Inside a Thai Home

We were invited to dinner at the home of a family here in Chiang Rai. Theirs is an exquisite home located across delicate bridge scaling a moat, inside a gate, a curved drive and a lush garden. A golden Retriever, quite an old fellow, and a white Labrador Retriever, met us at the gate. They were inquisitive and territorial at first, and then playful. One brought me his deflated soccer ball. We chatted happily until he was whisked away. I was disappointed that we could not play awhile on the lawn. Dutifully we trooped up marble stairs to a wide lanai, under the eaves of this gracious Asian house.

We stepped into the past when we slipped off our shoes and entered through the teak double doors into a great hall directly inside. It was framed on all sides by paneled walls, several sets of double doors, and a grand staircase. I tried not to gawk but managed not to do so only with difficulty. The house invites exploration that would take hours, days, perhaps weeks and months.

We take our cold drinks in the solarium, a huge room made more cozy by clusters of wicker settees, chairs and marble topped tables. Each conversation area holds a thick Oriental carpet in rich vermillion. The walls, also teak, are paneled, and are covered in paintings and batiks. Enormous cabinets hold shiny treasures, the kind one sees in curios everywhere. The windows are floor to ceiling and open to lush foliage, the flora and fauna outside: palm fronds, bougainvillea, hibiscus, banana and lichee fruit trees. Beyond the edge of the garden, the water floats lazily.

At the appointed time, the double doors open and we are ushered into the dining room, another huge room with several dining tables and immense cabinets. Here are family pictures: weddings, graduations, holidays. The round table is easily suited for ten guests, though we are only eight. At the center is a teak Lazy Susan, inlaid with a golden vine around its perimeter: a gift from a Philippine landlord. Porcelain dishes are placed here, loaded with succulence. The menu: Tom Yum soup, sweet and sour shrimp, shrimp tempura, fresh vegetables, Phad Thai, white rice, fish, chicken and local crawdads. The platters are replenished often throughout the meal. For desert, coconut flavored ice cream, a concoction made with vanilla ice cream, coconut jelly and fruit. The over all effect is complex and delicious.

Finally we take our coffee. The conversation with our hosts is at times hilarious yet also poignant. The topic is hospitality. I am always refreshed by traditional Thai hospitality and by this rare evening inside a Thai home.