Roadside Dining

 Thailand is famous for its cuisine. Much attention is given to street food. In the larger cities you can’t walk anywhere without running into a food vendor with a small cart selling Thai dishes to take away, or eat at small tables by the stand. When traveling in Thailand, one can enjoy a similar experience by pulling over at one of the many roadside restaurants.

Some shops are specialty diners, offering a limited choice of dishes. In such cases it is wise to decide what type of cuisine you are hungry for, and then choose the place that sells that type of food. Other diners offer a wider variety, allowing for greater choices, but in either case my Thai wife always asks me the same question. “Do you want noodles or rice?” 

Thai people seem to have a 6th sense, or built in radar when it comes to food. Without ever having eaten there, they can tell by looking at the establishment from the road which place will serve the best dish I am hungry for. Today I want Moo Pad Kaprow, and my wife wants Tom yum, so with the eye of an eagle she spots a place and tells me to pull over and park on the side of the road. We find a table and my wife goes to the cook and places our order. 

The restaurant is almost empty, with only one other customer, so our food is ready very quickly. My Kaprow (Basil pork over rice) is perfect, and my wife is also pleased with her Tom yum. 

I have experienced this scenario my times in Thailand. On road trips and closer to home. I can’t tell you what radar Thais have to instantly tell which restaurant is going to have the best cuisine, but they do, so my advise is to always travel with a Thai person, and trust their judgment.

The above photo of the restaurant my wife chose is a case in point. If it had been up to me, I would have driven on by. The KFC banner is just to get people’s attention, and the look of the restaurant is quite ordinary. No cars or even motorbikes, virtually no indication that this place serves great food, but I had some of the best Moo Pad Kaprow, I’ve had in months, and my wife said her Tom yum was also excellent.

So I guess my point would be trust. Trust, my friends, then experience, eat and enjoy.