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One of the highlights of Thailand is the cuisine, and there’s no better way to experience Thai food than eating from street stalls.
Street stalls, you say?
Yes. There’s no other way.
Here’s why you should eat street food in Thailand:
1. It’s safe. Quit worrying about hygiene. It’s fine. Eat from a popular place — the stall will be constantly churning out fresh food.
2. It’s cheap. Got a dollar (30 baht)? You’ve got a meal. You might pay 50 baht at the very most for a dish, but you’re probably getting ripped off if that’s the case.
3. It’s an experience. You point at a random dish, having no idea what it is, a hesitant look on your face. The old lady behind the cart smiles widely and gestures to a nearby stool. You sit, and she brings you a plate of the most delicious pork you’ve ever tasted. You still have no idea what it is, exactly, but you plan to dub it “awesome pork thing” on your blog. And you get to do this every day.
4. It’s surprising. Every city has specialties, every region has specialties, and some of them might surprise you. In Pai, you’ll find Chinese Muslim dishes! And who knew Chiang Mai teenagers were crazy about fried quail eggs, anyway?
5. It’s delicious. It could be something as simple as a green curry. And even though you’re pulling chicken bones out of your mouth, something you’d never do at home, this dish is somehow so salty, so sour, so sweet, and so deliciously spicy — and you’re in tears. Not spicy tears. Joyful tears.
Maybe it’s the emotions of travel with a smidgen of jet lag, but I’ve cried over my food here in Thailand.
Get yourself to a street stall. You won’t regret it.
