Bangkok 226
It is hard to believe that this crazy city is only 226 years old, but it seems to get better and better with time. The first day back, we went to this famous restaurant on Samsen Road in the old part of town, known for its Indian-style roti and curries. Roti with curry will always be one of my favorite foods of all time.
You may have seen or read about the recent chaos in Bangkok in which huge mobs of anti-government, right-wing royalist thugs battled with police in the streets and – somehow – managed to take over the international airport. Luckily, the airport siege ended earlier in the month, but the political tension continues.
The pro-government, pro-Thaksin group is no better. This group of “red shirts” were protesting in front of the parliament the day that a new Prime Minister was named. A few hours after I took this photo, this mob of goons tried to break into the parliament building. Despite the presence of some anti-establishment monks who were there to support their cause, many of these guys were drunk as hell by the time they started attacking the building. When they couldn’t get in, they started assaulting the cars of ministers leaving the parliament with rocks and cinder blocks. I was lucky to have decided to leave early.
Bangkok wouldn’t be the city that never sleeps without its nightlife. Here, break dancers practice their game on the walkways below the skytrain stations.
It is hard to believe how bad the pollution is in Bangkok. The smog is so dense that buildings in the distance seem immersed in clouds. On the banks of the Chao Praya river, one can barely make out the Bangkok skyline.
We left the city on a day trip and went down to lovely Amperwa – a district famous for its floating market and fireflies. I really enjoyed my time there, and the main market was quite nice. River crabs are abundant, and sold en masse.
Of course, being a huge fan of crabs I had to try their deep fried brethren as well. These aren’t exactly soft-shell crabs, but they are so small that when fried you can eat the entire thing. This banana leaf dish full of fried river crabs was about 75 cents. You can’t beat that price with a bat! I’m sure that Mr. Wilson and some of the other Lincolnite chowhounds out there would have loved to have some of these suckers.
Speaking of deep fried edible items, this one was a first for me: crispy and golden deep fried flowers. Eaten with a stick of course, but I don’t think you would find these at the Nebraska state fair.
On a more familiar level, these folks in Amperwa were selling grilled prawns and calamari from their boats.
Then it was back down to the south to one of my old hang-out spots: Hat Yai. This woman is making Indian-style roti with curry for breakfast. I caught a few (about 1 dollar) before heading over the border.
Penang, Malaysia: This guy sells pasembur – which is basically a serve-yourself buffet of fried prawns, tofu, fish, chicken, potatoes, sausages, and squid (but no flowers), smothered in a mild spicy sauce. This was almost like a Kevlar-strength wall of deep fried food.
Finally, I had this breakfast of nasi lemak (coconut rice, chili sauce, and fried anchovies) with coffee on Christmas morning – about 40 cents.
Its about 85 degrees here in sunny Malaysia and I am loving this weather. I’ll be headed back to Thailand tomorrow and may be able to get out another post in a few days if I’m lucky. In the meantime, happy holidays and have a great new year all.
EDIT: If anyone is interested in learning more about Malaysian food, or better yet, visiting Malaysia, please check out the excellent Rasa Malaysia blog. Rasa Malaysia really knows her stuff, and her family has just begun a culinary tours company in historic Penang as well. Check her out.
The Comments
West A Dad says I'll eat anything curried! December 26, 2008 at 7:28am
Mmm, fried crab! Can I put chili sauce on those?
beerorkid says Awesome. Hopes you are December 26, 2008 at 3:10pm
Awesome. Hopes you are having a bunch of fun and eating good.
jake rhymes with cake says Drooling! December 26, 2008 at 10:56pm
oh man, i love these foodie posts! good stuff. and this reminds me, this season of the Amazing Race had a leg of the race on the Amperwa and throughout the floating markets of Malaysia.
Mr. T says RE: Drooling! January 7, 2009 at 6:59pm
Thanks Jake. Hmmm, I didn’t know that Ampawa was featured in the Amazing Race. I’m not a regular fan of the show but I have watched it from time to time. You should head back over there sometime. This year hotels, flights, etc., will probably be pretty cheap.
Nikkidemas says Beautiful photos. Thanks for December 31, 2008 at 12:47pm
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
Rasa Malaysia says I can never get bored of nasi lemak January 22, 2009 at 7:56pm
Yummy! You should try the one at Sri Weld Hawker Center. To-die-for!!
New Lane hawker joint is also great with all sorts of very delicious Penang hawker food.
Mr. T says RE: I can never get bored of nasi lemak January 22, 2009 at 9:46pm
Thanks for visiting Rasa!
The nasi lemak in this photo was from a basic street stall across the road from where I was staying. Not too far from jalan seribahari and jalan transfer.
I should have gone to the new lane hawker area as I was only staying a few blocks from komtar. Unfortunately, I did not. Next time I go I will be sure to ask you for tips.