The Spice of Life

This one is dedicated to Thai food and to two very different restaurants!

Yesterday we went out with one of our friends, Piengphen (sounds like pyeng-pen), who took us to a small local restaurant. She ordered for us (as the menu was entirely in Thai) and we had soup, some spiced meat with a sweet chili sauce (sort of a beef-jerky texture), a shredded carrot and cabbage mixture (think spicy cole-slaw), and a chicken dish (texture of ground beef). It was terrific - and all for about 380 baht (about US$10 total). The soup was the spiciest - phew - it hits you after about five or six bites. But the flavor was fantastic.

Last night Yiming and I found another local restaurant, on Sukhumvit Soi 11 (we didn't realize we had walked that far, but that's another story). This one offered an intriguing atmosphere - lighted candles, low tables with cushions on the floor, and a picture menu (which should have been our first clue). We had red snapper served with a spicy side and a non-spicy side. According to Piengphen, it is bad luck to flip the fish over, so this fish was propped up in the dish as if it were swimming and the spicy / non-spicy mixtures were on each side to hold it upright.

Anyway - not spicy and spicy were about the same, and we realized that we had fallen into the classic trap of a restaurant targeted for Westerners. It was still good, but... hmmm... not authentic Thai.

On a happy random note, my pants are too loose to wear. The combination of a demented exercise routine and the lack of butter, cream, and pasta is doing wonderful things to my waistline. The food - despite being fabulous - isn't as heavy as what you find in the States (and the portions are more realistic). Good news for me!