Tastes of Traditional Thai

21 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in Bangkok, Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Cuisine, Out in the Big World/Travel, Thai Food

≈ 6 Comments

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must

regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.  ~Luciano Pavarotti

****________________________________________________________________________****

Well said, Mr. Pavarotti.  And yes, yes it is.

I didn’t have to go to Thailand to fall in love with Thai food.  It’s always been a favorite.  Thank Buddha, in Thailand it was better than I’d even dreamed!  Multiple flavors in every bite,  all fresh ingredients, brightly colored concoctions – with proteins and grains taking a serious backseat to nuts and exotic fruits and vegetables.   My kind of eating.  Guy’s favorite Thai foods include curry, while mine include coconut or coconut milk, or both.  While visiting Thailand, we never ate the same thing twice and often shared dishes.  We ate a lot. And often.  And did I mention a lot?

I find it funny that some doctor, at a clinic my mother went to before traveling to Asia, told her to avoid the street food in Thailand.  She may have meant to avoid street food as a general rule, with which I can’t sweepingly disagree.  But using your common sense, and eschewing filth and obvious signs of mold or rot, street food in Thailand is some of the absolute best cuisine. (And for the record, I never saw mold or rot anywhere.  Urine soaked trash, yes.  Mold?  Rot?  No.)

If you avoid the street food you'll miss out on the fried bananas. And that would be tragic.

Fresh coconut milk on a hot day? Yes, please.

Fried sidewalk chicken. I say go for it!

This particular fish, however? I opted out. The flies chased me away. Common sense, I tell you.

DIVINE fruits: sapodila, rambutan, mangosteen, papaya or mango, and dragonfruit.

Bugs are always a safe bet, too. Sometimes chalky, but safe!

Larvae is also safe. So I hear. The vendor wouldn't let us try these. And we didn't want a 1/2 pound bag full. So.

I’m a huge supporter of going right ahead and eating Thai street food.  I’m jinxing myself, but I’ve never so much as had a wave of nausea eating or drinking in a foreign country.  Yes, I know it happens.  No, I don’t want to hear the horror stories.

Then again, the restaurants are equally incredible.  I have never been happier to eat out every single day, for breakfast.  Second breakfast.  Lunch.  Dinner.   And snacks.  And desserts.  And coffee.  Miraculously, I didn’t gain an ounce.  Thai food is among the healthiest in the world (the fried bananas notwithstanding), and we took advantage of our time to swim at the hotels and walk a lot around the cities, too.  If I had stayed another month, maybe I’d have gained weight and be looking more like the famous tenor quoted above.  I promise you, I’d still be singing the praises of Thailand’s cuisine.

Little bites of lots of things = perfection.

I don't even know what this is. Except De.lic.ious.

Pad Thai. In THAILAND. Does it get any better?

Temple Run

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Bangkok, Thailand, Out in the Big World/Travel

≈ 1 Comment

In the video game, Temple Run, players have to run through narrow passages of ancient temples, taking sharp turns, navigating dark alleys and jumping over pits of fire.  Apparently this is fun stuff.  If you’re 12.

In Bangkok, tourists have to walk through narrow passages (of other tourists) at temples, taking hundreds of pictures while navigating how to avoid other people (taking the same pictures) in the blazing heat of full summer sun.  Apparently this is fun.  If you’re 40.

Our children and our niece were great sports and barely, hardly, rarely, infrequently, seldomly complained.  Okay, once.  Or a hundred times, I can’t remember which.  It seems the heat turned my brain to wax – and that it seeped itself out onto the streets of Thailand.

I can’t blame them if they did complain.  There were enough golden Buddhas in Bangkok to sear silhouettes of the idols into our corneas in the overzealous sunshine.  Plus, to the kids, one temple is the same as another.  And we saw many, many temples.  It was an epic temple run.

Just a slice of Nirvana at the Royal Grand Palace.

First, the Royal Grand Palace.  This is where the Emerald Buddha resides.  He’s a small Buddha who sits way atop a mountain of symbolic beauty and tourists are not allowed to take his picture.  Of the two pictures we didn’t take – neither is usable in this blog.  I think Buddhists call this karma.

Pretty, right?  Also quite reflective.

They held up their end of the traveling bargain.

…with a modicum of bribery.

Then came Wat Po, where the reclining Buddha lives.

This is one big lounging Buddha.  Someone bring him a martini.

Finally, came Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn. Home of the Golden Happy Buddha.

We loooooove Happy Buddha. He seems like one of us.  But so much…golder. 

If you ever find yourself in Bangkok, all three of these temples are worth your attention. Take your camera and take your time.  They are painstakingly decorated with little pieces of glass, hand glued onto every inch of every surface – giant kaleidoscopes.  They are spectacular.

And even if the kids won’t admit it, they were every bit as cool as a mesmerizing video game.