I am the baby at work and some of the Thai women at work like to look after me. At the top of that list is
the little lady in the kitchen, Ba Moo (rough translation, Auntie Pork). This is a short little woman, maybe 4’10”, who is in her mid fifties. She’s a peculiar woman with several tattoos on her arms and I’m pretty sure she has two fake teeth that she takes out from time to time. Her appearance isn’t Vogue material but her personality is quite charming, and that is what I’ll miss (her food is not as memorable). Everyday I ask Ba Moo what we’re having for lunch, so I know if I want to eat it, and she always explains to me in detail (and in Thai) what we are eating. I usually have no idea what she’s saying, sans for maybe a handful of dishes I understand. After she tells me what we’re eating she always talks to me. I never know what she’s saying. I always pretend to understand and nod in agreement. Sometimes I utter, “Jing jing” (it means, really?) to make her feel like I’m listening, but I can’t decipher anything she says. After a few jing jings and head nods, I smile and go back to work. My morning just doesn’t feel complete without my AM Ba Moo interaction.
These little pseudo conversations aren’t the only thing I will miss about Ba Moo. What I will really miss about Ba Moo is that she is so worried that I never get enough to eat. She loves feeding me. She always wants to know if I’ve had enough to eat and offers me seconds and thirds. Ba Moo knows the word big, so she always points to me and says “Big, big” and points to food and says “ow mai?” (you want?). It always makes me chuckle how worried she is that I’m being fed enough.
An example of her generous hospitality occurred today. I didn’t have time to eat so I came into the kitchen at 2PM and asked her if she had any food for me. Ba Moo naturally was surprised that I hadn’t eaten and was a bit worried. She scurried to the back of the kitchen to whip me up some food. When she returned she sat down with me as I ate. While I ate she conversed with me. As I ate contently and smiled with satisfaction I realized how much I would miss Ba Moo. After I finished my plate of rice, I wiped my mouth and put my dishes away. Just before I went back to work, in classic Ba Moo form, she pulled out a cookie from her apron…a special treat just for me.
so i guess my saying Big Big and taking the food away was not the right thing to do? I think I’ll not be asking the question, who do you love best, for awhile.