Asking a Thai person to reveal the names of their national dishes is like asking my mate, Geordie Mick if he knows any of the footballers who play for Newcastle United.
Today, after 2 flights from Beijing I was in the thick humidity of Khoasan road, where every backpacker, tourist, street seller, villian and scumbag, jostle boistrously together all along the neon lit street. The music blairs from both sides of the like a giant walk-through sound system, whilst vendors sell banana pancakes, exotic fruits, stir fries and annoying wooden frogs that croak.
Initially regretting my ambience-absent choice of stay, my attitude changed the moment I ordered my first green curry. The first spoonful had my taste buds doing a Mexican wave (or whatever the Thai equivalent is)
Searing, exotic, aromatic, pungent, comforting, exciting, lip numbing, sensory awakening, dramatic, multi-dimensional, full-on - so many words.
Even though I had been here before(in 2004) having just toured China for a few weeks I was taken aback by the potency of the flavours. Aniseedy notes escaping the freshly torn holy basil, crunchy, bitter little pea aubergines, quartered soft seedy eggplant and a seamlessly holistic convergance of lemongrass, galangal, Nam pla, bird eye chilli, lime and coconut milk. There were even straw mushrooms offering their unique texture to the dish. An orchestra played in my mouth and John Williams was conducting.
I momentarily shed a tear (and not just on account of the heat)for I knew then that the warm embrace of Thailands food had reached out and welcomed me back.
