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What most European cooks have forgotten…
My Thai wife will not eat my food every time that I cook because it is cooked according to whimsy. In other words, I cook what I fancy without regards to my body’s needs whereas she does the cooking in our house according to needs of health, basically of me, day by day.
That will sound strange, even unbelievable, to most European’s, but, please allow me to explain.
Thai food
Thai mothers, who know how to cook old style, do not only cook for flavour, they also cook for the specific health needs of their families. The mother is a kind of shaman. Someone who used to be known as a Wise Woman in Europe, before the established churches cast them as witches. A person who uses food to keep her family at the peak of health. Sure, if someone in her care has a problem that she cannot handle, then they have to go to see the doctor, but don’t forget that that luxury only became accessible to most Thais because of Prime Minister Thaksin in the early part of the 21st Century… less than twenty years ago.
He introduced a system of a nurse in every village and a consultation fee, including basic medicine, of $1 a visit.
Before that, Mum, Wise Women (and men), was all there was.
So, my wife cooks my food according to her judgement of my body’s needs.
Thai Food in Our House
Two consequences of that are that we don’t always eat the same food, and that she will rarely eat what I prepare, because my preparations are random… based on whimsy, not bodily requirement. I’ll cook a steak solely because I fancy one, whereas she will give me a stew of vegetables that she perceives I need at that time.
This obviously means that someone can only cook for you in this way, if they know you intimately. Just picking Thai dishes from a menu according to whimsy will not necessarily benefit your needs, although, in general, they will always be better than junk food.
Owen
If you are interested in the old notion of Wise Women, you might like Fate Twister by Owen Jones. It is available from this blog, or from most online book retailers including Amazon. Spanish, Swedish and Portuguese editions are available.
