It's the best weather I've ever been in for this part of the country. Note to travelers: come around November when the city has cooled down dramatically, it makes a big difference. I tend to find myself out here every 2 years or so and though I'd like to travel to other parts instead, I always look forward to being here. Each time I'm here in this city, I discover more new food. The streets remain lined with food vendors and the people are eating all the time. Now I know where I get this characteristic from!
It's common here to eat out all the time for every meal: breakfast (which is the same type of food as any other meal like rice or noodle dishes), lunch, and dinner. I have a theory that there are probably a couple more meals in between that were invented, an excuse to eat, you know.
Above is Pad See Ew, it's a pan-fried noodle dish that's one of my favorites and when the thick, rice noodles are a bit burnt, it's even better! Here in Thailand, I spend most of the time getting down and dirty and eating out on the streets just like the locals. It's comforting to eat out on the small, plastic stools with self-serve spoons and forks. I love getting my food prepared in front of me and served within 2-3 minutes. It's quick and it's fresh because each vendor usually only sells a couple items.
Probably one of the spiciest dishes in the world is Papaya Salad (Som Thum in Thai), pictured above. You can order it as spicy as you want and the chili can get pretty intense. It's so refreshing, so flavorful, and an absolute necessity that you try this if you haven't already. Each time I pass by it, my mouth waters thinking about it: the shredded green papaya, the cherry tomatoes, the roasted peanuts, fish sauce, lime, a bit of palm sugar, dried shrimp, and fresh chilies all mixed together in a clay mortar. It's barely 10am here and I'm already thinking about what to eat. But then again, that's usually my first thought when waking up.
I always wondered how the people in SE Asia can eat so much and yet be stick skinny. Girls eating bowls of noodles the size of their heads, yet they are 1/4th the size of me. Not fair!!
ReplyDeleteTheir diet is different, filled more with fresh ingredients than a bunch of preservatives. That's why I refuse to ever give up carbs (rice, noodles, etc..)! They are 1/4th of me too! Hahah.
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