04 September 2008 - While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping ...
Thursday 04 September 2008

While most of you were sleeping - in a far and distant land, in the sub district of Nongwha, the people of Tahsang Village were busy.

Last night we got the cell phone call that the people of Tahsang would be busy today making preparations for the Monks. We were advised that we should arrive early.

We got two phone calls from "Momma" asking where we were this morning as we took all the various means to get to the village. We eventually arrived at about 10:00 after starting out at 8:00!

After crossing the road we ended up at Duang's uncle's house. Inn the front yard or more accurately front courtyard, there was a stove made out of a modified steel barrel. The barrel had been cut in half (two out of one?) with a large notch cut into the side. The barrel was then placed upside down on the dirt so that the notch served as a door to the interior of the barrel. A small wood fire was burning inside of the barrel using pieces of scrap wood. Atop the barrel was a large wok type iron frying pan. One of Duang's aunts was popping rice in the hot wok. Yes - popping rice! She would take about a quart of rice seed from a woven wood basket and sprinkle it into the wok. She constantly stirred the seed inside the wok with a broom made out of wood and reeds. In no time at all, the seed started to pop. She continued stirring the seeds despite the updraft of hot rice puffs. When the wok seeds were fully engaged in popping, Duang's aunt grabbed a large metal bowl and placed it over the wok to contain the rice puffs.

The sound of the popping rice seed, the swirling smoke, the swishing sound of reeds on hot metal, the sight of white rice puffs bursting upwards, the smell of a wood fire all created quite a sensory exposition.

Occasionally another woman would stoop down and tend the fire. Most of the time tending the fire was adding just a couple more small pieces of wood to the fire. Other times tending the fire involved splashing some water on the coals.

As the popping came to a conclusion, another woman would approach the fire to take hold of the large metal bowl that had been used over the top of the wok. She held the bowl as Duang's aunt swept the hot rice puffs into it.

The puffed rice was then carried to another aunt who was tending a woven basket suspended from the overhead beams. The hot rice puffs were dumped into the woven basket that was rocked back and forth by hand to sieve the product. Unpopped seed and smaller puff pieces fell through the basket onto woven reed mats. The rejected product will used to feed chickens and cattle. The acceptable puffs were dumped into metal pots and eventually placed into clean empty fertilizer plastic sacks. By the time that we had arrived, 4 large sacks had been filled. A total of 6 sacks were to be filled today.

After working about another hour during which I photographed the entire process, we broke for lunch. Duang and her relatives ate "Kao Lao" Lao food. I opted to eat some of the popped rice.

Lunch was very animated and filled with many good natured jokes. I provided some amusement to the gathered clan by photographing details of the parked farm truck.

In response to hearing a newborn baby cry, Duang and I headed across the street to see what was going on. Grandmother was taking care of a small baby. As is so typical here in Isaan, there was not reluctance or hesitation to share the baby with us. People here are not ruined by suspicion or fear and hopefully will never be.

On the way back to Duang's aunt house I saw something different at a neighbor's house. Not being shy and never needing to worry about being shot around here, I went over to the house to investigate as well as photograph.

I have written many times about the woven reed mats that are central to Isaan village life. I have seen bunches of the reeds lying on the street in front of people's houses to dry. Duang had told me which neighbors wove the mats for money. I believed her but I have yet to see it being done. In addition I had only seen natural colored reeds whereas the finished mats are multicolored. Today I saw colored reeds drying in the sun. After paying my respects to the house owners, I went into the side back yard. Sheaves of black, yellow, red, and orange reeds were suspended from lines to dry in the glaring sun. On the ground was another metal barrel type stove that had been used in the reed dying process. Remnants of dye envelopes were also on the ground.

After photographing the reeds I returned to the rice popping process - just in time to photograph the arrival of several coconuts. The old unhusked coconuts were brought to the house using a two wheeled hand cart. The coconuts were bundled together in clusters of three with integral bindings out of portions of each coconut's outer husk. According to Duang the coconuts will be cooked tomorrow just like the rice was today. Hmmm - we may have to go back tomorrow!

As we were leaving to cross over to Duang's mother's part of the village, we said good bye to everyone. One of the elderly women who is not a relative was very friendly saying goodbye - too friendly by my western standards. She sexually molested me! She patted my shoulders, patted my chest and then ran her hand down my front over my crotch. I was shocked. If this was in America I would most likely have to seek counseling. Here - Duang and I just had a good laugh about the crazy old lady. Maybe she will sleep better tonight?

While we visited Duang's Momma, I watched a neighbor woman using a machete to cut twigs. The twigs are called "man falang". We know them to be tapioca plants (cassava). She was chopping them into a specified length that would be picked up by a company. She would be paid for the twigs that would then be planted in the ground to grow the next crop. Tapioca and other derivatives are made from the root of the plant. Harvesting of this year's crop is already underway.

We visited and played with Duang's cousin's baby "Kwan". Duang's aunt proudly showed us the picture of Kwan that I had given her earlier. She had placed it in a very nice frame. Naturally I took some more photographs of little Kwan. I shared them and Duang's aunt and uncle. Duang's aunt asked for another print and I said that I would give her one. A while later she asked for a print. A bit later she reminded Duang that she wanted a print like I gave her earlier this week. I smiled and told Duang that I heard her the first time, I heard the second time, and I heard her the third time she asked and I was still going to give her one. We all had a good laugh! Life is simpler here.

We eventually made it back to Kumphawapi on the first leg of our trip to Udonthani. During our stop at the local market, I saw many many bags of rice puffs just like the ones I saw being made earlier in the day. Duang told me that people will give the completed sacks of food to the Monks on September 14 (I later found out that it was not a special holiday but it was a full moon so it is special in that regard). As we went through the market I realized and Duang explained about what was going on with the popped rice. It is made into a special food - from what I saw - Thailand's answer or version of "Cracker Jacks".

The special food is a conglomerate of popped rice, caramel, coconut, and peanuts. Later on the songtell I saw a mother and her son with a sack filled with lumps of palm sugar - just like the lump sugar that we enjoyed last August in Cambodia ("Kampucha" to Thais). The sugar is derived from palm trees. It is very sweet and kind of tastes like maple syrup and light molasses.

I think that we will get to witness more of this process before 14 September.

We made it back home by 3:00 PM with many memories as well as 528 digital photographs to review, edit, and catalog.