Tag Archives: The Wall

Small but Spicy! (Another post dedicated to SEA food)

I’ve come to the grim realization that I am now one of those annoying people who take pictures of their food at every meal. At least I do it for my blog and not for Facebook (not like that makes people care any more). That being said, here are some wonderful pictures of the things I eat in southeast Asia!

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The ever popular green curry with chicken. This particular curry was served at the Saturday night market in Chiang Mai. The eggplants (aubergines for you Brits) were the size of large green peas.

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This is a Northern Thailand specialty plate, served in Chiang Mai at, The Wall, an expat sponsored Pink Floyd bar. Two types of pork sausage, a pork roll, pork cracklin, boiled egg, steamed veggies and a spicy green chili sauce in the middle. Similar in appearance to the Malaysian, Nasi Lemak, but far less fishy and much more delicious.

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Curry burger, served at Eurobar in Chiang Mai. Meatless, but still hearty.

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My meal from May Kaidee’s in Chiang Mai. A popular place for taking cooking classes with a completely vegetarian menu. First is the pumpkin hummus with wild steamed rice and a Thai iced tea (super sweetened with condensed milk). Second is a tofu and veggie stir fry with cashews. Best vegetarian I’ve ever had, hands down. Chiang Mai is famous for its food for good reason.

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Another papaya salad, along with a Thai coke to cool down the spice. This one served to me at Tiger Kingdom while I watched big cats play in the pool 10 feet from me.

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My FAVE, the fresh coconut shake. Less than a dollar, served everywhere and consumed often. In a glass or in the husk, this stuff is the nectar of the gods. Both hydrating and tasty, it beats out the sweeter mango and watermelon shakes in my opinion. Many people make the mistake of thinking you can get this deliciousness out of the stereotypical brown, round coconut that has fallen from the trees. Nay, I say, the very best is the young coconut, still green and picked by monkeys from the tops of the trees before they fall to the ground.

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The famous Khaosan road critters, this one is a large cricket. All crunch, no creamy filling, this guy tasted like stale popcorn. They spray them with a soy sauce mixture and throw on a dash of salt and pepper on them to taste. It’s a dollar for 10 bugs and thirty cents just to take a picture. The lady selling them was chowing down on a full bag herself.

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Khmer curry, served in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Tons of veggies, including Potatoes, not too much spice. Kind of like a mix between Thai red and massaman curries.

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One of the more interesting dining experiences in Thailand, this was an all-u-can-eat sushi bar in Bangkok. Not only was there a buffet of sushi, fried foods and assorted dim sum, the main course was a boiling pot of broth (Tom Yum or Chicken broth) that you add ingredients to from a rotating conveyer belt. Ingredients include all forms of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, squid and fish as well as veggies of all types. Top it all off with ice cream and a soda fountain, all for just over $10.

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Another green curry, this one from near Khaosan road in Bangkok. Subtle differences like larger eggplant (golf ball size) and baby corn.

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Worth noting that all Thailand McDonalds feature Ronald showing the traditional greeting gesture of respect. The only differences inside are that they serve a double Big Mac, a pork burger and Thai chili sauce next to the ketchup. Oh and like everywhere else in the world, there are no biscuits at breakfast, only English muffins.

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This cracked me up on Khaosan in Bangkok; probably the longest name of an establishment I’ve seen…& restaurant.

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Assorted colorful candies at MBK mall in Bangkok. I think they look better than they taste.

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These little taco-esqe creations are served on almost every street corner in Thailand. It’s a crispy pancake filled with marshmallow fluff and some stringy candied egg yolk. Probably neck and neck with pad Thai as the most popular street food in Bangkok.

Well I hope you enjoyed another installment of the random assortment of the things I eat in southeast Asia. It’s worth noting that aside from the all-u-can-eat sushi and soup place, all my meals where eaten in open air restaurants, strangely the norm in SEA. I’m always up for an adventure so let me know if there is anything you think I should try. The stinky Durian fruit is still on my list: smells like a toilet but tastes like heaven, so people claim. Until next time, stay hungry, I’ll stay cheesy.

