The Peninsula

Thailand is tasty- as most of you are aware. My 2nd trip confirmed that. They are capable of putting together a meal; balancing flavors, using ingredients creatively to create something capable of tickles all our senses. Everything you throw down the hatch is at the very least 'good' and many times marvelous. Can that be said for many countries? As long as you simply snack outside of tourist ghettos, even with a blindfold on you'd do fine sniffing your way around.



Chang Beer. Not the best..but with the sand between your toes who's complaining?



Curry paste. Eat it like ice cream.



There's a new sheriff in town. Call it Mr. Pad Ga-Prao Muu {ผัดกะเพรา}. Ground pork stir-fried with chilis and Thai holy basil. This variety of basil is critical- ordinary Thai basil they commonly serve stateside won't do. Order with a greasy, oozing fried egg on the side. This vendor added crispy fried pork belly pieces to the stir fry to boost caloric and euphoria levels.



Southeast Asian chicken 'n waffles meal.



It's Pad Thai, the intro dish for people who don't really know what else to order on the menu. That being said, it's still amazing. Tangy tamarind. Crunchy bean sprouts. Fried Tofu and pork. A perfect blend for $1. If you're a Thai Wok lady with an apron on, we're friends.



Down in Trang they eat a Thai-Style dim sum and b.b.q. roast pork for breakfast. Damn I love Asia.



Oh, they've got some beaches in the south as well. Relax for a bit. {Koh Kradan}



Fried Crispy.



I also became an avid fan of Northern Style Sausage [ไส้อั่ว Sua Ua} during my trip. Ground pork laced with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and chilis. Not overly sweet like some other types of Asian sausage, with just the right amount of burn. Lets just say the sausage lady and I were on a first name basis.

Stay Supreme.

Seemingly Stuck

Thailand sees it's fair share of Tourists year in and year out and over on the backpacker isle of Koh Lipe they have a nice little system working. The island is quite petite so there is absolutely no chance of scooting off to a spot where no 'farang' has ventured before. Beachfront restaurants along with smaller shacks sell basic Thai dishes for travelers at 2-3 times the mainland price. Their reasoning is that 'it's an island' but please it's not the Pitcairns [pop. 50]- we're 20 miles off the coast. Shipping can't be that expensive. It seems like every spot sells everything for the same price- be it sunscreen ($12 a bottle anyone?), fried chicken or mineral water. Almost like they have an island-wide union set up and selling below the going rate will get a bone or two broken by this guy.

I've come to accept paying more in tourist areas, but I'm not thrilled about paying these prices when the food is average and choices are limited. pad thai, papaya salad, sticky rice, banana pancake, pad thai, papaya salad...Needless to say I felt suffocated.

One sunny morning I asked the massage ladies next to our lovely cabanas [above] what it is they eat. They told me they cook their meals. Not surprising. Right then and there I knew I wanted to eat that- whatever it was. Three of us pooled together some cash and the ladies went off to the market to cook up a hearty spread of Thai dishes.

A few kilos of fresh Tuna fresh got stuffed with Pandan Leaves and grilled over a few spare 2x4's they found on the beach. Probably from the restaurant being built next door.



Water Spinach to Asia is like Bert to Ernie.

The ladies hard at work. In the States they have these ratings where to most folks 'C' translates to stay the hell away and opt for Jack-in-the-Box instead. Soooo this is probably a 'Q' rating if you wanna get specific about it. But I don't. So lets not.



Wok-Toasting sticky rice for Lap Muu- a spicy ground pork mixture with lime, herbs and shallots. A Laos / Isan [North-East Thailand: homeland of the massage ladies] specialty. Stuff looks and tastes better when the wok is involved.



Limes, shallots, scallions and cilantro. Four big-time Thai players.



Lap Muu. In all it's glory. Actually doesn't look that glorious but the taste was top-notch.



They fry until golden and crispy, even if it means you're taking in loads of oil with it. The way I look at it is that's just extra flavor for the high life.



