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For many people one of the most enduring memories of Thailand
is seeing the bustling street side stands where mouth watering
food is served up for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
Street food is a charming aspect of life in Thailand and trying
it out is a cultural and culinary delight. Everywhere you
go in Thailand you'll see the street vendors, preparing and
serving a cornucopia of dishes from their simple carts and
stalls. There's plenty of variety for the hungry browser;
street carts usually specialize in one or two dishes but they
usually clump together, providing excellent selection. Noodles,
barbeque, curries and desserts, Thai street food is a pocket
change smorgasbord.
Street Food in Chiang Mai
For many people one of the most enduring memories of Thailand
is seeing the bustling street side stands where mouth watering
food is served up for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
Street food is a charming aspect of life in Thailand and trying
it out is a cultural and culinary delight.
Everywhere you go in Thailand you'll see the street vendors,
preparing and serving a cornucopia of dishes from their simple
carts and stalls. Some vendors have mobile carts ranging from
baskets balanced on the shoulders to motorbikes welded to
portable kitchens. These vendors usually have a set route
that they travel throughout the day and Thais often anticipate
their arrival like a daily visit from Santa Claus. When a
popular vendor comes down the street don't be surprised to
Thais pouring onto the street like clowns out of a Volkswagen
to get a quick bite of their favourite treats.
Some street food vendors have more permanent set ups, often
in front of busy places like convenience stores. These stalls
are somewhere between a restaurant and a food cart and are
semi permanent. Often a large group of vendors will set up
shop along one area, each offering a different item. It's
perfectly acceptable to bring food from one cart and sit down
at another cart's table, provided someone in your party is
buying something.
What to Eat
There's plenty of variety for the hungry browser; street
carts usually specialize in one or two dishes but they usually
clump together, providing excellent selection. Noodle soup
with chicken or pork is the standard and stalls can be found
anywhere, any time. Noodle soup is not a simple as it sounds.
It can actually be one of the most complex things you can
order: there are egg noodles, thin and fat rice noodles, different
kinds of meat and a variety of meat balls, as well as sprouts
and leafy vegetables. On top of that there are at least four
condiments. Every bowl of noodle soup is different and it's
fun to experiment with the different combinations until you
hit on your favourite.
Barbeque is the staple of the Issan (north-eastern) region
of Thailand and Issan food has made its way to the streets
of every town in Thailand. Everywhere you go, you'll be tempted
by the aroma of juicy chicken and pork sizzling over a charcoal
fire. Barbeque is usually eaten with kaao nieow (sticky rice),
moulded into balls with the hands. Top it off with some Som
Dtam (spicy shredded papaya salad) and you've got the classic
Thai lunch. Fried chicken is also popular and is pretty much
the same the world over. For the best fried chicken find a
Muslim cart, easily identifiable from the star and crescent
moon symbol. Muslims don't eat pork and beef is not eaten
too much in Thai cooking so the Muslims have mastered the
art of chicken. Make sure to get some fried garlic to go with
your sticky rice.
Many street carts have tins up front with a variety of curry
and noodles dishes. These are worth a try but bring your asbestos
tongue - these are usually the spiciest dishes. If you're
a little unsure feel free to ask the proprietor which ones
to avoid. If you want to take a curry to go, just pop it in
a plastic bag, along with your rice and all your sauces -
Thai sack lunch!
Most Thais have a sweet tooth and so there are always desserts
and other treats around. One of the most visible and delicious
is Roti, a Thai take on a classic Muslim dish. Thai roti is
very thin and comes with egg, banana, sugar, condensed milk
and chocolate for a perfect after noodle snack. Other Thai
desserts are made from pounded coconut or rice and flavoured
with fruit. The quintessential Chiang Mai dessert is sticky
rice with mango and condensed milk, which also makes for a
satisfying breakfast.
Where to Go
While street food is everywhere you look, there are certainly
some areas where vendors flock in especially high numbers
and these are worth mentioning. Along Moon Muang Road north
of Tha Phae Gate you'll find the Somphet Market. This lively
area is a great place to shop for fresh ingredients and many
cooking classes take their students here on a 'mini field
trip' to learn about the building blocks of Thai food. There
are vendors located here nearly 24 hours a day, coming and
going almost in shifts. In the wee hours of the morning this
is a good place to come and get fresh sausage - including
a deep fried version of naem (hand rolled fermented pork)
you might not see anywhere else. As the day wears on this
becomes a great place to find fresh fruit, while the barbeque
contingent starts to appear at about midday. Once the sun
goes down noodle stands start appearing like fireflies, interspersed
with some great roti vendors.
Another popular area for informal al fresco dining (read:
chowing down kerbside) is the Chiang Mai Gate Market, located
(you guessed it) near Chiang Mai Gate at the southwest corner
of the moat. Another good spot to pick up fresh ingredients,
this is a treasure trove of roadside goodies starting at around
sunset. A huge variety of stalls crowd together on either
side of the street with plenty of seating on the moat side
of the road. This is a perfect place to be adventurous and
try one of a kind dishes you might never see elsewhere. Take
a little bit of everything, camp out at one of the small tables
and spend some time sampling.
The cuisine at the street stalls is some of the best you'll
find anywhere. Vendors often prepare only one dish day after
day and they become black belts at it. Locals get to know
which carts have the best food and will travel for miles just
to find the best vendors. Street food is a part of the everyday
life of nearly all Thais and don't be surprised to see bankers
and doctors tucking in side by side with labourers and store
clerks.
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