[dropcap]Check[/dropcap] out the small amount of liquid/padaek sauce that has appeared at the base of the jar. It’s not a great deal, but it’s enough for me to want to jump up with joy and even do a happy dance. On the other hand, as you can see at the top of the jar, not too much has changed, and the surface level of the padaek has remained the same as last month’s. That’s OK though, because at least I know it’s progressing and doing something in terms of making the actual padaek sauce.
As mentioned with the Padaek #1 update, both jars were moved from the kitchen cupboard and onto the kitchen bench where it is warmer. The change of environment hasn’t caused immediate dramatic changes in neither jars, but I do think it’s for the better in the long run, because it’s a warmer space which is meant to be more conducive to faster fermentation.
The weather over the past month here at Padaekland has been generally warm/hot and humid/muggy. Over the last week or so, it has been wet and stormy, yet warm and sultry. Strange, I know, and sometimes very uncomfortable too. Sort of like Melbourne and tropical Lao weather mixed together, if my memory serves me right. Today, it started off dry, hot, sunny and a little windy. Then, in early afternoon, dark clouds appeared, followed by rain and thunderstorm. The air remains warm and humid, and the fan has been on constantly. Even the birds outside are a little confused and disturbed as they squawk endlessly outside in commotion.
Note: This Thursday (the 11th) marks Padaek’s first birthday! bigsmile Pretty awesome right?! It was on Wednesday, 11 December, 2013 that I published the first blog post on the site – How to make tum mark hoong – Lao spicy green papaya salad recipe. You should check it out if you haven’t already done so. It’s quite a popular post.
On Thursday, I’ll be writing a celebratory 1 year anniversary post, so be sure to pop over for a read and catch up. On a sad note though, Thursday will be the last day that I’ll be writing/publishing the daily poems/haiku. I’m sorry for this if you’ve been following and enjoying the haiku, but it may come as a surprise that they actually take me a lot of time and effort to write. Instead, I’ll be continuing writing/publishing poems/haiku on the blog when I can, but just not on a daily basis.
Back on a happy note. On Thursday, to help celebrate the blog anniversary, I’ll be holding a small poetry competition. Readers are asked to write and submit a food poem or haiku, and there will be a small prize for the winner, who will be selected by humble me. There’s only a short time-frame for the competition (7 days), so that I’ll have enough time to choose the winner and post out the prize so that it is hopefully received before Christmas.
So, remember to visit Padaek on Thursday, to read the anniversary post and submit a food poem. You can submit as many poems as you want, and you can write a poem of any style that you choose. Just make sure it’s about “food”. For the meantime, start practising/writing!
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