Carving the beef

Thanksgiving this year was unique. The family I live with asked me if I could make American tuna sandwiches for dinner. So, even though I don't really like tuna that much, and even though I'm not sure how tuna sandwiches are different in American than they are in Thailand, I honored their request and whipped up the special treat. When I was finished, my host mom placed a butchers block, a knife, and a bowl of nearly raw beef in front of me and asked if I'd ever chopped beef before...hmmm. So, I didn't get to carve a turkey, but I did get to chop beef (which by the way we fried and ate with sticky rice and tuna sandwiches for dinner).
Before dinner, I went for a bike ride to explore the rice paddies beyond the village again. The sun was low in the sky and the breeze was blowing over the fields and through the trees, and I could only faintly hear the sounds of dogs barking and children playing in the village--what a peaceful feeling. I came upon an old lady standing barefoot, cutting rice near the siide of the road, so I stopped and asked (through charades) if I could help. She kinda giggled, motioned for me to come through the fence, handed me a sickle, and we cut rice together. I'm certainly not a pro, but hey, maybe next time I eat Thai basmati rice, I'll think a little more about the hand that might have harvested it.