Thanksgiving Table
Bangkok, Thailand – As I was getting ready for a Thanksgiving dinner a few hours away, I received an e-mail from the hostess, an employee at an international organization, saying, “we have just received indication that there has been an advance of the military to the airport. this means that a coup is likely [...]
Clockwise from Left: Crispy Noodles Salad, Green Curry with Prawns, Steamed Rice and Banana Flower Salad at Chote Chitr
Yesterday I put up a list with directions of Bangkok eateries that have seen a mention or two in the Western press. Today a few notes on my visits there. These are by no means the fair [...]
Bangkok Traffic at Night
My first few weeks in Thailand I wandered around in a haze, sometimes for eight hours a day, grazing on whatever I happened upon – noodle soup, ice cream sandwiches, grilled bananas and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Newly unemployed, single and without a friend within 8,000 miles, I barely knew where I was. [...]
Thewet Market
Whether you’re passing through or a fulltime resident, markets are a must-do in Bangkok. Several tourist agencies advertise excursions out to the floating market, which is pretty far from town. Within city limits, there are many markets to explore without the hassle of tourist buses. Three I’m quite fond of are [...]
Lumpini Dinner Market on Ratchadamri in Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand – After darkness sets in, the neon lights and wok fires light up at the northwest corner of Lumpini Park on Ratchadamri Road near Sarasin Road. Vendors sell a variety of street foods found elsewhere – gai tort (fried chicken), som tom (papaya salad), laab (ground meat [...]
Thai Coffee & Bun with Condensed Milk
Bangkok, Thailand – Thai food has the reputation for being explosive and multi-faceted, but sometimes things are quite simple. Snacks that are more one-dimensional, like steamed corn and sweet potatoes, Thai iced tea or a bun toasted with butter and drizzled with condensed milk. Even in the land of [...]
Outside Lumpini Park
After college I moved straight from my dorm room on the upper west side to an apartment in Brooklyn and for six years, while friends switched neighborhoods, coasts, and countries many times over, I stayed in that same apartment on the same block in the same city. Here in Bangkok things are a [...]
A Day in Summer Coffeehouse
Bangkok, Thailand – Nightfall had set in and with it the subdued buzz of motorbikes and cars transporting weary workers home for the evening. It was time for me to go home. Today, I was a worker too, my first after a week of playing tour guide and before that months [...]
Rice Flour Batter for Khanom Krok (Coconut Pudding)
Chiang Mai and Bangkok, Thailand – I got my iron stomach, my willingness to try new foods and my lack of concern for salmonella from my father. Dad always had a corny sense of mischief about food. There was that time he served purple potatoes for dinner, an oddity [...]
Khanom
Bangkok, Thailand – Today I thought I would get my parents out of the city and bring them to a more laid-back place. I’d never been to the island Ko Kret, but it sure sounded nice – no cars, Mon pottery, old-style Thai houses and plenty of khanom (Thai desserts and snacks). Unfortunately, several uncomfortable [...]
