December 31st, 2008

December 31st, 2008
The time is around 11:00pm, I have been in the Sala Phuket kitchen for about 3 weeks now, learning, observing, and hanging with the staff and chef. I think I have things dialed in, but all of a sudden an order is called, I’m more or less put in charge of bumping out 40+ passion fruit soufflés. Am I desert guy? No, Not a shot in hell. Do I like whipping egg whites, folding them into a passion fruit mixture I prepped a day ago, putting my faith in the constant temperature of the oven as this delicate desert takes it’s time to rise light and fluffy, slapping it on a plate with a Crème Brule trio, a hot and cold sabayon milk shake, that my “team” was prepping, and praying that it gets to the table before it “falls,” it was a bit unnerving for a minute or two. Actually it was a semi frantic half hour, but when customers where happily fed, that new years toast at midnight was oh so sweet.

Taking a step back and thinking about it, there is no other way i would have wanted to spend my new years eve here in thailand. I had the time of my life, cooking with Thai people, working hand and hand with the Chef Jan. Helping out to design and execute the Menu, helping Jan better his restaurant (menu), better his knowledge, his staffs knowledge, while taking it all in and getting a chance to learn more than everyone else. It was fantastic, new years behind “the line” it was something I won’t forget.

Sala Experience

http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc/MarcvaccaroSalaPhuket#
What can I say about Sala Phuket, besides it is simply one of the best places I have ever stayed at. I would not even consider my self a guest (well, a proper, paying guest) since I have spent more time in the Kitchen than out on the beach, by the pool, in a day bed, in the restaurant, or even in my personal villa with a swimming pool. Sala Phuket is an unbelievable place to stay from the Management who I can now call my friends, to the people greeting you on arrival, to the villas which I can’t say enough about (pictures can’t begin to show how great these things are), even down to the green green hand cut grass that grows in lines between the cement bricks strategically placed creating architectural beauty. The attention to detail is breathtaking.

I arrived here with a backpack on my back (filled with dirty cloths from island hopping the past 2 weeks), the bag went behind the desk and Chef Jan came out to meet me. I had met him just 2 years back on my first trip to Thailand, after buying some chef cloths from him online (a small business he created), and just keeping in touch with him through my travels, Jan took me in a greeted me at the front desk with open arms.

What followed was something I had only dreamed about. A month of living with a local, an English speaking local, a chef none the less, and a great one at that. Sala Phuket is a premier resort, the menu that Jan is working with blends Thai and western cooking techniques, his staff is amazing, and the learning possibilities were all here laid out right before my eyes.

For me, it has not just been about the food, although I love it, and I have been eating out of control, it is also the life style. Getting a chance to settle back down, taking a second to breath in life, to experience more than living out of my backpack, getting a chance to check out a town for more than a week. Getting into the fabric of a Thai restaurant and Thai life is something not too many travelers get to experience, hell it has been my first chance to breath in another culture and life for this long in such local conditions. Driving a car again, riding a scooter around the back roads of Thalang, going to markets with some of the kitchen staff and seeing where they eat and live, hanging out in their homes for a couple of nights, talking cooking with the head Thai Chef in the kitchen, learning a bit of the language, and sharing in their lives, these are all experiences that I never would have had with out knowing Jan and the staff at Sala. "Thank you" does not even do justice to the opportunity i was given.

Island Hopping, Thailand

http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc/MarcvaccaroThailand02#

Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, and Phuket
What can I say about Island life in Thailand that many of you don’t know. It’s definitely exotic, it tastes delicious, the waters warm, the people are friendly, and there is no wondering why tourists flock to these destinations, it can be as relaxing as you want it to be OR as ruckus as you want it to be, simply put it’s THAILAND.