Chiang Mai

Imagine Asheville, North Carolina in the summer (for those who can), the city of my birth and hometown for 18 formative years. Rolling green mountains, haunted by mists in the early and late in the day, a vibrantly diverse but quaint city center and a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and extreme sports addicts. Now add to that image: elephants, tigers, delectable Thai cusine and everything for one-thirtyith the price. Ladies and gentleman, this is no fantasy, this is Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

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Close to the borders with Myanmar (Burma) and Laos, Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. With a population of around 160,000 but boasting close to one-million inhabitants in its sprawling low-profile urban area, the citys epicenter is still surrounded by remnants of square brick fortress walls and a moat (which is apparently good for fishing) since in the early centuries Chiang Mai was constantly at war with Burma and in the 1500s was temporarily occupied by the Burmese.

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My Chiang Mai experience has been a good one, so there will most likely be several posts dedicated to my weeklong stay here. It all started with disembarking from the train and then deciding to walk from one end of town to the other (where my $30, 4 star, pre-booked hotel lie in wait). The climate was a few degrees cooler than Bangkok so walking and sightseeing seemed to be a suitable option, even though I was toting my 50lbs of luggage.
Much like Asheville, I crossed the muddy Ping river that lie adjacent to the city and I could see the misty green peaks in the distance that reminded me of mine own Blue Ridge Mountains. Soon I came upon the city center’s eastern gate, or what was left of it.

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Perusing the streets and many Wats I came across, I was surprised at both the lack of tall buildings and apparent age of the structure that were still within the confines of the old walls.
It took me a good 30 mins to walk from east gate to west gate and then another 15 to make it to my hotel, The Furama Chiang Mai. First, a quick review of The Furama. Excellent overall, well deserving of the 4 stars. Huge room, panoramic view of the city, western bathroom, 2 separate pools (including a rooftop pool), decent fitness center and the coup de grace: free high speed WiFi. All for the neat price of $30 per night.
Over the course of the subsequent 3 day 2 night stay at The Furama, I spent most of my time catching up with online business, writing and hanging out with the Australian ladies I met on the train.

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Each night consisted of a famed Chiang Mai, “Night Bazaar”. Saturday night was the standard nightly street market with local stalls set up outside the city gates east side. Most of the goods were the typical knock-off handbags, watches, shoes, jewelry and EPL jerseys. The difference in Chiang Mai is that there are serious deals to be had if you are an experienced haggler. I like to think I showed the Aussie girls a few good sales tactics and helped them get season 6 of Greys Anatomy for around $12. We soon tired of getting hassled by vendors (at least we weren’t being asked to go to Ping-Pong shows) so we headed off to a famed rooftop bar for some beverages and I had the privilege of buying the girls their first Thai bucket drink.
The real action comes around every Sunday night in Chiang Mai, when inside the walls of the city the center streets are shut down to traffic and a street market of mammoth proportions takes place.

There are vendors selling handmade goods and souvenirs as well as all the lovely northern Thai food, fruits, vegetables and meats. There is even a small carnival set up for children that includes a mini ferris wheel and a bounce house. There was a noticeable lack of the typical street vendors hocking the off-brand touristy goods, I think they relegate those schemesters to outside the city walls on this night. The Sunday night bazaar is obviously a big attraction for tourists to visit, but for the most part this is a celebration for the Thai locals of Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas to come together, sell their goods to one another and see and be seen about town. There are also a variety of street performers, singers, dancers and here is a video of a full band:

Around 10pm the night bazaar starts to close down and the people go home. Westerners (or party loving Thais) can then go to a number of bars operated by expats from around the globe. There is an American themed saloon (featuring last years NFL games), a UN Irish Pub, a Mikes Burgers, and a bar called The Wall, dedicated to Pink Floyd.
When Monday comes around all returns to normal and the people and tourists of Chiang Mai pick back up their hiking boots, mountain bikes, kayak paddles, climbing harnesses, etc., and go about enjoying the natural wonders of nature that Chiang Mai has to offer. I have been enjoying these wonders myself and I will be posting more about the adventures, jungles, cuisine and tigers of this beautiful area. Here is just a little teaser for you cat lovers :)

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