::cucumber soup::

Almost seven years ago some friends and I took a 4 week vacation in Thailand. We were studying abroad for the year in Tokyo and not only was Thailand inexpensive and easy to get to from where we were, Japan's school year is set up differently and we found ourselves with a two month long spring break. We packed our backpacks.

With 28 days to fill, we were fortunate enough to visit a variety of cities and islands. Most of our travel was done by bus or train. On a particularly long bus ride, there was a scheduled stop at a small rest area, where there was cheap food and larger facilities than the bus could offer. At this outdoor bare-bones restaurant (for lack of a better term), we sat down to the one and only meal they were serving. I don't remember where we were, where we were headed, or what else we ate there, but I do remember that cucumber soup.

It sounds strange to cook cucumbers, let alone have a soup flavored with them I know, but I found that cooked cucumbers are almost as refreshing as raw ones. If that wasn't the case, I don't know how anyone could serve hot soup at an outdoor (i.e. not air-conditioned) place in some of the hottest, stickiest weather I've ever experienced. There wasn't much else going on in the soup but I had every last drop and haven't forgotten it.

And now I won't forget it for sure, because (1) I made it last night, (2) I'm writing about it now, and (3) I ate it with Eric, who has a good memory, and who should have been on that trip with me in the first place!

My version also included mushrooms, corn, and gyoza, and in addition to the thinly sliced cucumbers that cooked in the broth, I added raw diced cucumbers before serving for some crunch.

It was better at home, better with Eric, and it brought back some memories of warm weather on a cold Seattle night.