Hello, fellow readers,
So, for an update, I would like to say that I had a four day
holiday. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to do, so I did what I normally do
when I approach these standstill points; I read and I walk. Walking is
therapeutic for me, because it is one of the few times that I am dedicating
time to myself. My thoughts can reorganized, my stresses can be worn down, and
my ears can be enticed by the sounds of songs that I had forgotten were one my
iPod. It is one of those things I have found
much appreciation for. I’m exercising, making discoveries of restaurants,
boutiques, and other knick-knacks, and increasing my opportunities to meet new
people. Should I also mention that I am practicing my Thai-speaking skills.
Some people, I know, don’t seem to recognize any of this as beneficial. Others,
on the other hand, probably do understand the significance. It is the life
experience that is important, the people-skills, the adaptability
skill-development, and the budgeting. Walking is therapeutic. Staying inside all day isn’t. I don’t know
how people can live a life like that. I think the key characteristic in the
personalities of these people is that they have fear: fear of embarrassment,
fear of making a mistake, fear of failing, especially a fear of new or experiences.
This may be just my opinion, but those people won’t live very exciting or
satisfying lives. They will constantly look back and have many regrets, but try
to cover it up like the Fox and the Sour Grapes.
Now, let’s return to this four0day holiday. It is Songkran,
which is the Thai New Year. In Thailand, I have seen three different New Years
celebrated: the Gregorian (with BC/AD) calendar New Year, the Chinese New Year
in February, and Songkran. Songkran is a major holiday in Thailand. It typically
runs from April 13-April 15, but is celebrated around those days. As part of the celebration, (I should warn
you) many people come out in the streets with water guns, and buckets of water,
and will spray or splash any passerby. The less-crazed people will pour water
on your hands. The warning I have: If
you want to walk around during Songkran festivities, bag all of your electronics,
and expect to get wet. You might even have a white clay wiped onto your face. If
you do not like physical contact from anybody, I would suggest that you do not
go out at all. I enjoyed the frivolity of the people. Some of them are a little
bit more dangerous, because they will ride in the beds of trucks, and throw
water at anybody. If you are wearing a Songkran shirt (which is a Hawaiian
shirt to many of the Americans I know), you are a voluntary target. If you are
a foreigner who wishes to experience a Thai celebration, this is the one to
witness. It’s quite a relief, as well, to be splashed with water on a hot day.
It’s quite honestly, a big water fight, and many people of all ages participate.
As for other updates: I experimented with a new recipe. It’s
called “Magic Cake” It gets its name
from the fact that, with one batter, the cake will, in fact, produce three
layers. It was a collection of firsts
for me with this recipe. First, I was making a cake for the first time in
Thailand. Secondly, it was my first attempt at making this “magic cake.” Lastly,
this was the first time I was whipping egg whites to the point of stiffness. I
am not sure which was the most daunting idea.
My reasons: I was still experimenting with this gas oven, which seems to have three
options: Hot, Very Hot, or Off. Because
the recipe demanded for temperature in Fahrenheit, and with the settings of the
oven, I would have to keep a watchful eye. One very helpful hint that a good
friend gave to me about baking, and I have stuck to it ever since: If you can
smell it’s aroma, it is either done, or you have five more minutes. To be honest, this has held true in every
baking experience I had ever since.
Now, about this magic cake; as I mentioned, it created three
layers, and you only use one batter. The bottom layer is a dense layer, like
hardened custard, I would say that it has the consistency of flan. The middle
layer is similar to Bavarian cream
custard, and the top layer is reminiscent of sponge cake. The key part to
ensuring the third layer lies in two Steps (1, and 3), accomplish these two,
and you will have the three layers as advertised.
Anyways, so there are many flavor options for this cake:
Vanilla, chocolate, fruit, lemon, (even pumpkin!) I decided to stick with the
classic because this was a first attempt, and I never like to get too crazy
with a recipe until I have the feel for it. Vanilla, it was.
The recipe was fairly simple: it only had 4 steps:
Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
½ cup and 2 Tbsp. of
sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla extract.
1 stick (8 Tbsp/ 125g) butter, melted.
2 cups () lukewarm milk*
½ cup of flour
*The milk should be room temperature or warm in order for
the butter for not to solidify.
- Beat egg whites until stiff.
- In another bowl, mix egg yolks, sugar, and
vanilla until light in color. Add in melted butter, mix until smooth. Add milk, stir. Add in flour, stir.
- Carefully fold in the egg whites into the
batter. Pour batter into an 8x8in glass baking pan (I used a circular pan, and
it worked fine). Bake at 375°F for 60 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the cake cool for at least 3 hours.
Pretty simply, right? And look!
Now, for the close-up.... Watch it model it's hot self!
And for it to model some clothes...
