Take a class in Oriental cooking? - Pacific Travel Discoveries - directory

Whenever my mother handed me the mortar and pestle, she would remind me that in her day men chose their wives by how they pounded spices into powder," Violet Oon tells her cooking class, with a wink. "I still tell my students to grind their own spices . . . but use a food processort; it's faster."

Blending a pinch of folklore with a pound of practical demonstration, creative chefs throughout the Orient are whipping up some interesting classes in local cuisine. From Tokyo to Singapore, cooking schools offer a variety of programs for novice and experienced home cooks alike.

While most courses are run over several weeks and are designed for local students, in many cases each session is a self-contained unit focusing on a few dishes or a complete meal. In several major cities, we found schools that offer some classes in English and welcome visitors for single sessions.

Most of these classes tend to be demonstrations that include a taste of the final product, but a few encourage hands-on participation. All teach basic techniques essential to Oriental cooking.

Write for schedules and to reserve classes in English. Be sure to call three days ahead to confirm. Also, check what will be prepared; many classes teach Western cooking for local students.

NINE COOKING SCHOOLS YOU CAN VISIT

Hong Kong

Home Management Centre, 1 Hysan Ave., 2nd floor, Box 915, GPO; 5-890-6535. Hong Kong's electric utility typicall offers only one weekly 2-hour demonstration course in English ($6.50).

Towngas Centre, Leighton Centre, Basement, 77 Leighton Rd., Causeway Bay; 5-761535. The colony's gas utility offers a number of 1-1/2-hour demonstration courses ($6.50).

YWCA, 5 Man Fuk Rd., 4th floor, Waterloo Road Hill; 3-713-9211. Cook book author Lucy Lo (who also teaches at Towngas) gives popular 1-1/2-hour demonstrations ($6.50).

JAPAN

Tsuji Cooking Academy, 5-2-1 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo (03) 572-4844. Cooking classes at several locations last about 2 hours ($28). Overhead mirror and video monitor for close-ups make classes easy to follow--even in Japanese.

Japanese Culture Salon, Room 303, Citrus Sakuragaoka, 5-32-6, Sakuragaoka, Setayagaya-ku; (03) 706-4409. Lessons last about three hours ($15).

SINGAPORE

Cooking Art, Block 164, 03-3645 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 0316; 273-1467. Demonstration and practical classes last about 2 hours ($20).

Cooking Studio, 02-20 Singapore Shopping Centre, 190 Clemenceau Ave., Singapore 0923; 339-6577. In her modern classroom, Florence Ang's 2- to 3-hour hands-on sessions ($20) teach three recipes, which can be combined into a complete meal. She's adapted traditional recipes to microwave cooking.

Violet Oon, 19 Berrima Rd., Singapore 1129; 250-4712. Mrs. Oon offers 2-hour Wednesday morning demonstrations ($45) in her suburban home and publishes a monthly newsletter full of recipes; yearly subscription is $19.

THAILAND

Thai Cooking School, Oriental Hotel, Oriental Ave., Bangkok 10500; 236-0400. Sit in on one 3-1/2-hour morning session ($85) or join the week-long session ($395) where, through lectures, demonstrations, and participation, you'll learn how to adapt Thai recipes for use at home.