Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [62]
When in the company of Thais, beer is rarely consumed directly from the bottle but instead enjoys yet another communal ritual. Each drinker gets a glass, filled with ice, into which the brew is poured. A toast goes round and the younger member of the group is usually in charge of keeping everyone’s glass filled with ice and beer. The ice helps keep the beverage cool in a hot climate and combats the dehydrating effects of a hangover.
Rice whisky is a favourite of the working class, struggling students and family gatherings as it’s more affordable than beer. Most rice whiskies are mixed with distilled sugarcane spirits and thus have a sharp, sweet taste not unlike rum. The most famous brands are Mekong and Sang Som, which are typically sold in a large bottle (glom) or a flask-sized bottle (bàan), and are mixed with ice, soda water and a splash of Coke.
Once spending money becomes a priority, Thais prefer to upgrade to the whiskies produced from barley. Johnnie Walker is of course an immediate status symbol, but for more modest means there are a few cheaper Thai versions (see boxed text, Click here).
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
Prepared food is available just about everywhere in Thailand, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the locals do much of their eating outside the home. In this regard, as a visitor, you’ll fit right in.
Open-air markets and food stalls are among the most popular places where Thais eat. The changing landscape of the vendor carts provides a sun-dial service for judging the time of day. In the mornings stalls selling coffee and Chinese-style doughnuts spring up along busy commuter corridors. At lunchtime, midday eaters might grab a plastic chair at yet another stall for a simple stir-fry, or pick up a foam box of noodles to scarf down at the office. In most small towns, night markets are the provincial equivalent of a restaurant row. These hawker centres set up in the middle of town with a cluster of vendors, metal tables and chairs, and some shopping as an after-dinner mint.
* * *
CAN I DRINK THE ICE?
Among the most common concerns we hear from first-time visitors to Thailand is the safety of the country’s ice. At the risk of sounding fatalistic, if it’s your first time in Thailand, the ice probably is the least of your concerns – you’re almost certainly going to get sick at some point. Considering that you’re exposing yourself to an entirely different cuisine and a new and unfamiliar family of bacteria, it’s virtually inevitable that your body will have a hard time adjusting.
On the good side, in most cases this will mean little more than an upset tummy that might set you back a day or two. You can avoid more serious setbacks, at least initially, by trying to frequent popular restaurants/vendors where dishes are prepared to order, and only drinking bottled water.
And the ice? We’ve been lacing our drinks with it for years and have yet to trace it back to any specific discomfort.
* * *
There are, of course, restaurants (ráhn ah·hhn) in Thailand that range from simple food stops to formal affairs. Lunchtime is the right time to point and eat at the ráhn kôw gaang (rice-and-curry shop), which sells a selection of pre-made dishes. The more generic ráhn ah·hhn ahm sàng (food-to-order shop) can often be recognised by one or more tall refrigerated cabinets with clear glass windows at the front of the shop. These will be filled with many of the raw ingredients – Chinese kale, tomatoes, chopped pork, fresh or dried fish, noodles, eggplant, spring onions – for a standard repertoire of Thai and Chinese dishes. As the name implies, the cooks attempt to prepare any dish you can name, a slightly more difficult operation if you can’t speak Thai.
* * *
THE WHISKY SET
Thai beer is generally more miss than hit, so the next time you’re out on the town, why not drink like the Thais do and order a bottle of whisky?
Your first step is to choose a brand. For a particularly decadent night out, the industry standard is a bottle of bláak (Johnny Walker Black Label). Those