Kelise's Culinary Acquisitions

I have here a some well-hidden secrets of the trade. How you can make food tastier with just a few tricks:

1. If is it pizza, cut it into squares. Squares always taste better than triangles.

2. If you can eat it using your hands, DO IT. Eating with your hands makes food taste better too. Messy is fun, no ifs, ands, or buts!

3. If it changes your mouth a different color that it a high culinary compliment! Example, who doesn’t like blue raspberry ring pops?

4. Add extra of everything. Mac and cheese needs to be extra cheesy. Brownies should be extra/double/triple chocolate. Orange juice extra pulp. If you’re running better go for the gold!

5. Give your cooking creation a special name. I used to collect blackberries and raspberries and fill them with sugar and call them fairy tea cups.

6. Breakfast for dinner. I guarantee that the same pancakes will taste better at 6:00pm instead of 8:00am!

7. This one may surprise you, but…wear silly or crazy clothes. In the middle of winter dress for a Hawaiian luau. Mid-summer wear last year’s Halloween outfit. Dress up and make it a special candlelit dinner at home.  (Candlelight makes food taste better!) This makes a regular meal into food with a purpose!

8. If you can, make the food art. A dash of green parsley, some blueberries or red strawberries? Food shouldn’t just be fun to eat, but fun to make too. A little dash of color could go a long way into making it more yummy!

9. Share your food. (Here’s a tip I’ve gotten from my travels abroad.) Eating should be a communal activity. In Thailand putting some of your food on someone else’s plate is caring for them. Don’t worry too much about germs if you’re with family. Serve each other and let yourself be served.

10. Play with your food. (Okay, I really just wanted to write that rule to be a rebel!) If you do some of the previous things, like dress up, use candles, make your food an art and eat with your hands, well, then eating becomes fun! And anything eaten during laughter is sure to taste extraordinary!

And now, the final secret of them all, and the most important. What do all of these secrets have in common? They take something ordinary, and with a simple trick, make it extraordinary and special. And that makes everything taste better. Food and eating should be fun. 

Long Distance Relationship Lessons

I get asked a lot about what it is like being in a long distance relationship. Well, it isn’t easy. Now I have never been in a “short-distance relationship,” so I am not sure how much of the following applies to other types of relationships. I hope that, as I have often discovered in my life, my biggest challenges turn out to be my biggest blessings. So here are five ways I have been challenged

1. It is hard. For starters, our first “date” was 19 months into our relationship. My third time in Thailand, the day after my birthday, I dressed up and Lek took me to a fancy restaurant. We had our own private bamboo hut, right alongside a lake. In seminary we are learning a lot about inviting God’s presence into our lives everyday. The word “presence” rings true for me when I am missing Lek. I can hug my family, but it isn’t quite the same. “Presence” is a powerful, wonderful, sacred thing.

2. Friends and family don’t have the opportunity to know your significant other as well as you do. My family and several friends have had the opportunity to skype with Lek (using a mix of English, Thai, guitar strums, and silly faces). My dad had the opportunity to come to Thailand for a few days and he met Lek. Yet, the vast majority of people only know about Lek what I have told them. I cannot help but wish I could bring Lek to a family get-together or a friend’s party; “Here’s the real deal, folks!” I want to share someone who is so dear to me to the rest of the people I love because I am sure they would fall in love with Lek too!

3. Communication isn’t easy. Even with the HUGE gift of cell phones, international minutes, and skype, communication is difficult. Lek speaks English as an advanced beginner, and my fluency in Thai is high intermediate. But many mornings one of us won’t have cell service. Some days are especially hard; when I am really missing him and I try calling but it doesn’t go through. I’ll try every half hour until I figure he is asleep. Sometimes it goes through on the fifth try. A lot of good has come out of this though; we have mastered quite a few problem solving skills. When we are trying to hold a conversation but skype keeps freezing or our phones cut in and out it can be very frustrating. So, we make every word count. Each day, even if nothing else is understood, we say “I love you,” “I miss you,” and “God bless you.” Another bonus is that we’ve gotten really good at gestures!

4. Patience. Being in a long distance relationship teaches patience. The obvious reasons are that when we send letters or gifts to each other it can take over two weeks. When I have really great news to share with Lek I cannot call him until I know he will be awake. For the first two years we were dating we only did skype every other week; so I learned patience waiting for that special day. The less obvious reasons, stated in the above paragraph, are that we don’t always understand each other due to our huge differences in language, culture, and gender. I believe all relationships are a lesson in patience!

5. Trust. Or, reliance on God. It is hard for me when Lek is hurt or sick, and I cannot help him. He was bitten by a dog twice in the past year. He hurt his knee very badly while playing soccer which may lead to a potential surgery. In the time we’ve been dating both his grandfathers and one of mine has died. My reaction to all of this is to want to hug him, to be present and comfort him. Yet over and over again I realize that the best thing I can do for Lek is lift him up to God in prayer. “God, I cannot protect him, hug him, or heal him, but You can.” It is a necessary humbling, and good practice for when we are married and I need to give him to God every day.

