Travel Destination: Sout-East Asia, Street Food in Thailand
Many people are alarmed at how daring I was with my stomach. In six months of traveling through Southeast Asia, I only had one tiny bout of queasiness over a couple of days on Sumatra in Indonesia. I must have found the perfect balance of common sense and adventure, or, some might argue, I was just lucky.
I don’t recommend trying everything, and I do recommend a few common sense tips for sampling the full range of the food on offer throughout your travels:
* at street and market stalls, do watch the cooking for awhile to ensure that the ingredients are fresh and the food is being cooked thoroughly; if you have any doubts, move on to the next vendor
* choose vendors that have a good steady flow of customers - not only is the food probably very good, but the turnover means fresher food
* ask your guesthouse host and any other residents you meet for their favourite places to eat, and for recommendations on dishes to order
* follow the other safe eating tips you find in travel guides, like recommendations about water, ice cubes, and peeling fruit and vegetables
Lonely Planet Thailand’s Island and Beaches
Of course, you will find an endless selection of sit-down restaurants where you can savour some of the more familiar Thai dishes now found in restaurants around the world: green curry with chicken, red curry with beef, pad Thai and other noodle dishes, and wonderfully aromatic sweet basil dishes.
Whether you plan to sample the fabulous foods from the street vendors and markets or stick to what you know, learn a few tips on deciphering a menu or asking for a type of dish with a few Thai Food Terms.
Many supermarkets are now carrying a range of prepared sauces, curries and other Asian products, but if you enjoy adventure and creativity in your own kitchen, many Thai recipes are fairly easy to create once you’ve mastered a few essentials. Gai Yang, after all, is really just barbequed chicken with a Thai twist! A good food reference guide or cookbook with a glossary of Asian ingredients will help you gain that perfect balance of sour, sweet, salt and heat that is unique to Thai cuisine.
Low Fat Food With a Taste of Thailand