Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
One of Maha Sarakham’s first really cool outdoor pubs. Lots of memories here… It was the first place to offer deep fried larb balls. It was also where T and J hid from the cops upstairs (I didn’t even know it had an upstairs!). One day last week we drove by, and it was just gone.
Noodles are life.
Curry is life.
These are curry noodles.
Mina brought a hamburger bun stuffed with a fried duck egg over to my desk and said, “try some.” I was just waking up, so I told her I needed a minute. In that minute, the sandwich disappeared and I jokingly asked Mina why she didn’t save me any.
“Cuz it was sooo gooood.”
I fried up one of the duck eggs Nam’s sister gave us from her egg factory (she makes salted duck eggs out on her resort in the country) and threw it in a toasted burger bun with a slice of processed cheddar… UMAMI. BOMB.
It was the best, messiest, umamiest egg sandwich, ever.
My review on Google Maps basically says it’s sugokunai. Mushy noodles and lukewarm broth are just not my thing, but Thais seem to love both. I just want to put some photos here.
Today I learned about Hematogen (latin: Haematogenum), which is a nutrition bar partially made from black food albumin taken from processed cow’s blood. Yum!
I also fell in love with the website where I found the original photos.
Accidentally found on Google; cannot find original source but will link to it if I do.
Mukdahan, Thailand – Thirteen Isan youths who dug up a pile of dead dogs to eat found out two days later that the animals had rabies.
Everybody loves free food.
It tastes like shrimp, I swear: Fried scorpion anyone?
After 10 years of experimentation, I have finally figured out that medium-sized round eggplant is the best. Too small, and they are bitter. Too big, like in the photo above, and they are soft, tasteless, and the seeds are too big and numerous.
The seeds are actually an important taste component. They can be big, they can be numerous, but they can’t be both because it makes the overall texture too soft. This is something nobody ever mentioned to me.
Something really interesting – I’ve seen people have allergic reactions to only the big ones. Specific symptoms were an itchy and swelling throat.
So stay away from big round eggplant!
Khao Soi is a heavenly blend of savory, spicy, and sour.