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A Beginner’s Guide to Bangkok Street Food

smilingalbino — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 02:00:21 +0000

A Beginner's Guide to Bangkok Street Food

We may be biased here, but we think Thai food is some of the world’s best. But no matter how good your local Thai joint is, the best place to find the tastiest, most authentic eats in Bangkok is on the streets.

There are hundreds of dishes, and dozens of varieties of each one – we’ve been here for almost 15 years and we have found some of our favorite street hotspots but are also continually finding new places to grab amazing food on the street.

What the Guidebooks Say

Many guidebooks list dire consequences for eating unsanitary food, and from a western point of view, some street food restaurants look a bit dodgy. But as true fans of Thai food who have eaten at every type of place from five-star hotels to no-star food stalls, that even Google Maps couldn’t find, we can assure you that if you have an adventurous spirit and follow our few simple rules, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Adjustment Period

What you must keep in mind is that you’ll almost certainly have an adjustment period. Even if you’re eating the cleanest food cooked in the most hygienic kitchen in Asia, the water it’s cooked in and the soil it was grown in are different, so some tummy rumbling is not uncommon. Unless you start to feel really sick though, this is not cause for concern. To be extra-safe, eat at food stalls that cook the food when you order it. Stalls that offer trays of pre-cooked food are usually alright, but just to be safe, avoid them when you’re first tucking in.

The First Rule of Street Food

The first rule of Thai street food is: if you see Thais eating there, it’s probably safe – street food vendors rely on regular customers so it’s not in their interests to make people ill! If you see a lot of Thais eating there, it’s probably really good, too. Thais seem to eat nonstop, and some travel miles out of their way to hit their favorite food stall. No matter if you’re jonesing for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any manner of snack in between, you’ll find something to satisfy you.

How is Thai Food Cooked?

Most Thai street food is cooked to order in steaming woks, bubbling cauldrons of broth, or smoking grills over red-hot coals. Rice, of course, is a staple, and you’ll find it served with almost every dish. Most meals are eaten “Thai-style” – that is, several dishes on a table, which everyone shares. If you’re sitting at a table with a few Thai friends, remember this before you order!

Table Savvy

On the table you’ll also usually see a selection of condiments, which change based on what you’re eating. These include vinegar with chilies, fermented fish sauce, sweet bean sauce, spicy pastes, chopped peanuts, whole cloves of garlic, and even cups of sugar! And don’t expect no hifalutin cloth napkin either – one singular aspect of Thai street food dining is the single sheets of one-ply tissue on the table. The most common reason is that Thais see a napkin as dirty once it’s used – why use a huge cloth when a little dab will do?

One thing to keep in mind is that unless you’re eating noodles, Thais use a fork and a spoon to eat their food – the fork to push the food on to the spoon, and the spoon to do the rest, so don’t worry if your chopstick game is weak.

Mai Poot Thai

When it’s time to order, most street food stalls – at least the ones near to tourist areas – will usually have a menu with some basic English on it and often even pictures (don’t worry if you see “rice with crap meat,” which should be “crab” – at least they’re trying). If there is no menu, most street kitchens have their ingredients on display in front of the cooking area and a quick glance should give you a pretty good idea of what they’re making. And if there’s any doubt, don’t forget that Thais are friendly! It’s fine to stand in front of a stall to see what’s up. Take a look around you to see what people are eating, and when the time comes, don’t forget the great equalizer – sign language. Start out slowly, accept a bit of help, be a bit adventurous, and soon you’ll be searching further and further afield for more street food adventures. Trust us – it’s a very rewarding pursuit.

Quick Thai Food Words

To help things along, here are a few phrases that might come in handy when ordering:

I don’t want… (mai ow…)

I’m allergic to… (paeh…)

…meat (…neua)

…chicken (…gai)

…pork (…moo)

…beef (…neua)

…shrimp (…koong)

…nuts (…tooah)

Not spicy (mai pet)

Water (nam plao)

Ice (nam kaeng)

Bathroom (hong nam)

…and perhaps most importantly, Beer (beeah)

For more about Smiling Albino’s Thailand adventures, visit our Thailand page.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Bangkok Street Food first appeared on Smiling Albino.

