Cooking Class

If you know me, you know that I love to cook. And what better way to learn about a culture than to learn to make its food? As luck would have it, we had a free day when we were in Hoi An, which happens to be the epicenter of Vietnam's culinary craze. (The food is excellent everywhere, but in Hoi An... swoon.) I did some homework and found the Morning Glory Cooking School (my criteria: good reviews on Trip Advisor, street food style dishes, hands-on cooking, preferably with a nice cookbook to take home as a souvenir, and responsive via email to my inquiry). Morning Glory was all that and more - the class I found included a market tour and they could even accommodate a large group. With that in mind, Zak let me open it up to my fellow travelers, and nearly our entire group wanted in on the experience as well. I was looking forward to it long before the trip even began!

So our band of merry photographers showed up for our class, not really sure what to expect, but we were not disappointed. It turned out to be one of the highlights for me on this trip, and I dare say some of my photo family would agree! It was top-notch from start to finish. We got an in-depth look (and taste!) of the local market, learning about the fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and kitchen implements that were foreign to us. We got nibbles of different dishes from the various food stations at the cooking school's brand new restaurant and classroom facility, and a lot of information and education about what goes into some of the staples of Vietnamese cuisine (how they make rice noodles, how they roast their peanuts, etc. - endless trivia!). But the best part - by far - was the hands-on cooking. We made five total dishes, thanks to an army of Vietnamese prep cooks who had all the mise en place, well, in place! The darling instructor was clear in her instruction, which she delivered with many a punch line. The entire half-day was time well spent, and I'm so thrilled with everything that I learned (I've not even been back a week, and I've already made three of the five dishes here at home!).