True Thai's Mom of the Year

I have written before about my mom, and about my older sister who was like a mom to me. Now I think it is time to write about my new mom.

Keo Phanthavong is True Thai's Mother of the Year. Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong's mother had five children, three daughters and two sons.

Anousone was a lot like his mother: soft-spoken, smiling all the time but shy, and always focused on the positive.

Keo gave birth to Anousone unassisted during a bombing raid on their village in Laos in 1972. Thirteen days after Ped was born, she took him across the Mekong River to get away from the bombing, which was the heaviest of the war.

Ped was very close to his mom. Whenever he saw her, he would always say that he wanted to fall asleep in her lap, and his mom would always say, "you're 38! aren't you a little old for that?" But I think she was always pleased when they had that conversation.

UPDATE! I just arrived at the restaurant and saw Ped's mom and dad in the alley planting 200 Thai chili plants. Two hundred! This means later this summer spicy food lovers will be eating Phanthavong peppers.


I think I may have also figured out who will be True Thai's Dad of the Year....

A word to the wise

Our new menu just went to the printer. We have held off increasing prices as long as we could, but rising prices and a huge rent increase have forced us to bump up our prices. I think we are still very competitive with the other Thai restaurants in town, and I hope True Thai will still be affordable for you.

We chose to delay raising prices until after the trial was over, and then we decided to wait until after Mother's Day to introduce the new menus. You will still be able to get tofu and mock duck entrees for under $10 but the most expensive seafood entrees will now cost you $15.95.

So now is the time to stop by True Thai to enjoy the old prices one last time!

True confession

Many people have asked me why I was not in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Partly it was because I had used up a lot of vacation attending the trial, but mostly it was because I was afraid to hear the verdict. I did not trust the jury to do the right thing.

I think many of us found this trial to be emotionally exhausting. First Deborah Russell spent a week proving the prosecution's case. We saw pictures of Ped's dead body, we listened to horrified 911 callers, we heard testimony from experts about how much of Ped's body would have been visible to the driver of the vehicle. Imagine seeing pictures of your loved one's dead body and I think you will better understand why I was not up for being in court that day. Then spend a day listening to the person who killed your friend lie about what happened.

Amy Senser will be in the news some more, but until she's willing to tell us what really happened that night, I am not sure I care to hear what she has to say. I appreciate the jurors getting the verdict right. This has been said many times but it needs to be said again: Amy Senser is not going to prison for killing Ped. Amy Senser is going to prison for killing Ped and then driving off and not telling anyone.

I would like to hear Amy Senser explain why she did that. Why she hit Ped, then drove around in her damaged car calling everyone but 911. Tell me that, then we can talk about forgiveness. But don't tell me any more lies written by lawyers. I have heard enough of those.

Are you ready for Mother's Day?

It's this coming Sunday, and time is running out to make a reservation to take Mom to her favorite Thai restaurant.

What's for Hot Lunch?

St. Paul Public Schools just let me know that Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken is back on their Hot Lunch menu. Based on True Thai's Superior Sweet & Sour, we donated this recipe to St. Paul schools years ago. I remember that it was very popular, but didn't realize they'd taken it off their menu until they sent me this notification that it is now back on the menu. (Yes, I'm a little confused, too.)

If you click on the picture, you'll get a larger image that includes our secret recipe — guaranteed to turn vegetable-hating kids into vegetable lovers!

When we opened True Thai, I knew I wanted Sweet & Sour on our menu. But the Sweet & Sour when True Thai opened is not the Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken served by the St. Paul School. That Sweet & Sour (which is what we serve at True Thai now) is the version that Ped perfected.

Hardly a month went by that Ped didn't think of a slightly better way to make a dish. Maybe it was a technique that let him cook faster, but mostly he would adjust the recipe until it was better. The Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken served by the St. Paul Schools was one of his best.

Since Ped perfected our Superior Sweet & Sour recipe, we have served it over 100,000 times. That's only an impressive number until you stop and realize that the St. Paul Public Schools have 39,000 students. I suspect they have served well over one million servings of Ped's Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Ped was famous in a very quiet way, and just about everyone who went to a St. Paul school since 2003 has eaten one of his recipes. That's a lot of people.

A last True Ped story

When Ped's family left Laos, his other grandfather (not the one who lived to be 105) said to leave Ped with him. Ped was seven, but someone had to stay to help grandpa. While he was there, he learned cooking from his aunt, a street vendor.

When Ped's grandpa died, he came to the United States where his mom picked up where his aunt had left off with the cooking lessons. We did not have to train Ped when he came to True Thai — Ped already knew how to cook and he went from caring for his grandfather to helping to provide for his parents and sisters.

Ped is gone now, but he is still there for his parents, making sure they are taken care of. Even in death, Ped cares for others. 

Guilty

As you've heard, Amy Senser was found guilty on two counts, and acquitted on the third charge due to legislative incompetence in writing DUI laws.

I do not know if this was justice, but we will find out July 9 when Mrs. Senser is sentenced. By then I hope she has found it in her heart to confess her crimes so the family can forgive her.

True Ped for Thursday

I hate to admit it, but both Ped and I have something in common with Amy Senser. Both Ped and I could not drink alcohol. My father got hives if he tried to drink and so do I, and I was surprised to learn that the same thing happened to Ped when he tried to drink.

So the truth is, neither Ped or I could finish a glass of wine either.

True Ped for Wednesday

Ped worked very quickly, but he was also good at waiting. I am not so patient. I wish the jury would hurry up and find Amy guilty.

True Ped for Tuesday

Thirteen days after Ped's mom gave birth to him unassisted, she had to flee with him across the Mekong River to escape the bombings.

True Ped for Monday

Ped loved the colors white and blue. All his t-shirts were white, and he wore blue jeans most of the time. Almost everything Ped owned was either white or blue.

Ped had two birds, one named Fa and the other one Kao. You guessed it: Fa is Lao for blue, and Kao is Lao for white.

For trial links, click here.

True Ped for Sunday

Because of martial law, Ped's mother could not go to the hospital when he was born, and she delivered him at home unassisted.