Feasting, part I
Food has always been one of the best parts about traveling, and Thailand is certainly a region worth visiting for the cuisine alone (though you’ll stay for everything else!) Be prepared to eat things you didn’t order/have never heard of (egg/squid mash instead of pineapple curry). Also work on your spice intake, since they will serve Westerners the blandest food by default and most of the flavor comes at the expense of some extra head.
Markets are such a great option for noshing. You can get such a variety of incredible for ridiculously low prices – which lets you sample all sorts of interesting items! Also, you can actually see what you’re getting. And you can gesture to an item right in front of you!
The last activity of our orientation week was a full Lanna style (northern Thai) dinner with Mike and Paang of XploreAsia at the absolutely delectable Huan Soontaree. Beyond the stunning lantern-strew decor, the food was such a palatable adventure after accidentally ordering sauce less rice dish after sauce less rice dish for days.
Finally, the best thing I’ve had to date is a simple dish called Khao Soi, a traditional Northern dish and simply the best noodle soup. A family shop the street from our school, with just enough room for our tiny class to feast together, makes the perfect portion of this delicacy. Chai Run (this may be the entirely wrong spelling, but is what we were able to piece together with mnemonics about tea sprinting down the street) and his mother are the best of people, serving up their four item menu in front of their home.
And just a few other delights from around town.
