Chiang Mai Culture and Food tour: Part 3

I can hardly believe how busy we've been the past week and a half - there is so much to see and do in this area! Today Gerry is a taking a course in "fire therapy" - yes, it's as crazy as it sounds - and I decided to take a day to sleep in, relax, and use his computer. So I am finally going to finish the series about our walking tour - it was a very full day! The last post ended at the food market, and after that we headed over to a Vietnamese restaurant (there are many in Chiang Mai) for some lunch.

Gade took us to this Vietnamese restaurant because Gerry mentioned his love of spicy food

The sandwiches on the left were sort of like "mini" banh mi. Very tasty!

Gade explained that Thai people love condiments - most restaurants will have a large assortment

the darker piece in the center is blood curd (sort of like blood pudding) - it tasted iron-y ;)

Gade had a side of poached eggs with her meal

After lunch we headed over to a couple more nearby temples...

A bird pooped on Gerry's head while he took this photo - Gade said it was good luck. I asked if the dog poop I stepped in earlier was good luck too, but alas it was just poop ;)

For a small donation, visitors are able to honor a relative or their ancestors on a brick, which will later be used to build or repair a wat somewhere in northern Thailand

The stupa at this wat is very old. Our second weekend in Chiang Mai was a buddhist holiday celebrating the beginning of the rainy season (Khao Phansaa). On that Friday night, city residents walk around stupas like this one three times,  praying as they walk. On Saturday they bring offerings (candles, light bulbs, incense, etc) to the monks. Traditionally the monks would not leave the wat for the full three months of rainy season, relying only on the offerings to survive. But, judging by the monk I saw walking into 7-11 last night, this is no longer strictly followed ;)

The shelf to the right has robes for those who need to cover shoulders and knees to enter the temple - I wore one and it was quite warm!

This is where a monk would sit while teaching a lesson 

Phew - it's hot in this thing!

This wooden temple is very old and very suay (beautiful)! The yellow flags to the left have buddhist dharma wheels printed on them, and they are placed in sand "castles" called chedi in preparation for the holiday "Khao Phansaa"

These are "birthday buddhas." Depending on the day and time you were born, you will have a different buddha  - sort of like astrology :)

After visiting the wats we walked around a bit, then headed to more food stalls - don't ask how I found room for more food - I'm not sure myself....

These little pastries were filled with a sort of meringue and custard - aroi dee ka (yummy)!

This lady was so sweet. She was cooking these coconut pudding "cakes," but they weren't quite ready so she kept opening the cooker for Gerry to take photos. Then she even let me try to flip one  - I goofed it up of course ;) The type she was making are a special local flavor which get their color from blue flowers

She is a pro at flipping these things!

She had us eat the ones that had cooled a bit, apparently the fresh ones will burn your mouth

These are castrated chickens. Gade said they are highly prized and supposed to be delicious - we took her word for it ;)

This is the local take on potato chips. It is basically a potato spiral cut and skewered, then deep fried and seasoned....if you like chips you would love these! It was a bit much for our full tummies, but cool to try. Who doesn't love freshly fried potatoes on a stick? :D

Little did we know we were going to end with a feast! Gade took us to a "southern style" Thai restaurant because it has VERY spicy food - and it did not disappoint! I tried a little of each dish - most were too spicy for me and just right for Gerry. The egg dish on the right was sweet with a star anise flavor. We had many leftovers - luckily another couple staying at our guesthouse walked in and we passed them along :)

This is fried mackerel with a spicy dipping sauce. It was pek pek (very spicy)!

This concludes our food and cultural walking tour inside the "old city" of Chiang Mai. I hope you enjoyed reading about it! I feel full again just looking at the photos ;) My next post will be about a full-day cooking class Gerry and I took a few days ago...

Chiang Mai cultural and food tour Part 2

 Sawatdee Ka! In my last post, I left off just as we got to the food markets near our lovely guesthouse, Elliebum, in Chiang mai, Thailand. Here are more of the interesting foods we encountered...

These are dried fish stomachs. This type is to be eaten, but stomachs from large, deep water ocean fish are considered valuable collectors items.

