Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

March 25, 2003

Good stories from small beginnings

INTRODUCTION

Can someone make a good story out of a very ordinary event? Can a very ordinary item lead to a tale of discovery? Well, yes. Some of our most enjoyable stories start with everyday events.

Today’s story for you to read is an example of that. Our writer, Suthon Sukphisit is an expert on all things traditionally Thai and has a curiosity that drives him to learn more. He is an experienced cook and gourmet (an expert on good food) as well. You’re going to enjoy reading how a frustrating kitchen experience led him to a local market in search of information.
It starts in the kitchen

Before you start reading any story, it’s a good idea to have a look over the whole text to get an idea where the writer is going to take you. As you do that, you make a kind of story map in your mind. Here’s some practice doing that.

Read the notes below to help you scan through the story then write the paragraph numbers beside each topic in the story map box.

First, read the title of the story and the first paragraph. That’s where you’ll find Suthon’s theme. He states that in an analogy – a comparison of two different things but which have similar characteristics — in this case, two occupations using two tools.
What word in the title seems to suggest a solution to the problem of "an unsatisfactory knife"?

What perspective (first person, second, third?) does Suthon use when he begins talking about his kitchen experience?
He describes his actions in an exaggerated way. Does that make the incident seem serious or humourous?

What is the clue to tell you that the story is going out of the kitchen and into the market?

What’s the key word for #4 in your story map below?

How many paragraphs are in the conclusion? Does Suthon refer back to the beginning in his concluding remarks?

STORY MAP

Introduction: (paragraph 1)
Suthon’s kitchen experience: (p 2-…..)
Visiting knife stores: (p ….. - …..)
Different cooks-different knives: (p ….. - …..)
Conclusion: (p ….. - …..)
Tips and information

During his visit to two knife stores, Suthon learned a lot about buying and caring for knives – things all cooks would like to know.

After you have read the story, work with a partner to write a short role-play conversation between a knife seller and a customer. To do that, you will have to remember what the sellers told Suthon. Then write some questions for the customer and the answers of the seller.
Tell your own story

Do you have a story yourself? Has something happened to you recently that led you to a discovery or to an unexpected and fun place?

Think about the different parts of Suthon’s story: the theme, the experience that sparked his curiosity, the pursuit of information, and finally some general thoughts on the subject. Use this as a pattern for planning your own story. With a little preparation, you should be able to tell it in English.
Check it out

Suthon says that Thais tend to use mostly narrow-bladed knives and keep them sharp by stroking them across the bottom of a plate. Do you think those statements are true? Check them out.

The next time you stop by a roadside vendor for a bowl of noodles with sliced pork, your favourite somtam stand or the fish shop, notice what knives are being used. Ask the vendors why they use a particular knife, what makes it suitable for the job. What are the knives made of? Where were they bought? Find out how often they sharpen their knives and what method they use. Are there differences depending on which region of the country the cook comes from?

Make a few notes and diagrams; see how much information you and your fellow classmates or study group friends can collect.

If you don’t live in Thailand, make a visit to your local market or food shop to find out about the knives used there. Do different people in the same shop have different preferences? Where are good knives purchased where you live?

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST

Look sharp in the kitchen
Story by SUTHON SUKPHISIT
A cook who has to work with an unsatisfactory knife is like an artist stuck with a brush that keeps shedding bristles. It spoils the mood and dampens inspiration.

I've had bad experiences of my own with a bad knife. I bought some pork bones, which I had requested the market vendor to cut into pieces. When I got the bones home, however, I found that the pieces were too big, and that I would have to chop them into smaller ones.

I have a knife of the kind of the type called a bangtaw that I bought at Yaowarat as a Chinese import. These are cleaver-like items that are used in Chinese cooking. The blade is broad and rectangular, and the handle is made of steel.

But it wasn't up to the task of chopping my pork bones. I hacked away, but the blade wouldn't cut into them. Finally I had to take a hammer and pound the knife to drive the blade in. It made a racket that was heard throughout my seven-storey condo building, and by the time I was through the sharp edge of the knife was chipped, the back of it was full of dents from my hammering, and the pork bones were still intact.

Some day, I thought, I would have to buy a real pork knife, a utensil of the kind used by pork vendors. And if I wanted to know where to buy one, I could probably find out by asking the pork vendor.

