Pavement Food in Thailand is Safe and Delicious
Street Vendors Offer Spicey, Sweet & Sour Tastes Under Open Skies
Oct 20, 2009
It is said that the Thais eat all day and it is hard to argue with that. Eating is one of life's great pleasures and although the Thais eat sensibly and in small quantities, nevertheless they seem to snack throughout the day.
The steaming woks of the street vendors are a constant stimulation to the appetite, the aromas of one-day sun-dried squid mingling with meats that have been marinating in spices for 24 hours all overlaid with the smell of freshly chopped coriander, garlic and kaffir lime leaves.
Visitors should proceed with caution when trying Thai food for the first time - it is surprisingly hot. But explore it the visitor must because the richness of a cuisine that has been influenced by China, India, and the West, deserves nothing less.
The Basis of Thai Dishes is rice, their word for "eating" being "tahn koaw" meaning to "eat rice", and a typical Thai meal will include this staple, soup, a fried dish, a steamed dish, a salad, and some fruit. All dishes are served at the same time and are eaten in whatever order the diner may choose. The food is eaten with a spoon and fork, the fork being used to push the food on to the spoon. Soup is taken throughout the meal, unlike the western habit of drinking it all in one go at the beginning of the meal. Salt and pepper is seldom seen on the table, but Phrik nam pla (fish sauce) with lime juice will always come with the meal together with extra chilli sauces.
The spices used are important. First up are garlic, coriander (the root, leaves and stem), salt and pepper, then chillies from hottest to just hot. After this it is down to the cook to decide on which herbs will best bring out the flavour of what (s)he is cooking, be it fish, meat or vegetables.
Salads are popular but are not what the western palate thinks of as salads, often appearing as a plate of raw vegetables, cabbage mostly, and slices of cool cucumber (necessary for cooling the hot chillies).
Thai Cuisine - Regional Specialities
Within the country there are regional specialities to look out for. In Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, the visitor can sample fried grass-hopper, field rat (better than house rat they will assure you) and various creepy-crawlies.
In the Isarm area the food has been much influenced by Laos and the visitor may be tempted to try fermented black crabs (somtam poo) eaten with sticky rice and the Thai favourite, papaya salad. This latter defies its mild sounding name as it can be very fiery.
Down towards the Malaysian border will be found the hottest curries in Thailand (or so they say), and lots of dishes that include cashew nuts and coconut milk (both of which are staples in the area).
Wherever the visitor eats, there will be an abundance of fresh fruit to follow, melons sliced in easy to eat pieces, mangoes, papayas, mangosteens, lychees and rambutans in season.
What to Drink with Thail Food
There are no rules about what to drink with what food in Thailand. Many choose beer as the best accompaniment to a hot meal, others go for a mild whiskey. Lots of tables will have bottles of whiskey prominently displayed: a measure will be poured into a tumbler then topped to the brim with water and this will be drunk throughout the meal. (Most Thai restaurants allow diners to bring their own bottles but enquire beforehand).
There are few rules in Thai restaurants except that you enjoy yourself. Join the Thais and eat and drink Thai style. Try the different foods, savour the flavours, but be careful. They pack a punch!
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