Food tour

I signed up for a foodie tour to get an introduction to local dishes. The last time I did a day cooking course but that was general Thai dishes. The guide picked me up from the hotel and then we went to the outskirts to pick up the other 3 people, all USAns. One was an intern from MN working a sort of exchange stint with a Thai hospital. The other two were a couple from OR escaping the winter. The guide gave each of us a printed guide to Thai dishes encountered in this part of the country.

One of the first things we tried, basil with chicken. I love Thai holy basil. Watch out for the chilli though.

Green papaya salad, another well-known Thai dish.

Stewed pig trotters with rice. The Chinese characters indicate much Chinese tourism. The lady in the picture is the stall owner.

And here she is with her signature wide brim hat.

The dish.

Notice the basket with small cloves of garlic. Thais pick them up one at at time and chew with food. It's not very pungent, just the right flavour.

Each of us got one serve.

The guide gave us a taste of durian. The USAns tasted a bit of it but didn't go for seconds. I had to finish the rest. Tough job, but someone has to do it.

My hotel room had a card saying that bringing in durians would incur a fine of 2000B. At the entrance of a posh hotel I saw another sign with a heavier fine of 6000B. It also forbade mangosteen. I wondered why as mangosteen has no pungent smell. Then I recalled that the rind has a purple sap that can stain fabric. Durian and mangosteens are commonly eaten together, the acidity of the mangosteen is believed to counter the sweetness of the durian.

Finally the dish of Northern Thailand, khao soi. I've had it on a previous trip. Basically it's egg noodles in curry sauce. I'm not crazy about its taste, I prefer laksa.