What do your coming days look like? More of the same? A ditto of the previous week? Vacations take us out of the groove to a new place. But we can’t go on vacation every week. So I have an idea on how to bring some pizzazz into your life by bringing an exotic foreign culture right to you. Pick a region, research some of the traditions and build an evening around that culture. For an example we’re going to grab Thailand and bring it home. Let’s plan the evening around the language (learn a few phrases) the dress (nothing elaborate – maybe a scarf or different make-up) cultural habits and the food.

Language – I have chosen Panrit “Gor” Daoruang, the webmaster of an online Thai magazine. Gor has been writing about Thai culture on the web since he was twelve. He starts his home page by saying “Hello” in Thai – Sawatdee krub. Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation. Just have fun.

Dress – Jewel tones or pure white are the predominant colors for the region and fabrics are silky and flowing. The Thai flag is horizontal stripes of red, white and blue, so just for fun you could use jewel tone scarves, perhaps the flag colors, for personal accents or even table dressings.

Dining Tradition – No tables; get comfortable on the floor. Sit on a cushion if necessary. Use placemats or hold the food in your lap. Meals are eaten with a spoon, fork or chop sticks if noodles are served. All food is cut so there is no need for a knife. It is not polite to put all the food on your plate at one time, so take spoonfuls from your serving area and return as needed.

Thai Food – Thai food is prepared with basic ingredients such as garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander. Recently the National Culture Commission for Thailand announced the top ten dishes. #1 pick was Tom Yam Goong or Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup. If you click on the link you will even find a link to help you pronounce Tom Yam Goong. The soup has different variations for different regions, but generally always has fresh citrus overtones.

Second favorite Thai dish is Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai, or Green Chicken Curry with Thai Eggplant. The heat in this dish may be regulated with the number of green chilies. Fresh green peppercorns can also be added for more flavor. After dinner consider a little game on the history of the region. Did you know that “Thai” means free, so Thailand means the “land of the free.” You get the idea – you can take it from here. Turn your weekends into a wheel of revolving culture experiences. For more on Thai culture, visit Thai-blogs.

Don't forget GourmetStation's delicious collection of Euro-Asian Fusion cuisine for your next dinner party or gourmet food gift.