Food Trip in Thailand

Thai food is definitely one of my major weaknesses. The right mix of salty, sour and spicy flavors cooked with generous servings of meat and vegetables create an explosion of tastes that take any food lover to greater heights.

The unique and simply irresistible Thai cooking is so good it has become a global phenomenon. In any country you visit, chances are there's a Thai specialty restaurant just around the corner.

In college, there was a small Thai kitchen inside the UP campus run by a certain Mama-Thai and Papa-Thai. The food was so good and it was pretty cheap too, enough reason to have a strong following among students, rich kids and budget-conscious alike.

When our family moved to our new home in Malate in 2003, I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a small but pretty expensive Thai restaurant called "Sala Thai" less than a block away, which caters mostly to rich patrons and tourists.

For years, that restaurant has been my favorite hangout whenever my mom decided to serve something I hate (I only eat chicken, pork, seafood and a few leaf veggies). The restaurant however, closed shop in 2008 as tourists visiting the Malate area dwindled. In fact, other popular pubs and bars in the area closed down soon after Sala Thai served its last meal.

You see, my love affair with Thai food has a long history.

That is why, on my first-ever visit to Thailand in 2009, I saw to it that I will indulge in the mouth-watering dishes that this country has to offer.

I consumed my fair share of pad thai served at 40 to 50 baht and of the mango and sticky rice that was so good, I ate three servings in one seating.

I also enjoyed the curry dishes, the prawns and the spicy chicken cuisines. At night, I decimated more than enough bottles of Chang beer, along with my staples Heineken and Carlsberg.

But while traditional Thai dishes certainly satisfied me, I was also up for some challenge.

Dared by some Belgian friends I met, I threw all my worries and munched a local delicacy, deep fried grasshoppers, which locals say actually served as aphrodisiac.

I was dared to try the worms and the larvae but these, I just couldn't take. Well, my Belgian acquaintances were more adventurous and finished entire servings of each delicacy.

Looking back, I can honestly say that such food trip was one of the highlights of my first Thailand trip. Although I felt weird towards some of dishes, I still savored the chance to enjoy some authentic Thai cooking.

And now that I am set to make yet another visit to this amazing country, I can't help but share these dishes that really made my maiden Thai adventure all the more memorable.