No Money No Honey

There many ways to show someone gratitude and appreciation for what they have done for us. It can be expressed in a simple gesture like sending a small thank you note or a sincere compliment. The sincerity of gratitude is what gives the gesture its dignity and worth. Nowadays, we can express our thanks via social networking like Facebook, Twitter, ecards; or if you have a blog, you can express it there as well. Whatever method is used, the expression of thanks has a profound effect on the receivers when it is given sincerely. My Quay Lo is an expert in expressing gratitude and appreciation in very special ways.  Four years ago, he bought air tickets for me and my three best friends to Bangkok for a holiday. He knew all the ladies liked to shop; and in Bangkok, you not only can shop till you drop, but there are so many delicious foods to explore, especially when one is big into spicy food and desserts. In short, it all adds up to a venue for a wonderful "Hen" party.


When we arrived at our apartment in Bangkok, we were greeted with the scent of fresh flowers, a new tea set that Quay Lo had purchased, and a pantry stocked up with tea, biscuits, chocolates and my favorite tid-bits.  Some brightly colored cushions had been splashed about. There were equally colorful Thai silk shawls for us each of us to cuddle in when the sometimes difficult to control but needful air conditioning became too chilly. His small, spartain, business apartment had been converted into a well stocked  and cosy resort room. There were four envelopes on the dining table, one for each of us. Inside was some shopping money and a hand written "thank you" note. In the notes he expressed his gratitude to the ladies accompanying me, for being  there during a hospitalization I had undergone earlier in the year. In my note he thanked me for being me, and urged me to enjoy myself with such wonderful friends. We all were dumb founded! None of us had quite experienced such a heart felt or lavish expression of gratitude before. I don't think it could have been better expressed. I knew that he had wanted to make us smile. We all knew he was sincere in his gratitude, and not just because of his generosity. His personal effort was clear to us.We all did not just smile, but we grinned from ear to ear, exclaimed excitedly, even as we glowed inside.

During our visit we laughed at the signs of the infamous Bangkok night life that were readily apparent.  It is often joked that when man gives money to a Thai lady, they will tell him, "I love you long time." However, the joke goes, if a man goes broke, she will say to him, "No money, no Honey." Darling, not to worry, got money, no money, your Honey still love you LONG time! LOL!

Showing off the new slippers we bought.

Guess which one is Quay Po's new slippers, I will give you a prize!

All dressed up in our new clothing with new costume jewelery for dinner.

We had dinner at my favorite Thai Restaurant Ban Kuhn Mae.

The making of Khao Niaow Ma Muang (Thai mango sticky rice) today, brought back sweet memories of the "all girls" fun trip to Bangkok. When I looked at those photos above, especially the ones in which we played with the wigs we bought at the Platinum mall, I could not help but laugh out loud. My mum commented that if we add the age of the four of us the total is more than 200 years, yet still we behaved like kids! I laughed and said to her;"Why not? Age is only a number." Body old, heart not old ma!" My mum smiled with a nod to concur with me. I guess we should do this again soon but for now, I am looking forward to my trip to Sibu next month. I am eager to meet up with some awesome blogger friends again and meet some new ones. We are going to have a ball and I am counting the days!

My version of Thai mango sticky rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)

Ingredients:

1 cup glutinous rice

2 ripe mangos, cut into bite-size pieces

6 Tbsp. gula Melaka (palm sugar)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups thick coconut milk

1 ½ cup and 1 tbs water

Method:

Soak the rice water for 3 hours. Drain the rice. Simply add 1 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp water, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 tbsp. brown sugar and stir this into the rice. Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the coconut-water has been absorbed by the rice. Turn off the heat, and leave the pot on the burner with the lid on tight. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. To To make the sauce, heat (but do not boil) the rest of the coconut milk over medium-low heat (about 5 minutes). Add 6 tbsp. sugar, stirring to dissolve. Taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. (note that it will taste less sweet when added to the rice).

To assemble, place a "mound" of sticky rice in each serving bowl. Top with cubes of the mango, then pour sauce over generouly.

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