a trip to the market on Teparak Rd.

Found an open-air market just a 10 minute motorbike ride (plus 10 min walk) from my unit. I spent the evening wandering through hot, crowded rows of stalls overwhelmed, fascinated by the piles of different rices, curries, strange fruits, meats (tongues, ears, intestines, skin, heads, feet...), sweets, noodles, herbs, and on and on. I draw a good deal of attention everywhere I go (I have seen a total of one other caucasian since I arrived a week ago) and here at the market I stood out more than ever.

Strange little corn sweets

These are little hemispheres of something like thick pancake batter, cooked crispy on the outside [in what looks like an aebleskiver pan] but still a bit gluggy and custardy on the inside, then topped with corn kernels and green onions. surprisingly delicious. costs 10 baht for a boxful.

Rambutans
similar to lychee, but with a rubberier texture, slightly less juicy and sweeter, less tangy, i guess.



insides

Mangoes with sweet, chewy sticky rice and a little baggie of coconut milk

Longans (i think)
sweet, tangy little fruits that leave my hands sticking to everything.

real phad thai. Thai Orchid ain't got nothin on this.

sweet jackfruit sheaths -
strangest fruit i've eaten here, to date

Pig's blood curry

Coconut-y spicy curry full of big cubes of congealed pig's blood and some cartilage-like white chunks. These blood cubes give things a gamey sort of flavor that i find a bit unsettling, but over rice this squishy bag of creamy curry made for an awesome, and certainly authentic, dinner.

I stopped by 7-11 to pick up credit for my mobile last night and found this strange, slimy little morsel. I couldn't resist making the 6baht purchase...

Now you don't have to wait a week for your bread to mold! Pre-moldy!