The Tale of Two Thai Cities

Having promised to several teacher friends living in various small towns scattered piece-meal across the countryside that I would visit, I made my way this past weekend to Dan Chang. This is a small and sleepy town just a few short hours west of Bangkok on your way to the Myanmar border. Now, dear readers (reader count=10, and thank you random lurker for waving hello last post), those who know me know that I am no small town girl. Why the very thought of settling in a city devoid of certain necessities would be unheard of for this big city mama (think more than one coffee shop, a club with live music, and another with a great DJ where I can dance, and no lack of entertainment options come the weekend—yes, these are all necessities, don’t judge). So I was expecting to have a quiet, restful weekend where I would possibly enjoy a beer under the eaves of a quiet porch on a dusty country road. However, leave it to Thailand to once again completely surprise me.

After only a few minutes of arriving in Dan Chang it was clear that my hosts had put some thought into our weekend festivities, never mind that I was looking for a good little bit of rest and relaxation. We walked from my drop off point across and down the “city” streets of Dan Chang to a restaurant on the other side town. Mind you this took all of about fifteen minutes. We ended up at one of those establishments that are so common in Thailand: part street side restaurant, part local hang out and congregation area, and part private home. And all of this crammed into a space smaller than my tiny studio apartment in Bangkok. However, as is indicative of many of these places—the food was quite good, and certainly fresh.

We were soon joined by a gracious couple that I had heard much about (all wonderful things by the way), but was only just meeting. They proved to be just as delightful (and down to earth) as many had said as the day wore on. We were dropped soon after lunch across from the town’s local temple at what looked to be part junk shop, and part auto maintenance facility where after a little bartering we rented a car for the next twenty-four hours. The addition of the car, in a sleepy country town completely lacking in all of the blessings of public transit that I am so used to, made for ease of transit and what would be a whirlwind twenty-four hours.

We were off as soon as the deal was bartered to the Sam Chook 100 year old market. One could easily lose themselves in the winding streets of this little market, and we most likely would have had it not been for the fact that we arrived so close to closing. However, we found plenty to entertain ourselves, and I would recommend heading there should you want a little trip out of Bangkok. You can find more information here:  http://tweetyourselfthai.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/sam-chook-100-year-market-a-little-history/

However, the highlight of my trip was stumbling across this beautiful silver cuff. It was a rather ornate, but earthy piece that spanned at least a couple of inches wide in intricate duplication of little vines and leaves. The vines and leaves were interspersed with the most gorgeous off-white natural stones, and immediately I was drooling. I have been practicing my bartering skills since coming to this country, and was soon making the “that’s a little pricey” face (the one that leads to the shop owner and I going back and forth until we have settled on a price we both like. It is customary for the proprietor to supply the customer with more information that will lure the hard earned baht out of your pocket, and into their hands. However, telling me that those gorgeous stones were actually ivory made me turn on my heel, and immediately walk out with a muttered, “Mai ow, kha” (I don’t want). Ivory! Nope, nu-uh, I don’t think so. There are simply a few things that regardless of how okay that seems to be in Thailand I will never get used to, and I am certainly not planning to bring any home.

The rest of the night was spent wandering from one place to the next, until we ended up at the local fair. I am not certain why those small traveling fairs are so alike from one country to the next, but certainly this one did not disappoint. There was the usual bass thumping, loud music that you can’t quite distinguish since the sound system is so terrible. Carnival rides dotted the hay strewn area—a tilt-a-whirl here, an octopus there. The games were just as similar as well, and I did not miss my opportunity to shoot a few pellets at some meanly snarling stuffed animals. Three of which I ended bringing down, thank you very much! I am quite the hunter, no? Did I mention that this whole thing was on the town’s temple grounds? I didn’t? Hmmm. Let’s just say that the peaceful, smiling Buddhas did a wonderful job of reminding me that I was most certainly not in Kansas anymore.

The next day was packed again, but this time with some amazing food. I have found a Thai dish that I absolutely adore, but which I have never seen in any Thai restaurant in the states, and it is a version of this that I leave you with.

Enjoy,

The Epicurious Gypsy

Pla-muk tod Gatiem

100 gms Squid

4 Garlic Cloves

1 Teaspoon White Pepper

2 Tablespoons Light Soy sauce

1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

100 ml Oil (something light like Canola)

Preparation

1. Cut the squid like squares clean the inside of the squid carefully, remove the beak if it is still present.

2. Score the squid with diagonal criss-cross scoring, this will make it more tender and less chewy once cooked.

3. Pound the garlic in a Thai mortar and mix with squid, light soy sauce and fish sauce.

4. Put oil into a frying pan over a medium heat.

5. Add the squid mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes.

6. If you overcook squid it becomes chewy, so only light, short cooking is necessary.

Serve With

Fragrant Rice