Normally, you might not consider spending the Third Thursday Art Walk in South Tacoma, but the Asia Pacific Cultural Center has cooked up a special "somtum somtum" for you: A Meet the Artist reception for Kathy Thurston followed by a screening of Somtum (a.k.a. Muay Thai Giant). The former promises a chance to get up close and personal with Thurston, a Gig Harbor artist who is a student of Gongbi, Chinese detail painting. Thurston's works, which depict beautiful scenes of nature, will be on display in the APCC Gallery. The antithesis to this is Somtum, a martial arts-comedy from Thailand. Muay Thai fighter Nathan Jones stars as a tourist in Pattaya who is drugged, robbed and left penniless. He's befriended by two little girls, who take him to their family restaurant. Hilarity ensues after he eats some spicy somtum and has an adverse reaction, causing him to single-handedly destroy the restaurant. The End. Just kidding! Jones' character vows to raise money to rebuild the restaurant, and there's something about stolen diamonds which may-or-may-not play a part of that. ... APCC will also be serving an unnamed Thai specialty to patrons of this event. Presumably it won't be somtum, unless maybe they want to risk destruction of their gallery. Or maybe that's their plan all along. You break it, you buy it.

Kathy Thurston Reception + Somtum, 4-6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. film, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, free admission, 253.383.3900