 A
Taste of Thai Food from the Capital
Good day to you! Would
you like to take a break and come along on a quick
weekend trip to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand?
Well, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s takeoff!
Before we
arrive, let’s bring you up to speed on some facts of the
country . . .
The Kingdom of
Thailand is a Southeast Asian country located at
approximately latitude 15° north, longitude 100° east.
Its land area is slightly more than twice the State of
Wyoming, with a population of more than 65 million. The
neighboring countries are: Myanmar (formerly Burma) in
the northwest, Laos to the north, Cambodia on the east,
and Malaysia at the southern tip. The Andaman Sea lies
on the southwestern coast, where the famous beach resort
town of Phuket can be found. On the southeastern coast
is the Gulf of Thailand; Bangkok is located at its
northern most point.
On the first
morning, dress casually for warm humid weather and wear
some good walking shoes or sandals; we are going to
visit the Chatuchak Weekend Market, perhaps the biggest
weekend market in the world! Occupying 35 acres and
hosting over 10,000 shops & stalls, this is a wonderland
for shoppers and a good place to start experiencing
local cuisine.
Chatuchak
is
north of the city, and the best way to get there is by
the SkyTrain. We travel on the Sukhumvit Line till the
last station “Mo Chit”, then follow the crowd of
thousands walking towards the market just 5 minutes
away.
  The
alleys are lined with food stalls; the sight & smells beacon us
to indulge. There are many varieties of fried snacks to
try out. More recognizable are the stalls grilling
chicken meat on skewers and cuttlefish (similar to squid
or calamari).
 As we eat our
way through Chatuchak, a stall selling “Happy Buns”
catches my eye. On closer inspection, these are steamed
buns decorated with happy faces of different colors.
Each color indicating the filling inside; black bean,
red bean, cream, pork or vegetable.
 For
refreshment with a difference, there is chilled roasted
coconut. The locals refer to this as “maprao pao”.
Small white coconuts are roasted and then put on ice to
chill. Black scorch marks are clearly visible on one
side of the coconut. Roasting concentrates the juice
and cooks the flesh, resulting in a sweet aromatic drink
with loose bits of tender coconut meat you can peel off
and eat.
Having had our
fill of Thai food, shopping is next on the list. This
market has almost everything you can imagine – antiques
& furniture, animals & other pets, books, clothes &
accessories, handicraft, houseware & décor, music,
plants, shoes, and much more.
  Let’s go take
a look and see if we can get some good bargains on
crockery and utensils . . .
Many shops
carry colorful ceramic bowls and plates of all sizes and
shapes. There are also an assortment of tea sets, cups
and sauce dishes.
Handcrafted
utensils made of coconut and other local hardwoods are
abundant. There are large forks & spoons for tossing
salads, ladles for soup, rice scoops, spatulas to cook
with, and many more. Sets of chopsticks with rests,
little sauce dishes, and place mats all look so
beautiful.
Here’s your
chance to pick up items that will help enhance your
presentation when you cook up meals at home. At most
stores here, you can bargain down the price that you are
first quoted, so sharpen up your negotiating skills and
try to get the best deal you can.
 Shopping and
bargaining is hard work. Before you know it, lunchtime
is upon us. We head over to the section of the market
where the restaurants are so we can sit down and catch
our breath while sampling more Thai delicacies.
The menu lists
many local favorites, including Thai Beef Noodle Soup,
and Phad Thai – fried rice noodles that are considered
one of the national dishes of Thailand.
Food
preparation and presentation is an art form in this
country; even simple dishes are served up looking
great. A plate of fried rice is delivered with the rice
wrapped up in a thin sheet of fried eggs, and garnished
with colorful vegetables; break open the pouch and there
is your fried rice, still steaming hot. Spring roll
appetizers come on a dish lined with banana leaf,
vegetable garnishing and adorned with a lovely purple
orchid. Even chicken rice at a basic restaurant is served with
the rice molded into the shape of a teddy bear; what a
clever idea!
 While waiting
for our lunch order to arrive, I notice a staff from the
restaurant is hunched over and cutting away at something
on the table across from us. Walking over, we discover
that he has shaped yellow pumpkins into serving bowls
and is carving beautiful patterns on the sides. We
watch in amazement as his work of art takes shape.
Our food has
arrived; and this is a good moment to pause and allow
you to enjoy lunch . . .
Be sure to
join us again next time when we go in search of desert
at Chatuchak, and continue discovering more food
treasures in Bangkok.
Phob kan
mai
. . .
(See you later . . .)
Now on to . . .
Discover Thai Desserts
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