Well, here is the reality of my experience: I started with Step
2 before I attempted Step 1, because I had never beat egg whites, and I had a
fear that maybe the egg whites would lose their “stiffness” by the time I had
completed Step 2. It worked out fine, because my milke was at room temperature,
which did slightly affect the butter when I was mixing it, BUT because the
stove top has a glass cover, which was above the oven (so it ended up getting
warmed from the oven heat), I could set the better on it, keeping the butter at
a liquid consistency. For the egg
whites, I’m not quite sure how long it took for me to beat the whites, but, I
though that I would have to try the “bowl above the head ” test (a test to check
the stiffness of the egg whites; if the whites drip onto your head, you didn’t
whipe them long enough; if they stay in place, ‘you done good.’ My egg whites
were sliding around in the bowl, but they were also staying together in one
mass, and it turned out that I could scoop them like ice cream, and they maintained
their shape. (Success!) Folinding the egg whites in was fun, because, in order
to create the top layer, you need to keep that frothiness of the egg whites,
aka don’t mix it extremely thoroughly.
My cake only took about 20-25 minutes to bake
because of the extremity of the heat of the oven. In addition, because of the
high-heat-producing oven, my cake turned out a little bit more brown that I
would have liked, but considering that this was a first attempt, AND the cake
wasn’t close to burning, it still is a major success. The only other slight
qualm I had with the cake is that, when I first cut into the cake, the custard
layer seemed a little too liquidy, and leaked, but the slice of cake I had
still maintained its shape, and the custard didn’t actually leak out of the
cake when it was served on a plate. Oh! And I would suggest, for a simple
garnish, dust the cake slices (Not the cake) with confectioner’s sugar when you
serve them. They will look angelic and dainty. I would also possibly suggest
adding rum and vanilla bean into the cake (sans the vanilla extract) It would
be aesthetically delightful to see the custard with the little specks of the vanilla.
Oh, and as I’m typing this, I just wanted to mention an odd
encounter. I went to the main shopping center here in Rayong (Laemtong) to see
if the local Apple distributer sold Macbook batteries (because mine
unfortunately died) and to see if I could find a suitable belt for my oversized
pants (I have already gone through two belts in the last three months).
Unfortunately, the store I saw did not distribute the battery as I hoped, so I
will need to visit Pattaya (a well-welcomed roadtrip!) and I didn’t find a belt
vendor. Oh, well. Anyways, as I was leaving, I passed by a tall foreign woman,
who I presumed was either from Sweden, or Russia (many of the foreigners are
from these countries). She also was about 5’10-5’11”, which is what I say that
she was tall. After I left Laemtong, I decided to go find an indoor coffeehouse
so that I could be typing this lovely post for you all! One of them, called “Big
M city Rayong Coffee,” had drawn my attention because of the cute westernized souvenirs
outside and inside the glass window. Unfortunately due to the holiday, it was
closed an extra day. I continued my trek and landed upon Dollars Café, which is
a slightly more frilly place (a bit too doily for my taste, but it still serves
coffee). About 20 minutes into my stay here, in walks the tall foreign woman
with her male-friend. The funny thing is that this coffeehouse is quite a
distance away from the shopping center, AND it is on another road. Definitely a
coincidence, pleasant nonetheless.
In reference to my last post, speaking about future
opportunities, there are at least two backup plans that I have in mind for if
my current job status doesn’t work that way I hope it will, even with the
strategic efforts to make sure I have it. One of the opportunities is to take
up with an agency to work in another part of Thailand, and if I like it enough,
stick with that, teaching English around Thailand or Asia. The other option is
to look into being an au pair, which my friend is currently doing. Of course,
because she already has some experience, I have asked her about her experience,
what steps she would recommend I take if I decided to go forth with this. Being
an au pair would open my access to Europe, for at least a year (and maybe other
opportunities to stay there, if I find a way to increase my employment value,
or learn business trades that I could utilize to really establish myself). As I
mentioned before, I am not ready to stay in in the United States right now,
because there is way too much out in the world that I need to experience, see,
feel, learn, break, and fix before I “settle down.” Hah, settle down. That’s a
term I’m unwilling to accept, even if that means backpacking around on minimal
change. Even though it may be difficult, it is doable; there are people have
accomplished it and survived to talk about it. Maybe I can be one of those, but
we’ll see! I might be able to write a memoir about all my experiences. I think
that, in addition to inserting my random dreams as short stories… oh, the
possibilities that are available! If I end up as an au pair in the next year or
so, I definitely think I would love to be in Spain, learning the trades of the Spanish
life. One idea I had in mind for the future is to start a business involving
pastries. (I don’t want to share the entire idea yet, as I’m not ready to share
it until it’s developed and marketable.
Until next time,
K.
