street food

Post by **sanquar** » July 14, 2007, 4:45 pm

Hi all, first time, long time..

I'm looking to head up to Udon for the first time in August and wondering on the the street food up here. I know you are probably all sick of it but as I'm only be in Thailand for 14 days that means only 42 thai meals for me. I want to make the most of them. I'm not a complete stranger to Thailand buit would like to make sure I stay in an area near lots of food stalls.

Any info would be great.

cheers,

Post by **Bump** » July 14, 2007, 5:15 pm

Stay within a few blocks of Robinsons lots of of places around, a food court I believe on the third floor. You will be withing walking distance of the Centre Point and lots of places there in the evenings and farrang resturants all within a short walk. A large selection of room availbe in that area as well.

Post by **beer monkey** » July 14, 2007, 5:21 pm

Food is everywhere in Udon.

Post by **Prenders88** » July 14, 2007, 7:07 pm

There are some very good cheap places facing Nong Prajak Park.
Thai and Farang food for about 120 baht, nice to sit down and look at the lake.
I like Relax 39 opposite Nong Prajak Park.

Post by **beer monkey** » July 14, 2007, 7:18 pm

Great breakfasts(not a fry up) from the food stalls at the lake before 8.30am..

Post by **pompui** » July 14, 2007, 7:36 pm

Can concur with beermonkey,the thai breakfasts there are cheap and cheerful and help keep you regular! When you order the thai breafast ask for a plain roll to dip into it but make sure it is without the fibreglass meat

Post by **BKKSTAN** » July 14, 2007, 8:56 pm

Unless you are out in the small villages,food vendors are everywhere in Thailand.Food is the major topic and pasttime of the Thais

carpy · Post by **carpy** » July 14, 2007, 9:02 pm

i hear that down under bar has a new thai menu that is not expensive with a new thai chef just for thai food and 1 for falang food so check them out

Post by **Frankie 1** » July 14, 2007, 9:21 pm

Last time I was at a food stall I saw a sign "Spa and Steak".

So I wondered if they had a special kind of mineral water, a bathhouse, or were offering a health treatment with the steak.

But then I found out that "spa" was an abbreviation of "spagetti"

Post by **beer monkey** » July 14, 2007, 9:36 pm

BKKSTAN wrote:Unless you are out in the small villages,food vendors are everywhere in Thailand.Food is the major topic and pasttime of the Thais

even around small villages you will usually find food, mostly make shift resturants,or someone will drive round on a motor-bike and side car offering "take-outs" from noodle sellers to ice cream sellers even popcorn.
and if you are totally off the beaten track where the inhabitants all look the same with blank looks on there faces and sit around playing the banjo...RUN and don't look back.

Post by LU » July 14, 2007, 10:49 pm

My experience over the years is that some of the best meals I've ever had are offered by the street vendors. The best quaytio (meat ball soup) used to be sold by a man who traveled around town carrying on his back a hibatchi and a basket of the ingredients. As a general rule if you see lots of locals eating there the food is quite probably very good. And of course the price can not be beat - even if you pay the falang rate.

Post by **The Farmer** » July 15, 2007, 1:05 am

If you want sitting on a stinky toilet,Kii Laaiiii
go on like this.
No freezer,no frigge,good luck.
Salmonella I love ya...
Doesen't matter,Hospital take care of ya.
Taking only your mooney,no ploblem.
If you like to survive,getting The UDON MAGAZIN...
Mr.Lee I run out of it.....
look for some nice place,trust nobody.
The Farmer

Post by **farang** » July 15, 2007, 1:27 am

LU wrote:My experience over the years is that some of the best meals I've ever had are offered by the street vendors. As a general rule if you see lots of locals eating there the food is quite probably very good. And of course the price can not be beat .

totally agree with you.........
lots of locals eating there the food is quite will be very good(busy shop)
fresh food every day.

unlike some of the quite farang food hang outs

frozen food "ping" microwave in the kitchen !!!!

