This photo was not taken at the cooking school, but coconuts are a major part of Thai food. We saw several instances of palm trees and other plants growing through the rooves of buildings.
We went to the market to learn about all the various ingredients. It's very important in Thai food that everything be as fresh as possible...
..including the fish, which you can take home in a bucket and kill in the comfort of your own kitchen (or you can buy them dead, or even ready-grilled).
Rhiannon cooks green curry
Robin cooks red curry