Hi guys, this is Drew here. Today I will be telling you about my food adventure in Huay Pakoot, a remote Karen village in the hillsides of Northern Thailand, where I came to volunteer with the local elephant herd and to teach English to the children and mahoots (elephant herders) of the village.
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| The view of the valley from base camp |
When I first arrived at the village I thought that living in such a remote and impoverished place would be a massive culture shock and that living with a host family, whose values and diet differed to my own, would be very challenging. I was dead wrong.
The people of Huay Pakoot are friendly, warm and generous, often going to great lengths to ensure their hosts are as appeased and comfortable as possible. When it comes to my great love, food, the villagers spared no effort in providing me and my fellow volunteers with some of the most mouth watering and delicious foods I have ever eaten.
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| The villagers of Huay Pakoot |
Every night my host family laid out a platter of food for me consisting of a variety of dishes which included sumptuous chicken and beef curries, a variety of fresh juicy fruits, piping hot and spicy stews, crunchy pork rinds, and delicious fresh fish caught in local streams.
Although I ate alone most nights, my host family made sure I never wanted for anything, constantly checking on me, replenishing any food dish I may of devoured and refilling my drinks as soon as they were in any danger of being empty. There was so much food available that it was impossible to finish all of my dishes and all of the attempts to do so were met with crushing failure.
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| My house at Huay Pakoot (right: cow photbomb) |
Of this amazing food adventure the highlight was definitely the Friday nights feasts which we called 'Pot Luck'. During Pot Luck all of the volunteers gathered at the base hut where the villagers provided us with over 30 dishes and 10 plates of rice to enjoy. Like my solitary dinners, my fellow volunteers and I never came close to finishing every dish and the leftovers were often fed to the wild dogs that roamed the village.
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| Potluck feast |
The thing I loved most about the food of Huay Pakoot was the fact that the ingredients were all locally produced, which meant they were free of harsh chemicals and were the freshest they could possibly be. The rice we ate were from the locals rice paddies, the fruits and vegetables were grown in the villagers gardens, and the meat came from the animals reared in the village. It was refreshing to see exactly where your food comes from and all the volunteers discovered a profound respect for animals who gave their lives so that we could eat.
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| Preparing dinner |
Volunteering at Huay Pakoot was was of the most amazing experiences of my life. I met lifelong friends, helped with elephant conservation, felt like a valued member of the village when teaching English to the community and, of course, got to experience one hell of a food adventure.
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| Me and my fellow volunteers |
If you are interested in volunteering with elephants at Huay Pakoot, please visit the GVI website:
http://www.gviaustralia.com.au/programs/volunteer-elephants-thailand
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