Whats For Dinner??

I went to the streetside market where I  have been regularly buying my veges and this time I remembered to take the camera.  I mentioned to DA about frogs for sale at the market and he was happy to link it to the frogs legs seen in French cooking.  I promised to send him some pictures to show why this was a bit different........

For a start, they do not seem to be stopping at the legs.  Secondly I think that "frog" might be a bit optimistic in the naming and and easier on the palate than "toad".

But if toad is not on your menu, maybe you would like some fresh deep fried squirrels?

I was pleased to see that he back legs were significantly longer than the front, because that immediately made it clear that they were not rats!  I now know why the cute little squirrell that used to run along the power lines outside my first house here was doing it so quickly!  Obviously you do not want to be the slow squirrell!

For the veges, what about some Cobra Lillies? 

These are a sought after collectors plant in Australia.  For Peter who succesfully grew one at Warburton, I don't expect you ever thought of eating it!  I don't know what they do with it, but I am surprised to see that is there and edible.

Lastly to the more mundane.  Some Pork.

I don't include this because it is unusual, but to show how the pork is sold.  There is no refridgeration and only a lazy attempt to move the flies along every so often.  There is lots of seafood sold in the same markets and that is always stored in big containers of ice and the sellers keep laying the ice on over the fish, prawns, crabs and others to make sure is stays chilled.  So why not the pork? 

While I am happy to buy all my veges from these markets, I do not risk buying my meat there.  For that I will go to the supermarket.

The latest success from the "always wanted to be able to grow that plant" list.  For a change, this is not a local Thai species.  It is Catasetum pileatum which originates in South America.  After years of playing with glass houses with heaters, humidifiers, ventilators etc, it is amazing to grow something like this on my verandah.  As this is another plant with a reputation for dropping dead for absolutely no reason, the challenge is now to get it through a full growth cycle and into another flowering season.

Food In Thailand

Sam has asked for some information about the food in Thailand, so here it is....... The Thai people don't seem to cook at home much, and most Thai houses have a very basic (often open) kitchen.  But why should they given that there seems to be a food vendor on almost every corner?  The most common foods are chicken and rice, but beware, chilli is a way of life here.  Most restaurants will cook you a farang (foreigner) version of dishes that are extremely mild by their standards.  When eating with Thai friends I have tried dishes that were so hot (chilli) I almost choked on them, and then watched them sprinkling fresh chilli on top of it to add flavour!!!  As long as you can keep the chilli levels under control though, the food is fantastic.  It is fresh, fast, and strong flavours abound.  There is nothing bland on the menu.
Having spent most of my life in an environment where food storage and preparation is extremely sanitized, I have generally not eaten food from the street vendors due to the risk of getting some bug that my stomach cant handle, but I have no experience to suggest that the risk is high.  Personally I like quite like cooking, so I usually cook for myself.   I am slowly getting an understanding of local ingredients and the various spice mixes you can buy.  For those times when you don't want asian style, there is a wide range of ingredients exactly the same as you would find in your local supermarket in Australia.
Price wise the normal rules apply.  If you want specialised items that the locals don't use, you will pay a high price for them, although that "high price" is a relative thing.  Its not necesarily higher than what you would pay in Australia for those same items.  If you are buying locally common foods, the prices are much lower.  

Interesting Economics

Tonight I started craving some of the foods you just can't seem to get in Phuket.  I had been told about a supermarket that specialised in stocking all the brands that travellers are used to getting at home, although at a premium price.  I was impressed that they had such a wide range of items from various parts of the world.  I bought things like a packet of Corn Chips (American, terrible),  Mint Slice biscuits, good pasta, Branston Pickles.  There were a number of items made in Australia and imported to Thailand, and they are highly priced compared to the equivalent items from Thailand as you would expect.  The strange thing is that they are still cheaper here than they are in the supermarkets in Australia, despite having been sent all the way here.  So much for comments about 'distribution costs' being behind markups in Australia!