My daughter — the one in Thailand, in the Peace Corps — posted today on her blog to let us know how well-fed she is, in keeping with the military junta’s happiness campaign.
She posted quite a cornucopia of enticing dishes. But they also came across, to this benighted Westerner’s eyes, as evidence of just how exotic her surroundings are. That plate of mangosteen and rambutan look like Star Trek props.
I hereby copy and paste her entire post. Shop Tart, eat your heart out:
In accordance with my host country’s happiness campaign (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/thailand-to-bring-happiness-to-the-people), I would like to share something that makes me SO happy every day in this country: FOOD. I took pictures of my breakfast, lunch, and dinner the other day with the intention of making everyone back home super jealous of me.
BreakfastMangosteen and Rambutan. I’m not a huge rice for breakfast person, which is fine because wherever I go in the morning I will inevitably be presented with a large plate of fruit. On this day, I was accompanying the health clinic to the schools to teach about oral hygiene, when I was presented with two of my favorite fruits. Mangosteen, the purple one, is the Queen of Fruits and Thai people say that it makes you cool when you eat it (temperature wise- I don’t want to get all you nerds’ hopes up). Rambutan is also quite delicious and juicy once you peel those crazy green spikes off. Thai people have really got this whole hospitality thing down.Lunch
Pad Gapow- A spicy, garlicy, deliciousy chicken situation
Dtom Yom Gung- A classic, sour shrimp stew made with chili peppers, lemongrass, cilantro, limes mushrooms, etc. Idk I learned to make this the other day but I didn’t take notes. Whoops.
Gang Jut- Pork stuffed inside of large celery-like chutes, boiled with cabbage.
Pad Pak- Fried vegetables.
Dinner
RiceRooa- Bamboo, coconut Milk, and mint
Nam Prik Ga Peet with Vegetables- Basically homemade chili sauceGang Malagow- A papaya stew with pork
Dtom Gai Baan- Boiled chicken, vegetables, and spices.
Gapow Moo- Spicy Pork
Khay Giaw Pak Da Om- Omelette made with a stringy green
As you can see, I eat pretty well. I apologize for not cooking, therefore having no idea of the actual ingredients, but you get the “picture”. Maybe in the future I will try harder. I did not even include the many snacks I ate that day, including, but not limited to- grilled chicken skewers drenched in a creamy peanut paste, some kind of hot peanut drink, thai doughnuts that we dipped in a condensed milk and some sort of green fluffy stuff, boiled lotus seeds, and a sweetened coconut milk desert with tapioca balls and gelatin noodles. We joke that I will return to America fat. That’s fine. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the pictures, and now you have evidence that I am not starving. I will post a coup update soon!
I think my favorite would be the Dtom Yom Gung. Being a Southern boy, I’d eat it over rice, like gumbo….
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Definitely click on the mangosteen picture. And then click again to blow it up. It’s wonderful…
Pretty photos of food that makes my gut hurt just to look at!
Doesn’t look remotely appetizing in any way at all to me.
Is that really all just one day’s supply of food? It seems like enough for a week. Someone needs to make a stop action animated sci fi short where mangosteens are alien invaders of some sort.
“That’s more food than these people eat in a week. They’re starving.” – Indiana Jones