Meg and I took a Thai cooking class this weekend at Sawatdee in downtown Minneapolis and this was definitely (besides our pregnancy of course) a high-point event in my recent life (which says what about my life?). It was so much fun!
The owner of Sawatdee, Supenn, was our instructor and her friend from St. Cloud came in to assist. Supenn was very good, funny and caring and generous. Her friend (dang, I cannot recall his name, Sura I think) was similar and I think we all enjoyed his energy (he kept reminding us "I am not the cook, just friend" but he's a good cook, too). We learned about the Thai flavors, ingredients (galanga, lemongrass, chiles, etc), health benefits, and then we started making fresh and fried spring rolls! Also on the menu: Holy Basil Chicken, Fried Rice and Tom Yum soup. I got to assist Supenn in the fried rice making in front of the class -- and I got a round of applause for my performance. Sweet! Plus we got to eat all the things we made and it was delicious.
The most fun, however, was after the class when Sura offered to take any of us to United Noodles (Asian grocery) to show us which things are best in the market! It was like an elementary school field trip, a whole group of us following our guide through the aisles, asking questions, exploring strange and fascinating new items. The owner or manager even came up and greeted us. Definitely worth while and Sura did it all gratis, just for fun. Like I said, we all enjoyed his energy, generousity and knowledge. We bought giant bags of rice, lemongrass, rice paper, fish sauce and more and we'll definitely go back. A well-organized very clean environment.
If you like Thai food, you should find time to take this class!