I did pay him a visit, and learned that every pork vendor at every market in Bangkok, and perhaps out in the provinces, too, got their knives from the same source. When I tracked the place down, I wasn't disappointed, and was especially glad to find it when I did because before too long these knives are going to be hard to find. Only two shops that make bangtaw knives are left, both of them at Talat Noi off New Road.

The first of them, called Nguan Hong Lee, is a shophouse on the right-hand side of the market. No matter how much you already know about knives, you know more by the time you leave this shop.

On display are chopping knives, carving knives, knives for preparing Chinese medicine, blades for cutting grass, shears for cutting fabrics and durian-cutting knives. In addition to the knives themselves the shop also sells sharpening stones piled up in a mountain-like heap.

The person selling all of these wares was an elderly Chinese woman. A conversation followed during which I learned that she had been selling knives for 50 years. The shop makes all of the knives that it sells, fashioning the wooden handles themselves and hammering the blades from ordinary steel rather than stainless. The reason ordinary steel is used, she explained, is that it is easier to sharpen and holds it edge longer than stainless. There is a disadvantage, though, in that if the knife is stored away for a long time without use, it will rust.

When a knife does its job well, it isn't only because of the quality of the knife itself. The way it is sharpened also plays a part. The best sharpening stones are soft, and have a rough surface when new. After they have been used for a while, they become smooth. Once this occurs, it is easier to use them to put a good edge on a knife, with the entire length of the blade equally sharp.

Therefore, a knife that is used often should be sharpened each time before it is put away. This regular sharpening seasons the sharpening stone so that it gives the knife a better edge. It is a cycle that improves both the knife and the stone.

The woman who told me all of this looked like the no-nonsense type, but she was happy to answer my questions and explain even though I had told her that I was not going to make a purchase. She was firm, however, about not wanting any photographs taken in her shop.

The other knife shop is toward the back of the market, and is called Lim Ha Lee and is also presided over by a Chinese woman. She provided me with some additional information on the subject of knife sharpening.

When sharpening a pork knife, the blade must be held at just the right angle. If the angle is too great, the knife will dig into the stone and the blade will be dull. Pork sellers oil the stone with coconut or other vegetable oil, which they apply before sharpening.

Different kinds of cooks prefer different kinds of knives. Why is it that Chinese cooks like to use bangtaw-type knives rather than the sharp-pointed ones favoured by Western chefs? And what kind do Thai chefs prefer?

I have my own ideas about this, and they may be wrong. The preparation of many Chinese dishes requires both slicing and mincing at the same time, and for that reason Chinese cooks may prefer a single knife that can perform all of the tasks they need to perform. Once the food has been sliced and minced, the same knife can be used to transfer it onto a plate or into a wok.

Western chefs are very concerned with different kinds of knives. There is a large chef's knife, but also an array of smaller ones which perform different tasks.

But all have one thing in common: they must be kept sharp.

Thais don't do much chopping or mincing, so there is no need to use a broad knife blade to scoop up food as is done in a Chinese kitchen. The knives used for slicing and carving are of the standard, narrow-bladed type.

One more odd thing is that although Thais like to use very sharp knives, they aren't very skilled when it comes to sharpening them. Thais like to keep things easy, so the way they maintain the edge on a knife is against the bottom of a plate. This makes it sharp enough to use, and if the knife is needed again the next day, they do the same thing again, and so on from day to day. It's nice and simple.

At the beginning of this story I mentioned that I had a knife that I didn't like, and that a bad knife like that can put any cook in a bad mood. Now you know where you can get knives that will spare you experiences like mine, but don't forget to keep them sharp.

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

bristles
the short stiff hairs or wires in a brush

dampen
to make a feeling or reaction less strong

cleaver
a heavy knife with a broad blade, used for cutting large pieces of meat

hack
to cut something with rough, heavy blows

racket
a loud unpleasant noise

chipped
having small pieces cut or broken off

dents
small hollow places in a hard surface

intact
complete and not damaged

season (v)
to give something a distinctive quality

no-nonsense type
one who is simple and direct; only paying attention to important and necessary things

firm
not likely to change mince

mince
to cut into very small pieces

wok
a large bowl-shaped cooking pan

array
a large or impressive collection

carve
to cut a large piece of cooked meat into smaller pieces for eating

Answers: 2 para 2-5, 3 para 6-14, 4 para 15-20, 5 para 21.

•This lesson was prepared by Maureen Paetkau, a professional teacher of English as a second and foreign language and Assistant Manager and Webmaster for Learning Post at the Bangkok Post.

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