DIY Travel – Five Ways it Can go Wrong

smilingalbino — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 00:16:46 +0000

Smiling Albino has been lucky enough to host an amazing assortment of people from a huge variety of backgrounds and nationalities on our trips. Each guest brings their own unique angle to the experience, and that’s why we love hosting so much – no two trips are ever the same!

One issue that comes up every now and then – not just for us, but for any travel company out there – is the guided

SA Guide Eak speaks fluent English, Thai, Australian and two hilltribe languages!

experience vs. the DIY travel. Of course there are many types of people and no single type of travel experience will appeal to all of them, but we believe that guided experiences give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to exploring the world. I know what you might think – of course we’ll say that, it’s our business! But as world travelers ourselves, we always prefer to have a guide show us the lay of the land when we’re in a new place, be it an old acquaintance, a new friend or a professional business. Here are 5 quick reasons why we prefer to avoid DIY travel on our journeys.

1) The unpredictable

Making plans in a foreign country is often an exercise in frustration. Beyond the language barrier, there are plenty of other wrinkles that can pop up and ruin things. Everything from local festivals and political problems to fast-changing weather and poorly communicated schedules at local attractions can derail your well-laid plans and leave you out in the cold. It’s very hard to know about all of these things in advance, and having someone on your side who knows what might happen is a huge plus.

2) In case of emergency

Quick – what number do you call in an emergency in Thailand? Cambodia? Vietnam? It’s not something you think about often but every country has their own emergency telephone system. Knowledge of what to do in an emergency in a foreign country is of the highest importance, and a DIY traveler might not know how to react in a situation like this. A local guide will know the ins and outs of things like insurance, which hospitals to avoid, how to make a quick overseas call, and what to do if you get detained by the authorities. Not only can these questions be answered easily by a local, but you’re much less likely to run into problems when a guide is with you. Oh, by the way, the numbers are 191, 117 and 113, respectively.

3) The cost of convenience & safety

Let’s be honest – it’s not that hard to walk into a motorbike rental shop and rent a bike for a few days. What is hard is making sure that the bike is waiting for you – with a full tank of gas and insurance in order – when you get out of the kayak after riding down a river all morning. It might look easy, but it’s not, and this type of thing takes a great deal of planning. Things like ensuring your room’s air-con units are working; making sure your driver doesn’t show up hung over; choosing shops/vendors that won’t rip you off; avoiding tourist traps; and making sure your deadly allergy to peanuts doesn’t go ignored at dinner…these are the things that are easy to overlook but can often be the difference between a life-changing trip and disaster.

4) Making it Unique

It’s easy to assume that because you’re DIY-ing around (fill in continent or country here) that you’re getting the experience you really want. That can certainly be a part of it, but are you really making the most of it? Language barriers alone can prevent you from adding many unique angles to your trip, and extra touches can make a trip that much more unique. Things like having lunch and cold drinks ready for you when you come around the corner at that jungle temple, or arranging to have your hometown newspaper ready for breakfast at your hotel, or even chartering a private helicopter instead of flying on a regular ol’ airline…these aren’t things that you can simply decide to do while you’re on the road.

The journey is all part of the fun!

5) Taking the Beneficial Shortcuts

Every town and city and country and culture in the world has its shortcuts and pitfalls and if you’re not familiar with how things work you’ll likely end up taking none of the former and more of the latter. When you’re with an SA guide, they may look calm and collected, but in their minds they’re thinking five steps ahead – water stop, food stop, making sure the elephant is ready to ride when we arrive, do the bikes have gas, will it rain, and if so, do we have ponchos and shelter? Want to visit the Hall of Opium at the Golden Triangle? No problem, usually – but they close on Mondays, and royal holidays, and sometimes the schedules aren’t clear. These are things that are difficult to know, but important to learn and if you’re doing all the planning, keeping track of all of these things can keep you from doing what you’re here to do – enjoy yourself!

The post DIY Travel – Five Ways it Can go Wrong first appeared on Smiling Albino.