Crunch Critters on Khao Sarn

The sound of leaves crunching under children’s busied feet as they hustle down the darkened Oak Park sidewalks. Candy bags clutched tightly in little fingers, as goblins, ghouls, and little witches make their way from one warmly lit porch step to the next. A small, ghost white, little girl with midnight black hair and a tinfoil tiara skips down the street happily humming the bars to “Monster Mash”. Is this some idyllic scene from a Disney movie or a memory from my own childhood? Well dear readers (reader count=eight, and <gulp> a couple hundred lurkers) to be honest I’m not quite certain myself, and what I have found in my educational research on the workings of the human mind leads me to believe that our memory constructs itself continuously and creatively. That being said, the point is still clear…I have always had a love of all things Halloween. The ritual of pumpkin carving, and roasting the seeds after, the creative construction of costumes, the spooky stories, and the mayhem and mischief in the air—this is Halloween.

Some years have been better than others. As an adult I’ve made many memories that will be carried in my heart for years to come. In fact when it comes to decadence, debauchery, and dancing I have been thrice blessed on the devil’s nights. However, it is quite possible that last night’s festivities will be carried with me far into the future. The Thai have a saying that I am learning to live with, and quite possibly love. “Mai pen rai” they say, or “never mind”.  You see, learning to go with the flow is most definitely one of my biggest lessons here. Going into the weekend I had already let go of my desire for something that would make me feel a little less homesick. I had found a night here that would be comparable to a fabulous evening of maudlin marauding back in my hometown of Atlanta, but had opted to join the group’s activities and head down to

Khao Sarn Road

instead.

Khao Sarn Road

is the backpacker’s destination in Bangkok. Any night of the week it is crammed with vendor’s stalls filled with funky beach wear, Asian printed t-shirts, and a various assortment of Thai dishes and delicacies. However, on Halloween night it was a crazy kaleidoscope of chaos. A small troupe of traveling teachers and I made our way from the local Bangkok neighborhood that I now call home down to Khao Sarn. A short cab ride later, and the traffic came to a jumbled stand still. We hopped out of the taxi and picked our way around vendor’s venues and snack stalls. The thundering noise of the crowd filled our ears, and the glow of a lit platform adorned with deejay and psychedelic screen illuminated our path. This was Halloween on Bangkok’s busy city streets.

A sea of faces greeted us upon arrival. Needless to say it was only a few moments in when we lost one of our numbers who went rushing off after familiar faces. Khao Sarn is packed with bars, and on this particular night the crowds were so chaotic that they came spilling out onto the streets, and it became nearly impossible to differentiate between street traffic and busied bar patrons. Our group gladly took in all of the sights and smells. It would have been impossible not to get caught up in the madness of it all. Let’s just say much fun was being had by all, and the vibe just spread. There were definitely some differences between the Thai costumes and the farang costumes. The majority of the Thai seemed to revel in all things spooky, scary, and sticky, whereas the farang took this night as an opportunity to come silly, slutty, or stupefied. This was easy to do with some of the costumes we saw that night.

Point taken? Now, I have promised you all culinary curiosities, and I promise to not disappoint. Bangkok, just like any other town has it’s standard bar food. Late night, naughty noise-makers need nourishment (say that three times fast). However, in Bangkok there is always an adventure to be had. As one of my new dear friends likes to say, “Ahhhh, Thailand…how strange you are sometimes.” It was not long before we found a snack cart that would make Andrew Zimmern salivate. There it was, a vision of glowing beetles, bugs, and scorpions.

Did you think I was joking? I am sad to report that this night was not the night I would try one of the crunchy critters. Calm down! I have a year, it may happen yet. Instead, I opted for a treat that I had heard several people describe with stars in their eyes. After experiencing it myself, I can see why. I have included a video clip that shows the making of this Thai treat for your viewing pleasure. I promise that the next post will include a recipe. Until then…

Enjoy,

The Epicurious Gypsy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFb9hn_FcSQ