Post by **Prenders88** » July 15, 2007, 1:31 am

The Farmer wrote:If you want sitting on a stinky toilet,Kii Laaiiii
go on like this.
No freezer,no frigge,good luck.
Salmonella I love ya...
Doesen't matter,Hospital take care of ya.
Taking only your mooney,no ploblem.
If you like to survive,getting The UDON MAGAZIN...
Mr.Lee I run out of it.....
look for some nice place,trust nobody.
The Farmer

Where are these places in Udon where one might get Salmonella?
I eat breakfast from the vendors next to Nong Prajak, never had to go to hospital. All my family eat street food all the time no one has gone to hospital.
Which restaurants have stinky toilets?

Post by **BKKSTAN** » July 15, 2007, 4:18 am

You always take a bigger chance of picking up some unwanted bacteria when eating at street vendors!Especially those that serve food and handle money also!Money is the biggest carrier of negative bacteria in the world!

You don't see many street vendors washing their hands and when you do ,very few use soap and hardly any use hot water!

Vegetables are usually only rinsed in cold water,sometimes not thoroughly.Flys constantly around makes for the possibility that negative bacteria is left everywhere they light!Then you have the dirt,dust and grime from the constant traffic flow!

This said,I eat at selected street vendors 3-4 times a week and I have had diarrhea only 5 times in 13 years,8 years living here full time!

Post by **sanquar** » July 15, 2007, 5:42 am

thanks for all your replies. Yes for me, street food is the only way to eat in Thailand. Everytime I've tried a restaurant in Thailand the waitress states "Nitnoy Phet, mai?" I get served what the chef thinks a farang will like and I miss out on real local food. I just get a bastardised version of their dish.
I know it is done with good intentions, so I can't get angry; I just eat street food from a busy vendor..

I also tend to avoid Irish pubs and aussie bars except when in those countries, also. I understand it's different though when one is an expat. But when I'm travelling, I don't want the chance to miss any local culture by eating burgers and chips hehe..

Cheers,

Post by **pompui** » July 15, 2007, 6:52 am

You may get a bastardised version of the dish but I prefer that do a burning arse that needs temporary relief from a pack of namkeng. Hot spicy stools are not the latest trend here for the expats although I could be wrong

Post by **Bump** » July 15, 2007, 7:58 am

Funny I have never gotten it, and at eat some real strange places especially on the bike rides, that beig siad the wife has though. If you get charged the farrrang price here don't go back that is not the norm.

Post by **beer monkey** » July 15, 2007, 5:04 pm

The Farmer wrote:If you want sitting on a stinky toilet,Kii Laaiiii
go on like this.
No freezer,no frigge,good luck.
Salmonella I love ya...
Doesen't matter,Hospital take care of ya.
Taking only your mooney,no ploblem.
If you like to survive,getting The UDON MAGAZIN...
Mr.Lee I run out of it.....
look for some nice place,trust nobody.
The Farmer

i have eaten street food for over 18 years and on the odd occasion have had to do the sour apple quick step off to a "Stinky Toilet", but have had this reaction in more " purpose Built" resturants mainly farang joints i might add,and lets face it the best part of the population of Thailand eats street food everyday and you don't see them queing up at the toilets with the sh!ts or clogging up hospital beds being treated for salmonella...there would'nt be enough hospital beds in the land to cope with demand if this was true what the Farmer says. !

Hope your hong narms are sweet smelling farmer. .

Post by **neeemu** » July 15, 2007, 10:51 pm

In the olden days when I used to stay in BKK. In fact only the first time I went to Thailand I stopped in an 'expensive' 1200 baht a night hotel. I ate by the pool in the hotel a few times and had the sloppies, ate at a well known pizza restaurant and had a bad gut but other than from eating food far too spicy for any normal human I've never had any stomach upsets from eating thai street food.