Thai & Indian Trade Show

Namaste Namaste!

The cold rainy weather this weekend did little to waver my unflinching love for shopping and the East; combine those two together, and you have a recipe that will see me falter at my shop-a-holic tendencies, and my husband grasping his wallet in a futile attempt to curb my impulsive purchases. Saturday saw the last day of the Thai Trade Show at the CTICC, which I was adamant I would not miss - come rain or shine.

Entrance to the Thai leg was free, which was just as well, since it was not really my cup of tea. Plastic-ware and mass-produced goodies dominated the stalls. It was hilarious seeing a Buddhist Monk rummaging amongst these “environmentally-unfriendly” products…kind of counter-intuitive if you will.

After browsing around for a while, my olfactory senses peaked as I smelled seafood being prepared. Two very friendly Thai chefs, who could almost not speak a word of English, was busy having a cooking demonstration at the back. The dish consisted of lobster, prepared with delicious spices and chilli. One would think that such exotic flavours would completely overpower the delicate lobster, but their skilful alchemy of combining those flavours were evident on tasting the finished dish.

After satisfying my curiosity, I wandered over to the “Best of India” showroom next door. They always say you save the best for last, and boy, they were right!

I think the only word that comes to mind to describe my reaction was sensory overload: beautiful tapestries, multi-coloured pashminas, glittering jewellery, and the unmistakable smell of incense and curry. So many beautiful, intricate and glittery clothes and jewellery, I almost wanted to screech out “my precciousss”.

Even though the majority of the stalls were geared towards Indian fashion and curios, I still had the chance to taste their oh-so-delicious Jalebi: which is kind of an Indian take on our traditional koeksisters.

So all and all, a good Saturday’s worth of shopping. Many pretty new things to adorn my closet with, but a visibly thinner purseL 

There were basmati and jasmine rice as far as the eyes could see.

These little snacks was the biggest surprise: Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, including pineapple, broccoli, beetroot and grapes. Super delicious, super nutritious, and will be on the shelves of Pick N Pay shortly.

yum yum: salted sunflower seeds: great as a snack, or scattered over a salad.

The lobster dish. Oh, and the big yellow thing that looks like a pineapple is in fact a butternut!