Cooking with Poo

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That to me was what made Cooking With Poo stand out in Bangkok. Anyone (except me) can teach you to make a Pad Thai, but not everyone can help a community while they do it. People started settling in Khlong Toei in the 50s after emigrating from the poorer regions in the North East in search of a better life. At the time cheap labour was in demand, and therefore Bangkok promised a plethora of opportunities. However, the average earnings for those living in the slum are only half of the national average and only a third of that of a Bangkok household. Basic amenities such as water and electricity are in short supply, and living standards are low. Serious crime, drug addiction, unmanaged waste, and unemployment have led to a crushing sense of doom. Social mobility is incredibly hard in these situations. We all need a bit of hope! Poo had been making a living by cooking in front of her home for over a decade. She would sell up to 100 dishes a day to feed her family. In 2007 though, the rice prices doubled, thus making her business no longer profitable. So, being the entrepreneurial woman that she is, Poo approached Anji, her Australian friend, to ask if she would help her set up a cooking school to teach tourists and locals how to make simple yet delicious Thai meals.

Cooking with Poo by Saiyuud Diwong | Goodreads Cooking with Poo by Saiyuud Diwong | Goodreads

Hands washed, we set about learning how to cook Thai cuisine. I am a massive fan of Thai food, and despite being a terrible cook, I have to say that under Poo’s guidance I managed to make four delicious dishes:First thing I did was, unfortunately, devalued it by testing out some of the recipes and marking all in it….dating and making my personal notes along side each one. I even had my son and his wife and kids sign their names next to one recipe we all tried together. They happened to stop by while I was cooking, so they had to taste test, too, and give it a grade. Hey, it’s just a book! It is very important to remember when visiting Khlong Toei, or any other market for that matter, that these are working markets where people need to make a living, so please be respectful and don’t get in the way. Time to learn how to cook Thai cuisine! Urban Neighbours of Hope is honoured to know Poo, and to be able to support her in this initiative. We have the immense privilege to share in her journey as she changes her world and that of those around her. • About a square mile wide and home to around 100,000 people Klong Toey is a tough place to live and, in 2007, Poo was struggling.

Cooking with Poo – the Ultimate Thai Cooking Class - BEA Cooking with Poo – the Ultimate Thai Cooking Class - BEA

You might be thinking, “Why are you recommending Cooking with Poo then? That takes place inside a slum”. You are right, but personally, I feel it is entirely different. Yes, we saw some of the slums, but there was no focus whatsoever on the slum. It was just where the cooking school was because that is where she lives. We got a glimpse into that lifestyle, but not once did I feel we were being asked to observe. The focus was on the cooking class and the market. Yes, we were given information relevant to the projects that Poo works on, but that is it. At no point did I feel I was part of “poverty tourism”. In fact, when we booked the tour, we booked it because of the name, nothing more! Floor, Room No. plz.2shp029b Future Park Rangsit, 94 Paholyothin Rd., Prachathipat, Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani 12130 Just in case anyone wasn’t aware of this, Poo warned us that wet markets are not like the supermarkets most of us are used to. Given that this year the three most voted-for works contain the words 'poo', 'sexer' and 'penis' in the title, it appears that this year's prize will go down in history as a blue year," said the award's custodian, Horace Bent. "But there is nothing wrong with that. Many of the world's greatest writers have dabbled in off-colour humour, so I find Cooking with Poo a fitting winner."Helping Hands is an organisation that supports Klong Toey residents to develop small businesses and helps individuals by linking them with markets and credit support. Cooking with Poo is just one of the Helping Hands success stories with other projects including handicraft production, a coffee stand and a sushi delivery service. You too can cook with Poo

Cooking with Poo wins oddest book title prize - The Guardian

In fact, the school is now officially called Cooking With Poo (and Friends) to show how it’s expanded. By choosing them, therefore, I’d also be doing some good. I was sold How Much is Cooking With Poo? She’d been selling food to her friends and neighbours to get by, but the ingredients were getting more expensive and her regular customerscouldn’t afford a price increase. Poo started looking for a new job. All the food items were pretty much prepped (thank heavens) and so, it really was a case of just getting on with it. Poo cooked first so you could see what was going to happen – then it was my go,Floor, Retail Center, CRC Tower, All Seasons Place, No.87/2 ,129A, Wireless Road, Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok 10320 When the idea of writing this book was first suggested we could only hope that this could be a possibility one day in the future. Shortly after this it became really clear that Poo (Saiyuud Diwong) was not just a great cook and a fun loving personality, but also a gifted mentor and trainer. (She has helped 3 other small businesses start, and mentored those neighbours in an empowering way to help them maximize their businesses.) We started to dream about the possibility of using the very successful cooking school as a way of training and developing more men and women from the Klong Toey slum community. Thanks to the amazing support and hard work of many people this dream has become a reality. The hope is that Poo will earn her income from the successful sales of this book, and therefore be not as reliant on income from her cooking school, the result being the opportunity to train others and help them develop meaningful employment. By purchasing this book you are part of this exciting adventure – changing the world one life at a time. Welcome everyone to the Poo Kitchen!” exclaims a beaming Thai lady to the twelve heat-weary foreigners perched on wooden stools before her. This is Khun Poo (short for Chompoo), head chef and owner of the Cooking with Poo school in the slums of Klong Toey. We, her twelve disciples, take a break after an unforgettable tour of the local fresh food market.

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Khlong Toei is one of the most authentic markets in Bangkok, selling very cheap raw meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. Chances are, that wherever you eat in Bangkok, the produce will have been bought here. Visiting a wet market might be fascinating, but not necessarily enjoyable! One thing about this cookbook is you will definitely need an Asian market near by for a lot of these ingredients. We happened to have one about 20 minutes away, across the Rainbow Bridge. We even planned a day together to go and get ingredients. We love shopping there. She just had no idea I was getting ingredients for their cookbook, which I will gift to them next weekend on Easter. When we got to Klong Toey market the main aim was to buy the ingredients we needed, but we still got to see some of the quirkier things on sale like frogs, insects and ant eggs.If you wish to exercise any of your rights as specified in section “Right of Data Subject” as aforementioned, you can inform the Company of your intention to exercise such rights through the following channels of Company: