Street Food on Surawong Road

 

This is Emma, and she's from England.  We worked in Bangkok at the same school, teaching English. When the afternoon/evening shift ended, often we'd have dinner together,  One of our favorite spots was the food stalls that set across from Lumpini Park.  Nowadays that area is mainly cleared of food carts. But it was bustling when we lived there.  We loved the Khao Mun Gai, a chicken and rice dish, covered in some sweet and spicy sauce, with bowl of soup on the side.  And we'd go to the same stall, one run by a woman we simply referred to as "the chicken lady."  We'd place our order and take our seats.  We would then get a Coca-Cola, and then wait a few minutes for the food to be served.  It was always tasty!  Emma and I were both newbie expats in this exotic, fascinating city and country, and we were right at the same age.  A bond formed.  And those conversations we'd have....WOW.

One evening Emma talked me into walking up Surawong Road for dinner.  She had discovered a mom-and-pop restaurant that had a huge variety of eye-catching foods already prepared and set up on tables out front.  The staff would grab a plate with rice, and you could simply point out 1, 2 or 3 dishes you desired.  You'd then sit at a table, often one shared with complete strangers.  It was typical Bangkok - noisy, busy, yet stimulating and awesome.  The video above shows that exact area, and the foods that would have been on display.