Ko Lanta,
A prime example of Choosing your pace: Showing up here after an all day trek, via, boat, bus, taxi, ferry, auto rickshaw, Marty and I were ready for a cocktail, and after walking a solid 50 yards down the beach came across a decent sized beach party. A loud typical thai night in the bars, Chang Beers going down like water (because they kind of resemble it), followed by a quick stumble home to your $25 (split two ways) a night ocean front beach bungalow can be more representative of the rowdy side of Thailand.
Where the following day of sleeping on the beach from sun up to sun down, a relaxing dinner after a stroll down the beach consisting of MONSTER Thai Tiger Prawns, more reminiscent of lobster tails than shrimp, on a silent moon light beach, can be an example of relaxing Thailand. You Choose your speed in this amazing country. Ko Lanta being no exception. “Somewhere Else” was a fantastic place to stay, prime ocean front property, day beds to relax on all day and night, and a friendly staff, this was my warm welcome to Thailand.

Ko Phi Phi (also known as “The Beach”)
This place has to be heaven on earth, IF you visited it 10 years ago. I could only imagine a desolate island, minimal tourists, even fewer locals, just crystal clear water, huge lush hills springing out of the ocean in the middle of no where. A remote location similar to the concept of the movie “the beach,” a place to relax, a place to be thankful for having the chance to go and see, a place to take in the absolutely beautiful things that the earth has to offer.
Not to say that it is not beautiful now, but it has become a revolving door, with Ferries coming from all over the place, dumping travelers off, picking travelers up, dropping off supplies, but unfortunately not taking all the waste with them. It still is an absolutely stunning place, the water is just as clear as it was 10 years ago I would assume and the hills are probably equally as green. I kind of wish I got to see these picturesque tranquil beaches before they got bombarded with tourism, it truly is a fairy tale location, what was once filled with “Swiss Family Robison” style bungalows, is now a bit of westernized tourist trap, packing in 1000’s of tourists alike from the Thais them selves to the overpopulating euro-trash mostly ranging in ages from 16 to 25, and YES there is more than one 7/11 on the island.
With this said, it is still a place to go, a place to see, a place to snorkel at, cliff jump at, or rent a “long tail” boat for the day (driver included) for a mere $36 split with as few or as many people as you can jam in the boat at, it is well worth the trip. The parties at night are fantastic, doing double-dutch with a flaming jump rope is an experience, attempting a limbo under a flaming bar has been known to singe the hair on your head or possibly torch your goatee, buying Changs in the store and walking into a Mui Thai kickboxing bar is always a trip. Ko Phi Phi is a great place to party. On the flip side, just like Lanta, going to Long Beach, and sleeping on the sand (although it may produce 100’s of sand fly bites) can be one of the most relaxing days of your life. The water is clear and warm and the scenery is nothing shy of heavenly, a remarkable place to visit.

Phuket:
This is a great place to visit but it can be tricky to get the real taste and flavor of the island, as many travelers head straight to Patong which is filled with the stereotypical Thailand shenanigans that you expect to see in the perverse streets of the much larger seedier Bangkok. Young and old everyone is partying in Patong. Me and marty steered way clear of this area and stayed in the much more local town “Phuket Town” as it’s called. A great place to stay, very local, cool little night market with some decent food, during the day you can get anything food related as long as it’s locally grown or caught. The bars at night were sleepy, but that was only because I didn’t know my way around. My second trip to Phuket town led me to a huge “house party” like bar, which literally represented a house “Timber Shed” with a band rockin’ out Thai Jams, a place i never would have found with out the help of a local.

Now being on the Island of Phuket for nearly a month, living with a friend (Chef Jan Hollister) at his home and in the resort of Sala Phuket has been an amazing experience. Getting to see the Island like a local is something virtually no tourists get to see. Going to the local stores, local bars, eating street food in markets, even down to simply going to work. It has opened my eyes a bit wider to Thai life, both the good and the bad. While it’s great to escape the massive amounts of b.s. that goes on in the states, it’s funny to see how even in Thailand where rules seem to be made and broken by anyone with money, they still have their own crap to deal with. I guess the bullshit of life happens every where, in some places it just seems to stink a little bit less.

