Sweet Dreams and Sweeter Realities

Some things only happen in dreams.  When I was younger, I was so into stationary, writing utensils, and pretty much any accessory related to the two.  I would literally have three different types of pencil sharpeners for my one pencil and one lead pencil.  But what can I say?  Kids are strange—I was strange.  But hold up, it gets even stranger. 

One night, I had a dream that my mom took me to Big Lots.  We walk through the door—my eagerness ensuring that I was five steps in front of my mother at all times.  Once she caught up to me, she kneeled down and grabbed me by the shoulders, as all loving mothers do, and granted me my ultimate wish.  “Kimberly”, she said, “I have a $50 dollar gift card that you can spend however you’d like”. 

I kid you not, I almost peed my pants out of excitement; however, because that would delay my shopping spree, I didn’t.  Instead, I darted to the pencil sharpener aisle and picked up at least 20 ladybug-shaped sharpeners, making sure that I had equal numbers of blue, yellow, red, and green ladybugs.  I kid you not when I say that it was a dream come true.  I was on cloud nine.  That is, until I woke up.  Once I awoke, my dream-come-true became my biggest disappointment.   I have never fallen from cloud nine so rapidly, nor have I ever lost 20 ladybug-shaped sharpeners so quickly. 

Growing up, I realized rather quickly that some things only happen in dreams.  In reality, my mother would never grant me a $50 shopping spree at Big Lots to spend on ladybug sharpeners.  And I’m thankful for that.  In retrospect, I was, at times, an extremely strange child with extremely strange interests.  In retrospect, 20 ladybug pencil sharpeners seem more like a nightmare than a miracle.  

There are some dreams, I've realized, like all the knife-wielding clown dreams, that are better off left in dreamland.  There are others, however, that leave you better off if and when they enter the world of reality.  

Today was one of those, and it didn’t even have anything to do with Disneyland.  It did, however, have anything and everything to do with Preussenpark Park, located on Fehrbellinerplatz, 10707 Wilmersdorf, otherwise known on the weekends as Thai Park! 

Apparently, years ago, Thai families would gather at Fehrberliner Park to gamble and gossip over spreads of Thai cuisine and picnic blankets.  Over time, these weekly potlucks transformed into an unofficial Thai marketplace, or food fair.  Today, Thai families gather weekly (as long as the weather permits), set up their blankets and umbrellas, and sell their home cooked Thai dishes to the German public.  I’ve found Bangkok in Berlin!  I kid you not…it’s a dream come true.

Being an eager beaver, I arrived during set up...

But that also meant that I was one of the first to get served!  This was a chicken curry!  It was spicy and way too good... I probably could have had three more bowls of this...The stand I got this from also had curry with beef and pork and few fried appetizers!

If you can't tell, I'm beyond happy--I'm stoked!!

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it did.  There were so many families and stands selling papaya salad.  Those that know me know that this is one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world, and when a Thai couple is making it in front of you...I mean, it really can't get any better.  

It was literally a plate of pure perfection, pure magic, pure bliss--whatever you want to call it.  He even remembered the salted crab.  Bless that beautiful man.

The lawn filled up fast, not only with vendors, but also with customers!

And the eating didn't stop there.  Before this, I had three desserts... A banana sticky rice dessert wrapped in a banana leaf, coconut jello with taro bits, and some mango sticky rice!  These, I believe were fried curry cakes?  I'm not exactly too sure, but whatever it was, it made my tummy extremely happy!

If tummies could talk...

Mine wouldn't.  The pure bliss, excitement and happiness would have shut it up.  But actually though, today was perfection.  It was a dream come true, and it didn't even have anything to do with Disneyland or ladybug pencil sharpeners!

Yours,

Kimmy