A tart sauce of tamarind, chilis, sugar and fish sauce is spooned over the fried tuna to create 'pla sam lot'. 3 flavored fish. Works perfectly.


The final spread also included Pad Siew [fried noodles with soy], Pork Satay [skewers] and Sticky rice to go with the fish, Lap Muu and water spinach. Then we sipped vodka and counted the stars. Lots of 'em. The banana pancake was not invited.

Stay Relentless.

Titillating Thailand

My two weeks in Thailand served as only time for an introduction to the vast expanse that is Thai Cuisine. Here's a few of my more memorable dishes.

Mangoes atop sweetened sticky rice, topped with condensed milk. It’s the perfect amount when you split it with someone else, because too much sticky rice makes you sleepy.

Roti. Better known as the banana pancake. What would the chow-timid shoe-stringer do without ‘em? It’s made with fresh dough fried atop a griddle in a ridiculous amount of oil and margarine. You can get these pancakes plain, stuffed with fruit or even nutella. At first this crispy, unctuous pancake topped with sweetened condensed milk is a revelation. After your 3rd you're over it.

Standard condiments. No self-respecting restaurateur would leave these off any table. Thai cuisine prides itself on attacking all parts of the tongue. Clockwise from the top we have chili flakes (spicy), fish sauce (salty), vinegar (sour) and sugar (sweet). Adjust your dish to suit your liking.

Phad Siew. This is one of the most popular fried noodle dishes (along with Phad Thai), and my personal favorite. It takes flat rice noodles and wok fry’s them with kale and soy sauce. Simple but seductive. The rice noodles are coated with both sweet and salty soy sauce while the greens provide a crunchy contrast to the chewy noodles. Here’s an abridged phad siew cooking session for anyone who wants to try and replicate this dish!

Phad Thai. I’m sure you’ve all eaten or at least heard of this dish if you’ve ever stepped foot inside a Thai restaurant. Thin rice noodles, egg, peanuts, bean sprouts, green onion and shrimp combine with vinegar, tamarind, sugar and lime. Of course there are variations but the basic phad thai has to have some sour to it- in varying degrees depending on your geographic location. Both phad thai and phad siew will run you anywhere from $.65-$2.00 depending on your whereabouts.

This may seem like an ordinary chicken soup, but add some fish sauce, vinegar and chili to the already robust chicken stock base and you have a wholesome lunchtime soup that runs you less than a dollar.

You’ll also find street stalls all over Thailand selling grilled meats, most commonly chicken. Sweet and spicy most of the time.

I straight love these. Fried sesame taro root balls. I presume it’s a taro root batter that is deep-fried and rolls in sesame seeds. I’ve eaten these before in the states, but they were always a lot bigger, greasier and heavier. These were small, ludicrously light and scrumptious.

Khao Soi. This is a regional specialty of northern Thailand (also where I found the best food). You have your curry base, chicken and crispy fried noodles on top. For $.65 cents this was an amazing dish at price even my dad wouldn’t complain about. It can be real spicy or relatively mild, again depending on the cook or how white you look.

Gung (shrimp) penang. Nothing much to say here. Just a mouth-watering snap of some gung.

All around Bangkok you can also find grilled bananas on a stick. See that char-esque caramelization going on? Just beautiful.

Head down to Yaorwat road in Bangkok and you’ll have your choice of several Chinese delicacies. I’ll take the roast duck.

One of Thailand’s national dishes: Tom Yum Kung. It’s basically a hot and sour soup with shrimp- in this case jumbo shrimp. The sour comes from the tamarind, the hot from chilis. The soup is also cooked with lemongrass and galangal (thai ginger) to give it a pleasant lightness. The white beads you see are fresh coconut milk, which is also sometimes added.

Spicy banana flower salad. I’ve never had banana flower before, but I’m a huge fan now. You’ll just have to try it.

Overall I'd give the food I ate in Thailand a solid B+. Outside of the touristy places of the Southern peninsula, it's possible to get amazing meals for rock bottom prices. Get over there and eat all the food I missed out on!

Check back soon. I’ll be discussing the frustrating enigma that is Laotian cuisine.