No matter where I go next, if my trip ends tomorrow, or continues on for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget my stay here in Phuket, it has been a real privilege to meet a guy like Jan who has taken me in, let me stay in his home, work in his kitchen, live with him in his day to day life. I can't begin to thank him enough, seeing phuket through local eyes in and having a real local experience is something i only dreamed about. Spending Christmas and New Years with Jan and his staff was as close to family as i could have got 1000's of miles away from home. As i can see the end of my stay here in Phuket getting closer by the day, i'm a bit sad to move on, to leave the people who have made my trip and my life here in Thailand that much better, but as i have experienced so many times in the past 4 month of my journey, a new adventure is always waiting right around the next corner. Phuket..... I can't wait to return.

Phuket (email) Enlightened in Thailand

Dear lord, 4 months of my life have just disappeared, I scroll through my pictures and India seems like a year ago. Not because life has been dragging on, simply because I have experienced so much between then and now. By no means was India a forgettable experience, if anything stepping off the plane and into the hot and humid Mumbai air, driving through ghettos, past cows, humans, dogs, and anything else you can imagine sleeping on the streets at 11pm is far from forgettable. Climbing into the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal was fantastic, Spending 7 weeks in China was outrageously unexpected, a extremely brief time in Malaysia was a bit sad, but now a solid month in Thailand has been fantastic. Starting off with Marty Barry, and just finishing up spending time with a new chef friend, his staff, and management in the resort he works for, they have made this trip to Thailand unforgettable.

Spending Time away from family and friends over the holidays can be a bit of a bummer but getting the opportunity to become part of a new team and family here at the Sala Phuket resort has been a blessing. I can’t say enough about the people who work here and the experience I have had. I see the end of my time here at Sala approaching and it makes me sad to say good bye to my new friends. The though of staying a bit longer is always in the back of my head, working a bit, gaining a bit more experience, staying in Thailand as long as I can and continuing to live a more relaxing life. It’s not a bad thing, and believe me if I stay here for any longer that fantasy would probably become reality, but lets face it, I am on this trip to TRAVEL, cook and learn, i'm compelled to move on.

Sitting here in Thailand working and living in an awesome environment, I find myself some times struggling with this question: why should I return to the States? I fall short in coming up with an answer almost every time i ask it, but at the end of the day, I guess it is still home. Being on the road has defintiely opened my eyes to a lot of things. Being in the restaurant industry has been a fun life for me, it has been countless hours behind stoves, in classrooms, in walk-in refrigerators, doing inventory in dry storage, working on menu’s, it’s a life I love, no matter how difficult it can be at times. Seeing it from another perspective (in Sala Phuket) has opened my mind to what life in a kitchen should be or better yet CAN BE. Should I be putting in countless hours in a kitchen, drinking endless cups of coffee, and sweating it out behind the line day in and day out because “that is what being a chef is all about.” For some reason NOW, I see that as being a bit of a martyr, in an unnecessary way, living and dieing behind the line is not for me. I’m not appose to a hard days work, or "paying my dues," I feel like now i can see the bigger picture. When ever I return to the states unfortunately I’ll probably fall right back into that same work ethic, but i have seen the light and i hope at least i can work my way out of it just as quickly as i fall back in. I feel like i have been exposed to another side of the kitchen that for so long I have been blind to. I guess what appeals to me the most is the Thai life style and the passion... Not just in the kitchen and at work but in everyone’s day to day lives.
Phuket, has helped me see that passion, being involved with a much larger cooking community, meeting new people every day and sharing food with them here in Asia is something I only dreamed about, while on arrival it quickly became a reality. I am unbelievably thankful for the experience I have had so far, Sala Phuket and the Chef, Jan Hollister has made my stay here in Thailand an unforgettable experience.

--5days later

As Most Good things do..... it has to come to and end, I'm now sitting in Bangkok thinking back to my island Paradise in phuket, although at the time the easy island life was tempting, the reality of my mission sets in, to continue to travel, cook, and learn. Bangkok, Chang Mai, and Heading into Laos is my next adventure.

--Enlightened in Thailand--