I FORGOT MY MANTRA

Every May for several years, my lover who later became my husband, and I traveled to Thailand for a heat-seeking tropical vacation in Phuket. We stayed at a small boutique hotel called The Chedi.  Every morning we relished eating fresh mangos, coconuts and drinking Thai iced coffee laced with cardamom. For lunch we walked to Surin Beach for shrimp Pad Thai cooked in beach shacks typically operated by two family members. These little huts miraculously served 5-6 page menus filled with fresh local recipes and ingredients. I still wonder...