PAD THAI (part 7)

I hand my mother a recipe for Pad Thai from the New York Times' food section.

The recipe calls for special ingredients, different from your average Pad Thai.
Seasonings and oils will have to be gathered at the Food Emporium down the street.

I decide this will be a fun project for my mother and my mother happily takes it on. When she leaves for the the grocery store however, she doesn't take the recipe.  My mother (an independent contrarian) isn't going to take directions from the The Times.

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Later that evening we have mom's Pad Thai. 

My mother worked hard on it.

When she asks me how it is (I know she flouted the recipe - she made it with olive oil instead of peanut) I can't bring myself to be enthusiastic.

I measure, "Well... it's okay. It doesn't taste like Pad Thai though."

"Really, because I've made it a million times for your father."

"Yeah, but you didn't follow the recipe. That was the whole point! The fun was in trying out this specific recipe. It doesn't taste like Pad Thai."

"How do you know?" she asks. "Have you ever been to Thailand? I have."

"Mother, I've ordered out for Pad Thai, at least one a month since I've lived in New York and this simply doesn't taste like Pad Thai!"

My mother hides her hurt in her drink.

"Well" she sighs, "I'll try again tomorrow."

I feel rotten. 

I make a mental note to apologize to my mother, but I never do.

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RECIPE FOR PAD THAI

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/dining/21minirex.html?scp=1&sq=pad%20thai&st=cse