try my hand at recreating the dishes without a professional for my roommates and friends. I also highly recommend getting coffee or Thai tea as much as you can. When you come back to the states, it is completely different and much more expensive. I learned so much and have a new appreciation having seen the process of purchasing and making so many of my favorite foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n