On arriving in Bangkok I usually have one thing on my mind; some sleep is usually needed after the long trip from Canada; but first, FOOD. It’s hard to go anywhere in Bangkok and not be surrounded by the aromas of various food. Thai’s are fantastic at cooking up amazing dishes in a flash. Bangkok is well known for it’s Street Food. Which generally refers to vendors with carts that each specialize in one item or dish.
A typical street food stall selling noodle soup with chicken.
One of my favorite places to eat in Bangkok is not quite street food, but also, it’s not really a restaurant. These on-the-spot-eateries, often set up at night, turn a street corner into a make-shift restaurant. Plastic stools and tables will start to be pulled out just before dusk (around 5pm) and the cooking will be done at a mobile kitchen. One I love to visit we affectingly call the ‘7-11 Restaurant’ because it is on the corner where a 7-11 convenience store is. It’s a short walk from our hotel and is open late into the night. They always have an array of Thai dishes ready. And several on the go.
It’s run by a group of 4 guys who look younger than they likely are. They are slammin’ busy every night and for good reason, they just keep pumping out the amazing food.
Multi tasking :)
The dishes are displayed in trays on the cart, You just start pointing at what looks good and they start dishing it up. Of course served with rice. One of my favorites is panang curry with pork. The best panang curry I’ve had! They also make this amazing pork with green beans in a sweet-hot chili sauce. The last time I had Thai green curry from these guys I think I burnt a whole layer of my stomach lining off. But it was SO GOOD!
A meal for 2 people with 3 dishes, and rice costs about $3 CND.
Sounds super cheap, but depending on your comfort level there is some compromise. You are literally sitting on the street on a plastic stool. If a large vehicle comes by you may have to get up and move your table over to let it through. And likely all of the exhaust fumes don’t do us much good, but the air quality in Bangkok sucks anyway. To me these are small compromises and the people watching is also great entertainment.
When you’re having your meal and your lips are about to fall off from the heat you’ll likely need a cold beer. These guys won’t sell you one, they tell you to just go into the 7-11 and get yourself one. So, in addition to great food, you get beer with no mark up. Cool.
Food - a very integral part of Thai culture! As with many cultures Thais include food with all special occasions, events and ceremonies. Food is given as offerings to the gods, Buddha and nats (spirits). Although Thais are not naturally large people, they seem to eat all day. Small portions of food to nibble on all the time. I admit, I love it!
In any city/town you will find an abundance of 'street food' Food prepared on small mobile carts. Sometimes it's something on skewer to snack as you walk; sometimes there will be a few plastic tables and chairs, for you to take a break on, which are stack-able and move with the food prep cart. The array of options is astounding! On some street corners you'll find 5 or 10 different food carts. Honestly, you can barely go a block without finding something available to eat. Hmmm...could this have something to do with why I am always 5lbs heavier when I return to Canada from Thailand?
At first you might think it's a culinary adventure only for those with a strong stomach and small budget. But this is not true. Thais are incredibly clean people and the street food is no exception. Although a very economical way to eat, street food stalls are just as popular in commercial areas where at lunch time the small plastic chairs on the side of the road are filled with suits and high heels.
Sometimes it's a bit of an assault on the senses when you're eating some amazingly delicious, perfectly flavoured dish and find yourself in a sudden plumb of exhaust from a passing bus, or teetering on your plastic stool when a motorcycle whizzes by.
Never said it was calm, just wonderful!
 fresh fruit
| |  tastes so much better when it's eaten in the country its grown in
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 dried fish & squid - a favourite with Thais
| |  corn - served steamed hot, in a cup, topped with butter, salt & sugar
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 juices, soft drinks & coconuts
| |  young coconut - the top is hacked off with a machete-style knife, you drink the milk with a straw then eat the young flesh with a spoon. great for energy.
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 fresh coffee
| |  "coffee is my life"...interesting philosophy
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 grilled salted fish
| |  grilled chicken & noodles
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 fried wantons
| |  roasted chicken
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 pork rinds
| |  pad thai
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 curries are available in more varieties than I could possibly count
| |  rice with spices
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 insects and larvae are particularly popular in the North
| |  a tray full of fried larvae - tastes kind of like salty, crispy potato chips - this is in Chang Rai in Northern Thailand, near the Burmese border
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 roasted chestnuts
| |  grilled bananas
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 freshly squeezed orange juice
| |  squeezing the juice by hand
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 grilled squid on a skewer
| |  fresh green papaya salad (one of my favourite Thai dishes and one you just can't make the same at home)
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 fried noodles
| |  waiting for customers
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 fried sweet dough - similar to donuts
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The list goes on and on....I can think of so many other delicacies that I don't have pictures of. But I think you get the idea.
Bangkok is a multicultural city. It is well known for its array of international restaurants. Italian is popular, as is Japanese Sushi and Korean BBQ. One of our favourite restaurants serves Middle Eastern Foods. Street food is usually a local flavour but sometimes foreign tastes are mixed in. Right now a Middle Eastern chicken kebab is popular especially in tourist areas. In a vibrant, multicultural city, some fusion is expected. But I never expected this:
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