By Ben Groundwater
There are many reasons to want to visit Thailand that don’t involve food. There are the islands, in all their white-sanded, clear-watered glory. There are the temples, there are the Full Moon Parties, there’s the scuba-diving, the beachside relaxing and even the twice-daily, cost-you-money-not-to massages. But… The food. Really, if you’re not here to feed your face, you’re doing Thailand wrong.
Street food is where it’s at. Thailand’s finest cuisine, it’s tastiest, fieriest, most delicious food, is being churned out curbside by cooks with no staff, no fancy equipment, and no formal training. They often make only one dish – in fact they’ve only even made one dish – and they do it extremely, gob-smackingly well.
The list of culinary hits available on Thai streets is almost endless. Begin in familiar territory, with a pad Thai, before moving on to more exotic things: sai grog, slightly sour Thai-style sausages, cooked over charcoal; oyster omelettes, fried fresh in Bangkok’s Chinatown; som tam, or green papaya salad; or even insects, fried until they’re snap-crisp.
This ain’t no tourist attraction. This is how Thai people eat. The food is fresh, it’s cheap, and it’s popular. Go to any of the street food areas in Bangkok, or Chiang Mai, or frankly any city in the country and you’ll find stall after stall, vendor after vendor. Just follow your nose.
This is no laughing matter. King Bhumibol is held in seriously high regard by everyone in Thailand. Not just old people; not just young people. Not just rich, or poor. Everyone.
Jokes about the king, or even words that don’t seem particularly complimentary about the king, will be very much unappreciated. In fact they could land you in jail. A Thai man was jailed for 35 years in 2017 for insulting the monarchy on Facebook. Just… don’t go there.
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