For eating
out, Thailand in general, and Bangkok in particular, offer some
of the greatest bargains available on this globe. This
is the case for Thai cuisine as well as Western fare. The only
exception is beer - not because restaurants charge an exceptionally
high mark-up on drinks (even at stores beer is priced higher than
in Europe); the reason is a heavy tax. In simple restaurants,
a small bottle of beer costs more than the meal itself. It's a
tax levied especially on foreigners in the kingdom as Thais prefer
the national beverage Mekong, a whiskey more reasonably
priced than beer.
A unique fact
in Thailand is the quality provided by street kitchens.
For 15 to 40 Baht, one can get a full meal at a street kitchen,
and while the food there is cheap, it is certainly not cheapish.
In Thailand, street kitchens are frequented not only by the poor.
For years the author has observed rich people eating at
street kitchens at the corner of Sukhumvit Rd and Soi 38 Sukhumvit
Rd.
For Westerners
it's amazing to see in a Mercedes limousine chauffeured by a uniformed
driver parking near a street kitchen, a millionaire and his
wife getting out, taking a place at a fragile table and ordering
20 or 30 Baht meals just as their driver would. The setting
doesn't seem to be of much importance. What counts is the quality
of the food.
The most common
dishes at street kitchens are soups. Curry (chicken, beef,
or fish) with rice is also commonly served, or noodles with duck,
chicken, beef balls or pork. Less common but available at specialized
street kitchens are unique things like fried locusts. One
doesn't need to speak Thai to order at street kitchens as what
one sees is what one gets and it is enough just to point.
Bangkok, aside
from having many restaurants famous for the originality of their
food, also has one of the most originally named restaurants in
the world: Cabbages and Condoms. If one wonders how the
latter are prepared as a dish, then one must remain disappointed.
It isn't. The solution to the mystery is that this restaurant
is run by the Population and Community Development Association
(PDA). PDA is a Thai non-profit that implements a variety
of family planning, AIDS education and community develpment projects,
run by Mr Mechai who is world famous for the open manner
in which he propagates condoms. To name this restaurant Cabbages
and Condoms was just one more publicity stunt of Mr Mechai (and
it worked at least in as far as gaining condoms a special entry
in this dining guide). Take note, a regular diner wrote that the
food is truly delicious!
