Kit Shepherd
Sep 4, 2018 · 6 min read

Experiment. Eat. Enjoy… Thailand

So we’ve all been there before, you hear yourself saying “when in Rome let’s try the local delicacies”, and then your moment comes to order something new and unique but instead you get the same burger and fries or salad.. Don’t worry we are all guilty 'food-a-phobe’s’. Well myself and my boyfriend have vowed to actually stick to our promise to try local foods in every destination we embark on, on our travels around Southeast Asia and Australia.

In hindsight this was a complete eye opener to many flavours and meals we’ve never heard of before, and let’s face it, English food can be quite bland so the comparison to begin with was low. So with already knowing that we knew this experience was going to spice up our taste buds.

In preparation, Cameron and I tried a variation of different Asian inspired dishes prior to our travels, just to help us get a feel for what we were actually going to be living on. Also we knew, in terms of cost, it’s actually much more wallet friendly to stick to the local cuisines than westernised food. This not only aids in broadening our taste buds, but also helps save those pennies in the long run. This is especially important, if like us, your travelling for a long time and need to be money smart.

With all this ‘high and mighty talk’ of sampling the local foods, what better way to share our experiences than to document, exchange, and of course take typical traveller photos. This, we hope, will aid future travellers with what to try themselves and also what to avoid.

Each place on our travels had their own style of cooking and local specialities, so here’s to expecting the unexpected, and will hopefully inspire you to try new types of food yourself.

We start our food adventures in Thailand, in none other than the capital city of Bangkok. Such a glorious, colourful and authentic location with a surprising amount of local cuisine to choose from, and at a reasonable price. We soon found out which dishes were more popular than others, and also which restaurants were there to quite obviously attract the typical tourist.. weirdly enough tourists seem to want to stick to what they know, and of course if your only on holiday you don’t want to ruin your short experience by eating something you don’t enjoy. However, this was not a concern of mine or Cameron’s.

We were told prior to our travels, “eat like the locals”. This in retrospect is quite a daunting task, as some menu’s are not accessable to our language, so the use of pictures and pointing seem to be the only force of communication. More often than not the dishes do the pictures justice, but the unknown of what your eating can be off-putting.

Travelling around Thailand we soon realised what the staples meals were and how to order on a budget. Thailand is big on flavour and are flexible on meal variation, i.e vegetarian options and allergies. Rice seems to be the go to meal choice, so if your not a fan then this probably isn’t the place for you. Although if your willing to pay a bit more you can get reasonable westernised food all over.

Throughout our travels we noticed meal times didn’t exist in Thailand, it seemed to be if the temperature was low the stalls would come out. But not to fear, if your out and about in the midday sun a Thai iced coffee will never go a miss. If your a coffee lover like me and Cameron you will certainly enjoy this underpriced caffeine kick.. Which you can even get from every 7-Eleven or Family Mart (these seem to appear on every street corner, no matter where you are in Thailand). This iced coffee is loaded with caffeine and condensed milk, so will certainly keep you going in the heated sun.

Throughout our time in Thailand we learnt some tasty and satisfying meals to order, here’s some of our favourite dishes below;

  • Fried chicken with basil and rice — a Thai classic and favourite of the locals. Very flavorful and not that heavy on the waistline.
  • Noodle soup — again another Thai classic. More broth than soup, but comes with your veg, meat and carb so hitting all those nutritional needs.
  • Papaya salad — if your wanting something a bit lighter then this little number is perfect. A very flavorful blend of shredded papaya, healthy greens, shrimps, nuts, and a spicy lime dressing. This has to be my favourite cold crispy fix.
  • Morning glory — despite the name you can have this dish anytime of the day. It’s a spicy mix of greens and a choice of meat, accompanied by rice. Quite a nice change from your average meat and rice combination.
  • Pad Thai — of course this is an overpopulated dish that deserves the Thai title. The meal varies depending where you are in Thailand, but overall is an easy go-to dish if your stuck on what to choose.
  • Summer rolls — like spring rolls but these are not deep fried, they come as a vegetarian or meat option and are low on calories, but big on flavour.
  • Smoothies — again these bad boys are everywhere and are freshly made to order. With a wide variety of fruit you’ll never get bored of these.
  • Fruit — little fruit vender’s seem to pop up everywhere in Thailand, selling, chopping, and bagging up fruit for you to take on your travels. If your wanting to try some new exotic fruits then I would definitely recommend either dragon fruit or purple mangosteen, both are sweet and full of flavour.
  • Street food — again a lot like the fruit vender’s, you will more often than not see plenty of freshly cooked meat stalls, cooking and selling a variation of meats. These can include chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. The trick is to ask for the meat to be heated just to double check it’s thoroughly cooked. They pop them on the grill for a few minutes and serve them to you either as they are or in a bag. Heating them also helps kill any potential bacteria.

In terms of other Thai dishes the best thing to do, if you are unsure, is to ask what the meal is. More often than not it’s a pleasant surprise. If there’s one thing me and Cameron have learnt whilst on our travels, it’s to expect the unexpected. Some food maybe better than others, and if the restaurant looks popular then it’s probably a good choice. Don’t let smells put you off but always check what you’ve roughly ordered, just so your not in for too much of a shock. Remember Thailand is full of culture so go out there open minded and enjoy every mouthful.

Written and edited by Kit Shepherd

Kit Shepherd

Written by

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