On The Banana Pancake Trail

Loving the Food, in Chiang Mai, Thailand

I think to love traveling you have to love trying new and exotic foods. If you do, every meal can be an exciting experience. Otherwise, it can be terrifying. Thais eat a lot of things we don’t. It’s not uncommon to see rodents and strange animal parts cooked up, especially the further you go from tourist areas. I think they can get away with it because the sauces and spices are so good, but we prefer ours with chicken and such.

We love Thai food so much we even took a class on how to cook it. It was a full day that included 7 courses of deliciousness:

Stir-Fry

creating curry paste

making sticky rice and young coconut for dessert

On the streets of Thailand that choices are even better. We love to eat at a mix of local places the Thais will eat and fun options meant for the “farangs” (westerners).

Chicken outside the touristy area of Chiang Mai

Tom Yum, Tempura Shrimp, and Tim's Favoirte: Khao Soi

Bugs on offer at the night market in Chiang Rai

fresh fish. served on the beach with the water lapping inches away

The best part is that the food is fresh, healthy, local, and costs practically nothing. And that’s a good thing when you’re eating out every lunch and dinner. My pants won’t stay up these days and it doesn’t seem to be adding up, but that’s what a diet without hardly any bread or dairy will do. I’m going to brand it the “Southeast Asia diet” and see if it takes off as the next craze.

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”
— James Michener