One (of Many) Reasons I Enjoyed Thailand (Hint – It’s The Food!)

 

I have spent a vast majority of my time in SE Asia wandering around Thailand.  This was not in the original plan.  I thought I would come to Thailand for 30 days and then move on to another country.  Looking back, I realized I have spent 11 weeks there total.  A 7 week stint from September to November, and then I came back for the entire month of January.  What kept me coming back?  Well, there are lots of reasons.  Thailand is a great country, filled with wonderful people and a dizzying assortment of things to see.  But it also has food.  Good food.  Mouth-watering food.  The kind that keeps you thinking about what and where you are going to eat next.  Plus the food is cheap. It’s a combination that results in many travelers becoming stuck in Thailand long past their original departure date.

My favorite past-time while spending the month of January in Chiang Mai was heading to the nightly market at Chiang Mai Gate.  Every evening vendors would arrive and fill the plaza with the most delectable assortment of foods. Noodles, rice, fruit shakes, chicken, rotee, the options were plentiful.

Those who know me know that sometimes I tend to enjoy the same meals over and over again, even with a vast array of choices.  Well, I slipped into that routine as well when I made my nightly stop at the market.  You see, there were great dishes all around, but there were only a few fantastic dishes that beckoned to me every night.  Like a siren call I couldn’t say no to, I found my feet walking to the same vendors night after night after night.  The wonderful side effect of this repeated nature of mine is that I was able to become a local, a repeat guest to the vendors, and in the process engage in that somewhat personal relationship between a vendor and their customer. Yes, I will even admit that once they saw me, they knew exactly what to prepare. Ah, the joy of feeling a local routine sandwiched amongst the chaotic nature of long-term travel is a pleasant thing indeed.

I would start my evening by heading to the chicken stand.  I don’t know the exact name of this stand, only that it served the most tendor chicken, cooked inside a small charcoal stove to perfection.  A quarter chicken cost 50 baht (30 baht = 1 US dollar).  For those Iowa citizens who are wondering, this quarter chicken rivals the chicken served at Hickory Park in Ames.  I know, I know, blasphemy you say!  But you must trust me on this one.  Do not let the presentation fool you.  You must also believe me since, well, I have tried both and I’m guessing you have not.  But if you ever do make your way to Chiang Mai, please have a taste and then let me know what you think.

 

 

Content with my quarter chicken, I would then cross the street to the delightful Mrs. Pa and her fruit stand. I love Mrs. Pa. She is the epitome of a perfect street vendor, and I daresay, someone whose personality we should all strive to emulate. Her charming smile when she greets you, mild manner, humble attitude, and friendly nature has melted even the most jaded and hungry patron. I love Mrs. Pa and her fruit stand so much that I even started daydreaming one evening about how great it would be if I could transport her to wherever I was living. You see, it was while drinking one of her incredible concoctions, a mango and passion fruit shake, that I began to wonder what it would be like if I could live on a street and have all my favorite food places be on that street. I would have Mrs. Pa and her fruit stand, the vendor from Ko Tao, Thailand who makes the perfect peanut butter/chocolate/banana rotee, and of course a Jimmy John’s and Giordano’s restaurant would live on that street as well.

I will admit that even though I went to Mrs. Pa each evening (how could I betray her!), I would always end up ordering a different mix of fruit. We got into the habit of ordering my drink in this fashion: I would pick the first fruit, and she would then pick the perfect complimentary fruit. In this way I ended up with such mouth-watering selections as dragon fruit/passion fruit, strawberry/banana, strawberry/orange, mango/passion fruit, pineapple/strawberry/banana, and watermelon. Even writing this now I can still taste each fruit shake as I list them. Oh, Mrs. Pa, how I miss you already! Did I mention that her fruit shakes cost only 20 baht (less than 1 US dollar!)

I would then round out my night by walking towards the market exit and enjoy my dessert, a chocolate/banana rotee. The perfect mix of a crepe filled with sliced bananas and topped with chocolate sauce, this treat would invariably accompany me on my walk back to my guesthouse each night.   Total price?  30 baht.  It was the perfect food ending to a perfect food night, and I looked forward to repeating my routine each evening.

 

 

For those keeping a tally at home, with a quarter chicken for 50 baht, fruit shake for 20 baht, and rotee for 30 baht, my entire meal cost 100 baht, or just over $3 US dollars.  That, my friends, is why people continue to rave about Thailand.

I never considered myself as someone who relishes the idea of food and the next meal.  In fact, it is still not a high priority with me.  However, Thailand, and Chiang Mai in particular, has threatened my belief that food is just a meal to be eaten.  Instead it has revealed to me, in the smallest and most initial fashion, that food just might be something more than a substance to be eaten for energy.  It just might be cause for celebration, passion, and perhaps a bit of obsession.