Writes Joshua: “We both grew up in Spokane, on the east side of Washington State. At 19, I moved to Seattle and asked Melissa to marry me about a year later; we eloped on April 30th, 1999.
“Growing up inland, we weren't exposed to many foods outside of European tradition. However, once in Seattle, that all changed. Interestingly enough, Michael and Louis, the two witnesses at our elopement with whom I also worked at the time, were both originally from Asia and proved to be influential to this historically picky and overly insular eater.
“While Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mao, or Pad See Ew are what you'd find me mostly ordering today, it was actually Tup Tim Thai's Pork Fried Rice that I settled on the first time I ate ‘Thai Food’ — and again on subsequent lunch visits, much to Michael and Louis' chagrin!
“Sometimes, to liven it up, I'd even have shrimp added. If I was really daring? Add 1 star. I can hear Louis' guffaw and see him rolling his eyes now. Michael and Louis would go on to introduce me to Dim Sum and Pho. When we'd go as a family, Melissa was always a bit more adventurous than I, which helped to broaden my horizons.
“Both Melissa and I (and our at-the-time 7-month-old son) rode the Victoria Clipper sometime in 2001 to visit Victoria. I remember seeing The Empress from the water as we drew near and haven't forgotten the Butchart Gardens.
“Melissa fancies herself a bit of an Anglophile and I have to say I'm not far behind. Whether it's Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennett, Frodo and Sam, Adele and Led Zeppelin, The Magna Carta, Fascinators and The Queen, John Candy and Jim Carrey, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, Celine Dion and Bryan Adams, or High Tea at the Empress, we've a great appreciation for British and Canadian culture.
“After the Dot Bomb crash and a job switch, lightning struck sometime in 2003. I started noticing co-workers eating a noodle dish in a take-out box that looked and smelled amazing. The Noodle Ranch (long since defunct) in the Belltown area served the Pad Thai (with zucchini) I would first eat. I couldn't believe how good it was, a joyous harmony of tastes. A noodle dish for the ages. Tup Tim Thai was actually most well known for their Pad Thai which I would eventually eat, but
would find myself most enjoying that dish from The Golden Singha, not that far from The Space Needle.
“Today, the Thai restaurant we live closest to and enjoy is Benjarong in Monroe, Washington, which we can both recommend for its great service and food. Melissa mostly enjoys chili sauce and curry-based dishes these days.
“I was doing a search for Thai cooking classes in Victoria and came across Kallayanee's Kitchen. To my dismay there weren't any classes during the time we'd be there, so I decided to email and ask if there were anyway we could do a private lesson and to my surprise they said they would try to set one up.
“We'll be there February 22nd and 23rd, the only reservation I have to plan around is High Tea at the Empress.
“As Carson from Downton Abby said, ‘The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end, that's all there is.’ Would anyone out there be willing to come and cook with us to make a quorum and some memories?”