dinner conversation

last night i made the best dinner. part american, part thai. I am really lucky in that I have a market in my town that sells food every day. and good food too. Yesterday i went over after I finished my thai language lesson and wandered around a bit. Ran into someone I recognise, but can't remember from where and chatted a bit. Saw all the ladies at their stalls, selling coconut ice cream, garlic, or ducks, or whatever. Stopped and chatted for a while. I went to my 'usuals' and got some lettuce, red pepper, corn, chicken, and some dried tamarinds. Oh and I got some special noodles that my best friends son likes.

So I made a yummy american salad w carrot and cukes and the works. Then I pan fried some chicken thai style- w garlic, onions and oyster sauce and threw it on top!! mmmmm.

As I was making it Munglee, the 4 yr old who lives next door was running around through my kitchen. And he invited me to eat over at his house. Which I do pretty often anyway.

As I was chatting w Jeeda over dinner I asked her if there is anything she wanted from America, since David and Jen are coming soon. She said she didn't want anything, then jokingly changed her answer to 'snow.' I'd like some too, especially since it's getting over 100 these days.

Later Jeeda asked me who the president of the US is and I told her. She was checking that it wasn't Bill Clinton.

But here's the kicker of the evening. Munglee has all these DVDs that are bits and pieces of walt disney cartoons with explinations and songs etc. It is supposed to teach him English. He has about 30 DVDs, 15 pop up books and 15 interactive computer games. I asked how much this all cost and they are paying about $35 every month for 33 months or something crazylike that. I don't remember the details, but it came out to over $1000 US dollars. THAT'S CRAZY. They could get a round trip ticket to the states for that.

Jeeda asked me if I watched those movies as a kid and I think she was disapointd to learn I watched the origional of a lot of those, but not the teaching DVDs they have. And when she pointed to the publisher she expected me to know them. Apparently the sales person told her every child in the US learns w this company. Oh the lore of the USA.

I think my friends were taken. For some reason Jeeda assumed that if she gave birth in the US the child would automatically speak English, even if she only spoke Thai w it. I explained how I think learning a language needs to be a two way street, not just listening, but speaking and interacting and learning from cues and mistakes. After that she picked up a book and began reciting some words to Munglee in English.