What about for you? Many people I know have been or are in a long distance relationship. Comment on what you learned from it, or what made it difficult. I would love to hear from you all!

Ten Crazy Things I have Eaten in Thailand

First, I had never eaten crab before going to Thailand. When I found a little one in my papaya salad I figured I would try to eat it (whole) and take a picture of the feat. I did not know you weren’t supposed to eat the crunchy shell or claws. My host family decided not to tell me and just watch. It hurt going down!

 At one point during my semester abroad we got to set nets with some fishermen. The next morning we emptied the nets, recorded the catch, and then fried up the fish then and there. For those who know me, seafood isn’t my specialty, but these fish were good! If you look at the picture carefully you will see we also caught—much to the fishermen’s surprise—a Burmese python. It was cooked up and eaten, although I was somewhere else and missed out on that rubbery opportunity.

That fishing community is where we did a several day long homestay. One morning I got ready and sat down at the table and my host mother brought me veggies, eggs and rice in a bowl. To my surprise the eggs has a pleasant tasting pop to them. Upon further discovery I found that in my chicken eggs were red ant eggs—a local delicacy and somewhat expensive at markets. The picture below shows my lesson in harvesting red ant eggs. Word of advice: use the camera zoom, because I had some of these little monsters climbing up my legs while I shot this picture.

Warning, this picture is rated PG-13. We were in Southern Thailand in a Muslim village. Our last night together we celebrated with fresh goat curry. (I had to delete several pictures in my camera after this one, as they were bloody and sad.)

Ice cream sandwiches in Thailand are amazingly delicious. Every morning during our 4 hour thai lessons the ice cream man came around and for 30 cents each we got a refreshing treat. It is perhaps not crazy that I ate ice cream while in a hot, tropical country. It is however worthy of note that ice cream sandwiches in Thailand are tasty coconut ice cream and sticky rice slid between two slices of bread. Quite literally a sandwich.

Jumping shrimp. No bigger than a knuckle on the pinkie finger. But very much squirming and active. The only thing I have ever eaten alive. They tasted fine if you could get past all the little legs and feelers.

This picture shows a member of my host family eating eggs and rice for breakfast. Again, this food is not crazy, although most Americans wouldn’t put those two foods together. The crazy part is that I ate this 3 times a day for almost three weeks while backpacking in Northern Thailand. And it is very yummy. This is still a go-to food for me; Lek makes it for me in minutes if the food he is eating is too spicy.

Ah, calamari. Who knew this picky eater would eat squid, like it, and then purposefully look for more squid to eat? The first two pictures I am with Lek. We went on a midnight “fish for squid” trip. We both got two. I was kind of expecting larger squid, but then again my idea of squid come from the books I read where the squid pick their beaks with puny sperm whale remains. So I guess I am happy with just the small ones. In the last picture I decided eating squid outside of the movie theater was a good pirate-y act before watching Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

 Pizza isn’t crazy. But it is crazy hard to find and crazy expensive compared to normal Thai food. The first month I was in Thailand I didn’t have cheese once, and I am a cheese 2 out of 3 meals a day kind of girl. I think you can tell by the entranced look on my face that I was delighted to eat pizza! (I look somewhat like Gollum did when he held The Ring)

One last food I had in Thailand. For each of my three month-long travels with my school we were given a huge bag of trail mix filled with nuts and fruit. This bag saved me from hunger when I couldn’t eat the spicy food given to me. The fruit and nuts also helped balance out a diet of solely eggs, rice, and vegetables.

What I do not have picture proof of: eating a hot pepper (as per dare by Lek, and eating a cucumber to stop my mouth from burning). I ate deep fried bamboo worms—Lek ate them like chips, and they tasted fine but I had to train myself not to look at it too closely. Lek also cooked up turtle for me once. Finally, I ate frog several times. During rainy season my host family would go out to the rice fields at night with flashlights and we would catch dozens of frog together. My favorite frog memory is that once when I had an upset stomach Lek lovingly bought me fried frogs to eat. Isn’t he thoughtful?

What I hope to soon add to my list are: snake, scorpion, tarantula, rat, and other assorted deep-fried bugs and seafood. More for the bragging rights and the sake of adventure than cherishing the idea of sticking a spider leg in my mouth. Although, Lek loves eating rat and says they are very delicious. I will keep an open mind, and open belly, and a cautiously open mouth for the next foods I try in Thailand.

How Lek and I Met

I have been asked this question by several people recently, so I thought I would write it up. I met Lek when I was finishing up my post-semester-abroad internship in Thailand. Most weekends I would spend with my host family in Chiang Mai. One Friday my host mother asked if I wanted to go to Chiang Rai for a family reunion. I had heard about how beautiful Chiang Rai was and I was eager to spend some time in the country so I accepted.

