Eating and drinking are social group activities in Thailand and Laos, particularly in rural villages. Were in The West there is much more an isolated eating culture in the East and for sure in Thailand there is a group eating culture.
When
eating, lengthy social ‘shit chat’ is not the norm as we often have in the
West. The topics of conversation are relatively limited and a lot of time has
to do with what you are eating or drinking or about family related things.
Food
plays a central role in the life of Thai people. They tend to eat three meals a
day, but with lots of snacking in between. Whenever I drive on my scooter to
Mae Rim or Chiang Mai, day and night food sellers are working selling a wide
variety of actually always fresh grilled, baked, cooked, steamed or (deep)fried
food. Rice or sticky rice always is the main dish.
It is
nice to see many Westerners or other tourist do not eat food prepared on the
street. Their home doctors and the internet advise them not to do. Actually
this is a shame because it’s the cheapest and most healthy food you can find.
This food selling is the primary job of this ‘shop’ owners. If there ever is
something wrong mouth to mouth ‘marketing’ will be responsible they have to
close their ‘business’ so no income… I invite everybody to try, taste and eat
the more than delicious (and cheap) street food.
The food
is made with many ingredients that Westerners are not so familiar with, such as
lemon grass, tamarind, galangal, and of course lots of red hot chilies that
give the food such a tremendous depth of taste and spiciness.
In many
parts of rural Thailand people also enjoy eating a wide variety of food made up
from wildlife caught in the fields, waterholes, rivers and lakes. Insects and ant
eggs are specialties.
In
families the food is usually prepared and cooked outside even if the house has
an inside kitchen (most houses in the rural parts don’t). One or two small
cooking stoves (as shown on the picture) using charcoal and/or wood is used to
cook the food.
Food
ingredients are invariably very fresh as I told before. Having just been picked
or killed that day. Ingredients such as chicken and fish are normally killed
just prior to cooking.
During my
visit to the sister of my girlfriend in Laos we got in the evening chicken soup
(I want to be honest I have never taste such a delicious soup in my life
before). The food preparation (killing the chicken) was done in my sight. There
where I did not want to see the slaughter of two huge water buffalos and three
big pigs in sight of me as preparation for the wedding party, now I could not
choose to miss this ritual. Here it’s very normal and part of life. I grow up
totally divorced from the food raising and killing process.
The
sensitivity shown by me, also with other animals during that week, was not
really understood and brought a lot of fun talk.
Eating (and
drinking) is generally eaten on a large slightly raised (In Laos the chickens
and ducks walked underneath) platform made of wood and bamboo. On that
platform, mostly covered with a reed floor mat, the food is placed on a metal
round again slightly raised big plate. Each person has his/her own bowl and
utensils (spoon and fork and sometimes chopsticks, no knife).
Enough
for this week.
Captijn Insight. Catalyst in developing tranquility & in-sight to get in a sustainable way real connection, purpose, pleasure and flow in life, love, family, business, career and work again.
Gangey Gruma (Frans Captijn)
Captijn Insight. Catalyst in developing tranquility & in-sight to get in a sustainable way real connection, purpose, pleasure and flow in life, love, family, business, career and work again.
