Cooking with Poo

Product Information

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!

Cooking with Poo on Apple Books ‎Cooking with Poo on Apple Books

Khlong Toei is located near the popular glitzy ex-pat enclave of Thanon Sukhumvit and the Khlong Toei slum. I’m not quite sure whether it is classed as being part of the slum or not. All I can say is that it was definitely an experience, and not one you’d want to do while hungover!

The Klong Toey Slums

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.

Cooking with Poo - Diwong, Saiyuud right? 9780977507078 - Cooking with Poo - Diwong, Saiyuud right?

If just reading the above makes you squeamish, then there are plenty of vegetable and fruit isles to explore! They had such a wide variety of exotic fruit, of the likes we had never seen before. From spikey strawberries (rambutan) to yellow watermelons and everything in between. Some of the fruits are similar to what we are used to, only different. Just like the famous Thai saying “same same but different”. For example, their apples appear to have a porcelain film on them. Their tomatoes are pink rather than red, and their bananas are stumpy and green (you eat them when green!). Poo’s home had burnt down the previous year, so she had made the most of a bad situation by rebuilding the rather nice classroom we found ourselves standing in. She had also built a much more spacious home upstairs for her family, with the added bonus that they now had windows. Imagine living a life where you get to celebrate having a window?! Try these dishes at home! Poo - do this at home and you too will make delicious Thai foodThai green curry in less than ten minutes. Following the success of the cooking school, Poo went on to create the Helping Hands Project alongside three other women. This project aims to support and encourage small business development within the Klong Toei Slum Community. Using profits from the cooking classes and additional profits from Klong Toei Handicrafts, they have established several successful initiatives, including a sushi service, catering service, and a Thai dessert business.She told us we would see live animals (and maybe some of them might not be live for long) and offered anyone who would find this uncomfortable the chance to opt out of this part of the lesson. 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: I really, really enjoyed it. Poo is a natural entertainer – she’s really funny, tells brilliant stories and makes the process of cooking fun (something I never thought I’d ever say). Floor, Retail Center, CRC Tower, All Seasons Place, No.87/2 ,129A, Wireless Road, Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok 10320 Now, ten years later Poo not only speaks excellent English, she has a dedicated cooking school (still in the slum) and employs numerous people from the area in her business.