Saturday we drove up and my host mother dropped me off at a soccer game. I sat next to some relatives I knew. When it was over I found my backpack in a small car, so I cautiously sat in it and waited. Thai people piled in the car, one of whom I recognized, so I decided to just go with the flow. The driver was Lek, who is my host mother’s nephew. He tried to talk to me in English, but since I was grumpy about being abandoned I responded in short Thai phrases, putting as much sarcasm into this language I hadn’t mastered as I could. When we got to a house, Lek’s house, I decided to wait for my host mother by practicing reading my newest Thai book: Puss in Boots. While everyone else ignored me, Lek approached me and sat next to me. He helped me sound out words and explained words that I didn’t understand. He was the first Thai person to ever give me the chance to try reading it on my own before being corrected. I decided to stop being grumpy with him. Our conversation drifted to what I was doing in Thailand and that I wanted to help trafficked women. Lek was pleased to hear I was a Christian and told me he was graduating seminary in a month. He loved music. Well, I had a Thai hymnal with me and took it out. For hours we poured through the music; Lek playing guitar and singing in English when he could and myself singing in Thai when able. One song he sang for me was particularly beautiful and I asked him to teach it to me. He accepted the mission and had me sing it over and over and over again until it was almost midnight. Then he announced that we would sing it at his church tomorrow morning. I cautiously agreed assuming I could just be very quiet. Then he informed me that church was at 6:30am (Ahhh!). He drove me to his grandparents house where I was to spend the night (I guess my host mother informed everyone except me!) It rained the whole night and I had to pee so bad but I had no idea where the bathroom was and didn’t want to give grandma or grandpa a heart attack by waking them up to find an American in their room. I got no sleep.

Finally 6am rolled around and I got dressed (and found the bathroom.) Lek picked me up. The church service was in Karen. At the end Lek and I went up, and Lek told me to introduce myself. I remember being so embarrassed and flustered that I forgot my mini thai speech; I said my name and loudly proclaimed that I loved Jesus, while giving everyone the thumbs up sign. I sang, Lek harmonized. After church everyone came up to me. We all ate lunch together. At some point I mentioned to Lek that I have heard about land leeches in Thailand, but I have never seen them. So, in our first act alone together, Lek motorcycled me into the jungle on a hilly mud path about 4 inches wide on a leech hunt. We walked a ways when the path was blocked by a tree. I was trying to look cute and walked into a sharp branch, was knocked flat, and tried to hide my face in embarrassment. Lek gently but firmly took my face in his hands and wiped the blood away. We got to a meadow and Lek told me to take my shoes off and wait. After several minutes we inspected our feet. Lek had seven leeches on his. I had none. We teased each other for a while, talking, climbing trees and throwing fruit. Then realizing the time we hurried back to Lek’s house, when my host mother was waiting to take me back to Chiang Mai. I had half a second to collect my things and get Lek’s phone number and then we were gone—no hug, no goodbye—and I was left feeling like a balloon filled with emotions I had never felt before. Excited? Scared? Confused? Warm? I really liked Lek. And it was obvious he was head over heels for me. But I was leaving for the States in less than 3 weeks. What type of trick was God playing on both of us? 

That, my friends, is how I met Lek. Other bits of our story will come later!

Land leeches, but this smart person is wearing their protective shoes and socks!

Barefoot Flip Flops

So why the blog name barefoot flip flops? Well, first of all who doesn’t like a good contradiction? Second, being barefoot is one of my favorite things in the world. I love feet; they’re the coolest part of the body. Also, the word barefoot conveys vulnerability, which plays a large role in my life. When you are barefoot you can always tell where you are; even blindfolded I could say I’m on a sidewalk, on grass, on a playground. Being barefoot means squishing mud between your toes, warming your feet on sweet grass, and splashing through cool puddles. But it also means—and this comes from experience—stepping on pinecones, gravel, and thorns. If you wear shoes you will not feel anything, but being barefoot means you are vulnerable to the good and the bad on your life path. I used the word flip flops with both meanings in mind. I will be marrying my Thai fiancé the summer of 2014. For now the plan is to live there for a few years while we figure things out. But who is to say those plans won’t change? Living in another country, experiencing thai culture, speaking thai; my life will constantly be “flip-flopping.” I’ll be bold and say I usually relish the challenge of change, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared for half of the curveballs I’m sure life has in store for me. Also, because of the warm climate in Thailand, almost everyone wears flip flops almost every day to every occasion. (On a side note, flip flops are on a first come first served basis, meaning that if I wasn’t quick in the morning my pink sandals would be worn by a member of my host family for the day. I still remember finding flip flops that had gone missing for several months in my host grandparents bathroom-apparently they had been deemed sufficient for keeping feet clean from the wet restroom floor.)

I am currently finishing my last semester of a two year degree at seminary. So while I am exploring what it means to be in a long-distance, cross-cultural relationship, I am also asking what plans God may have for my ministry, and what my pastoral identity is. For every question that gets answered in class, perhaps three more spring up. This blog will not only be a journal of my adventures, but an attempt to articulate some of the ways my Christian identity is changing through these experiences.

So put the name "barefoot flip flops" together. I will be changing and growing and being challenged every day, and part of my prayer is that I stay vulnerable to these changes so that I can fully appreciate the blessings, and learn/grow from the “ouch.” 

(This picture was taken outside of a Thai temple, where to be respectful one must take off their shoes before entering. There were hundreds of shoes on the steps.)