| It's early in the morning and May of May
Kaidee looks fabulous, as always. I've had
two cups of coffee and am still sluggish
from the weight of the bags under my eyes,
but May sweeps into the room with skin glowing
and eyes shining. Looking at May, you would
hardly guess that she is one of the hardest
working women in Bangkok. She greets me
warmly and then we are off. |
| |
| First, we're off to meet and greet the
students signed up for today's cookery class.
Each day, six lucky travelers learn how
to create delicious Thai dishes under the
supervision of May and her sister. Today's
students come from Israel, the USA, England
and Korea. This is their first Thai cookery
lesson and all are excited about the experience. |
| |
| The first stop is the local supermarket,
where May introduces the ingredients and
explains how they are used. May tells me
that she chooses the supermarket rather
than the outdoor market because; "that way
I can show the students how to find the
ingredients in their own country." |
| |
| When the shopping is complete, May leads
the students to the kitchen, which is located
at the back of her restaurant on Samsen
Road. The students cook in pairs using a
special instruction sheet prepared by May. |
| |
| May demonstrates how to use
the equipment and blend the ingredients,
then gives the students space to get creative
in the kitchen. When they have finished,
May tastes each dish and offers comments
and tips. |
| |
| The cookery class lasts four
hours - from 9 am-1 pm - during which time
the students cook 10 specially selected
dishes which they then can devour. The chefs
look happy as they sample their creations.
"This is great," a beaming English woman
tells me. "The perfect souvenir." |
| |
| May came from Bangkok from
her Isaan village of Si Sa Saket in 1988
to help her Aunt and Uncle in their vegetarian
restaurant. May, who was just 16, was working
on the farm when the fateful letter arrived.
"They had to write a letter to ask for my
help; there was no phone in the village." |
| |
| Like the other villagers, May
was not originally vegetarian. "I used to
eat everything," she confesses. "Rats, dogs,
crickets, worms; we ate whatever we found." |
| |
| But in Bangkok May soon found
her waistband expanding and decided to change
her diet. May converted to vegan and lot
a lot of weight. Her diet, combined with
teetotalism, is obviously the reason for
May's clear complexion and abundant energy.
"In 16 years I haven't needed to go to the
hospital about my health," she beams. |
| |
| May decided she wanted to share
her healthy philosophy and opened her own
restaurant. It was difficult at first as
there were problems with the police and
Thai traditions. "Many Thai people don't
want to change their habits," May sighs.
"They think brown rice is animal food, they
won't try it." |
| |
| Luckily, May's warmth and open
spirit drew her friends to her, and they
would often bring her extra plates, spoons
and provisions. It wasn't long before westerners
had caught onto the wonders of May's cuisine
and she had a healthy 'farang' (western)
following. |
| |
| In the last 20 years, May's
vision has expended conciderably. She now
has three restaurants, a website, a cookery
book, classes, rooms for rent and soon her
own TV show. May Kaidee TV, starting in
about a month, will take the form of daily
1-2 minute episodes on the internet. "I
have four new things coming soon," May tells
me with a grin. "New cookery book, new restaurant,
New Year and new government." |
| |
| But May's vision doesn't stop
there. Having already traveled all over
the world to spread her message, May is
jetting off to India next month to learn
about Indian health techniques such as Ayurvedic
medicine. |
| |
| May's idea is to create a complete
detox centre where people can eat food organically
grown at May's farm, meditate, sing and
dance. "I want to create week long home
stay facilities so people can fix their
body before they go home." |
| |
| Song and dance are very close
to May's heart. When the students have finished
cooking, she teaches them traditional Thai
dancing, which they perform before singing
the sontam song. |
| |
| May Kaidee provides the perfect
eating experience, combined with her flare
and love of Thai culture. |
| |
To find out more about May
Kaidee and sample her delicious food, why
not join her dinner party on December 23rd.
the evening kicks off at 5pm with a lecture
from an Indian doctor about healthy eating
and a wellness consultation. Dinner will
be at 7pm and afterwards there will be a
show of traditional music and dancing as
well as an exclusive showing of the May
Kaidee life story DVD. Tickets are available
from the restaurants located at 33 Samsen
Road (next to Soi 1) and 1117/1 Tanao Road,
behind Burger King at the end of Khaosan
Road. Tickets cost just 99 baht.
See you there! |
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Further Information:
Restaurants open 9 am- 11 pm daily Tel:
(66)
091373173 or 22817137
|