The pods on the far left contain some sort of nut

In case anyone is wondering, these prices are per kilo, and 10 baht is about 30 cents US!

hese fruit, called longan, are everywhere this time of year in Chiang Mai. The trees around our guesthouse are loaded with them. They are mild and juicy like a lychee, but with one small bitter seed in the center (I found out the hard way)

lychee- the fresh fruit is so much better than the canned (big surprise, right? ;)

beautiful dragonfruit

gnoh (rambutan) - the outside may look a little intimidating, but they are easy to peel and delicious!  (very much like a lychee, but a bit sweeter and less juicy)

super-spicy Thai chilies

in the lower middle part of the screen is a bag of kefir limes, upper right is fresh ginger, middle top is waxed firewood

Gade said these are "lady fingers," and from what I found online that means they are okra, maybe a special variety?

on the left are some giant type of okra

These are betel nut, dried on the left and fresh on the right and far left. They are wrapped up with tobacco and other herbs and chewed for a "buzz." This is the nut you see people using on Discovery Channel with black mouths and teeth

These are a dessert made from candied egg yolks

There were many food stalls with open containers of cooked foods - we didn't have any from this market but did have some spicy Southern Thai food later served in this way....I have to say I prefer the "cooked fresh" variety ;)

Neither Gerry or I are big fans of pork, but it is a very popular meat in Northern Thailand and Gade told us we should try this amazing sausage on the left (under the lady's arm) - and she was right! It was hot, spicy, and delicious! It was so nice to have Gade to guide us through the market and encourage us to try foods outside our "comfort zone" ;)

I have to go get ready for Thai massage class now (it's 7am here), but I hope you enjoyed Part 2 and check back for more.... Kop khun ka!

Chiang Mai cultural and food tour Part 1

Elliebum Café, downstairs from our room. Great atmosphere and free breakfast make for a wonderful morning!

Yesterday Gerry and I went on a wonderful tour of the neighborhood around our guesthouse, Elliebum, hosted by the owner, Gade. The neighborhood is inside the "old city," which is surrounded by walls and a moat. This seems appropriate, since Chiang mai is over 700 years old, and until a little over 100 years ago the city was its own kingdom separate from Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. Before we set out into the city, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by Gade. Gerry had french toast with maple syrup and fresh fruit, and I had a big bowl of fresh fruit with yogurt and muesli.

Gerry's french toast

My big bowl of fruit included dragon fruit, guava, papaya, and mango - yum! The dragon fruit is very mild and delicate, while the guava was crunchy like an asian pear.

After enjoying our light breakfast with tea and Thai iced coffee, we were ready to walk. We began our tour at a nearby temple (one of many) where Gade explained the many different cultures and religions that have influenced northern Thailand and Chiang mai. One of the strongest influences on Buddhism in the region comes from India.

A good example of this influence is the sacred Bodhi trees like this one which can be seen at many temples in Chiang mai.

According to our host, 85% of Thai people are Buddhist and practice a style called "small vehicle" Buddhism.

Alongside the sacred bodhi tree sits a "spirit house" used to give offerings and pay respect to ancestors. The "wings" at the peak of the house are typical to architecture in this northeastern region of Thailand, a remnant of occupation by the Burmese long ago.

We saw many fruit trees along our walk, but this one interested me because it looked so much like the infamously stinky durian. This is Jackfruit, and apparently tastes nothing like durian. Inside are sweet pods that are so sticky you need to put oil on your hands before touching them.

Gade took us down some back alleys to see some of the many local food vendors and street markets.

this is common "street food" in Chiang mai. Veggies, bananas, pork, chicken, etc. is wrapped in a banana leaf and then steamed and grilled. According to Gade, the trick for foreigners is knowing if you are buying a sweet or savory snack.

This woman enthusiastically agreed to a photo with one stipulation -make her look nice :)

She explained the negative impact a recent free-trade agreement with China has had on local food production in the region. For example, this area of Thailand used to be famous for small, deliciously sweet oranges. The import of exotic fruits from China has introduced diseases that have wiped out half the orange crop for the last two years, devastating local farmers and quadrupling the price of oranges.

Another problem is that local farmers can't compete with Chinese prices: the larger cloves of garlic seen here (bottom right) are from China. The smaller, more pungent (and therefore healthier!) Thai garlic (top right) is more expensive and is struggling to compete with its larger, blander cousin.

one of many street markets

fresh quail eggs

freshwater softshell crabs from local rice paddies - Gade explained that these are generally used to flavor broth and curry rather than eaten whole

This fish "paste" is found in many local dishes, and is used to add salt and flavor similarly to the way anchovy paste is used.

bamboo shoots

Two types of preserved eggs. The pink type is pickled in a brine, while the white type is the infamous "century egg," preserved by coating with clay, lime, salt, and rice hulls and buried in the earth for years. Gade explained that the yolk and "white" inside these eggs is actually black in color.

There is much more to tell about our tour, so I hope you check back for the next installment....