Hello everyone, 

I hope you are hungry because this is not a monthly report but a food report. I wanted to write this in my last report but I felt it deserved 'special attention'. Life is going well, the cooks are still cooking and all of the exchange students here are enjoying it. In this article you only need to know 3 words: Mai = no/not, Alloy = delicious, Im = full. 

I just wanted to let everyone know about one of my proudest achievements since I have been here in Thailand, I have
become immune to “prick” or in English chili/pepper. Recently I visited a restaurant with my host-family and we ate
Suki Yaki. My interpretation of Suki Yaki is that you are served raw or half-cooked food and you must cook it yourself in a boiling dish on your table. It is the same restaurant that I described in my first report, MK (Japanese restaurant) However, the first time was Mai Alloy. I guess it was like my Kun-meh told me, “there are a lot of foods in
Thai/Chinese/Japanese but if you do not know HOW to eat the food, it will be Mai Alloy.” 

Anyway, I just wanted to show you some of what they serve. Now I have not eaten all of these dishes and there is no
way that I (personally) would eat some of these stuff. But it’s quite interesting to know that they are edible. Here it goes: 
fresh egg ******* fish ravioli ******* crisp squid ******* pig’s liver ******* crab ball 
morning glory ******* fish noodles ******* pork ball ******* fresh squid fresh oyster ******* pig’s kidney
******* ground fish ******* jelly fish seafood ball ******* pig’s intestine ******* shrimp ball ******* pig’s
heart fish roll ******* Japanese & Chinese mushrooms 

Now, no matter how these foods my sound, I can say that most of them are Alloy, Alloy ka!! And afterwards all I could say was Im ka!! At first I was scared that I might get samonella or ibolla or e-coli but hey, just don’t put it under a microscope. What won’t kill will cure and too much of anything can kill you anyhow. Another thing that I don’t get in Thailand is that it’s soooo hot here and still the people eat spicy food. Sometimes I eat food that is “pet” (spicy) and it’ like I burn up inside. 

After every meal in Thai, it’s a toothpick thing, but I haven’t really given any thought to getting into that yet. Anyway,
that’s all I have to say now. We (Y.E.’s) are going to Lopburi (another province) this weekend to celebrate Loy
Krathong. I think it’s a festival about the full moon and they float stuff in banana leaves along the river. The Thai people  can’t really explain it so I guess I will just have to wait and see and then get back to you. So long!!!! 

signed: Barbara Za’ Franks