But Then You Ate So Much You Nearly Split Your Pants

So come on fatso and just bust a move.  I’ve only been giving you little, tiny hints about the gloriousness of the food we’ve been feasting on over the last week. And not because I’m being selfish, but because there is only so much food you can eat in one day! I think we’ve reached a threshold of incredible tastes and I now feel more comfortable sharing them with you. Before I get any further, in case some of you didn’t know, Thai food is my absolute favorite kind of food in the world.

Everything I know about Thai food has come from my experiences eating in favorites like Krung Thai in San Jose or Lers Ros and House of Thai 2 in San Francisco (and a new SF favorite, Zen Yai – thanks Sam and Pun!). Give me some pad kee mao, duck fried rice, and mango with sticky rice and I’m a happy girl. So imagine coming to the land of the most delicious food in the world and getting to sample new and different dishes to grow my repertoire of Thai yumminess – well, I’d call that a honeymoon for my tummy, too.

To prepare for this trip, we also watched a bunch of documentaries and shows, most notably Anthony Bourdain’s Chiang Mai episode, to give us a better understanding of what we might expect food-wise. Now, I am nowhere near as adventurous with food as Mr. Bourdain, but amid the blood soup and pig brains, there were some good tips. Couple those with confirmations from our native friend, Yot, and you know you are getting the good stuff.

Here are some of the more memorable things we’ve put into our bellies:

Traditional Northern Thai Food

Meat. It’s a lot of delicious meat. And you put it with sticky rice and the nam prik (sauces/dips). It’s eaten similar to how Indian food is eaten: with your hands and with a carbohydrate. In this case, it’s with sticky rice. You ball it up with your right hand, stick it onto a tasty meat of your choice, dip it in a sauce, and enjoy. There are some vegetables that you can pair with it, but honestly, the meat is where it’s at. Especially the pork and the chicken. We sampled authentic fare at Heuan Pen, another favorite of Yot’s.

Khao Soi

The quintessential breakfast or lunch dish of the north, it is a curry based broth with egg noodles and crispy bits on top. You put shallots, lime, mustard greens, and your choice of meat in it. Yot took us to his favorite spot, a short 20 minutes walk in the heat from our apartment. And here we finally got to sample what we heard so much about back in San Francisco, but alas, were not privy to (there are no Northern Thai restaurants in the Bay Area to speak of!) So, we must get our fill here and now. Most definitely a delicious soup, I’d classify it as a comfort food of sorts. The sort of thing you will crave if nothing else for it’s simplicity.

As a side note, we had to say ‘see you later’ to our friends Yot and Tessa as they were embarking to neighboring countries to set their research project in motion. Shiv gave Yot a hug goodbye and Yot said mid-hug: ‘Bye Shiv, I’m really going to miss khao soi!’ No, he wasn’t going to miss Shiv, just the khao soi… because it’s that good.

Khao Kha Muu (Cowboy hat lady pork)

Tipped off from Anthony Bourdain and confirmed by friend Jordan, this is the place to sample some simmering stewed pork shank made in a carefully curated master sauce. After a riveting night at the Northgate Jazz Club, we made our way across the street to the famous Cowboy hat lady. And we were not disappointed. Think of the tenderest pork slipping off a bone, cut into manageable sizes, placed atop steamed rice and then served up with a vinegary pepper sauce. Add some pickled mustard greens and an egg, if you like, but it’s delicious with or without.

Christmas Beef

I don’t know what the Thai name for this dish is because, as in most of the dishes brought our way, it has been helpfully ordered by Yot at Drunken Flower. All I can say is that this was a delicious departure from any beef dish I’ve had anywhere else. It was super spicy and had a distinct clove and star anise taste to it – thus my nickname for it (Christmas Beef).

Spicy This and That

Again, I don’t know the names for these dishes, but you can walk in to any food establishment and order a spicy this and that with rice or noodles. We discovered a little outdoor place around the corner from our apartment, Krua Mayom, that had the tastiest (and spiciest) dishes. A lot of times, you can get these dishes topped off with an omelet which, as everyone in the world knows, takes an already great dish to extraordinary heights. Thank you, chickens. Thank you so much. Shiv and I feasted here and went through 3 tall bottles of water to help with the heat. We even went to the Tesco afterwards to pick up some yogurt to calm our fiery tummies. The picture in the gallery shows our chef cooking away in the open kitchen. She wears thanaka, which is a natural cooling agent that protects from sunburn as well.

Tiny (literal) fact: in the land of most delicious food, you’ll also get the tiniest, thinnest napkins in the world, like a square of 1-ply toilet paper folded in half.

Drink

You’ve probably noticed my obsession with iced matcha green tea lattes? Yes, those are delicious. But there is also an abundance of fresh fruit smoothies and juices here. I feel spoiled getting my favorite summer fruits in fall here. Also, things aren’t always what they seem here. For instance, I ordered an iced tea with lemon for lunch at the Drunken Flower and what was brought out to me was a soda-fied version of a Thai iced tea. Like taking that bright orange syrup and mixing it with tonic water. It took a few sips to adjust, but in the end, I liked it. I’ve also noticed that guava-flavored beverages are often salted, which is a different taste sensation in my mouth…unsure I can get behind this one.

Ok and finally to the alcoholic varieties. Your SE Asian beer choices are between Singha, Chang, Leo, or Beerlao. Beerlao has been the winner, followed by Singha in a close second. The other types you will have to drink with ice (which isn’t uncommon) as they are more tolerable that way. We went to Beer Republic one night and drank the more expensive German beer, like Oktoberfest right in the middle of Thailand! There is also a favorite ‘whiskey’ which is actually a rum – SangSom. Mix with Coke and you’ve got yourself a classic Thai cocktail.

No doubt, the food and drink has been a highlight for us on this trip and we are excited to keep exploring. So far, our tummies have also been cooperative with only minimal trouble.

Lastly, ชน (chon) is how you say cheers in Thai!

Chon!