Thailand Moment #1

On the first day after being handed over to my program, before I knew anyone, and before I really knew anything about purchasing food in Thailand on my own, the group was given an hour of free time for lunch. That wouldn't be the first time we would be surprised and relieved to have just one hour of unstructured time. I was still in the not-ever-hungry phase of jet lag, but sought out lunch with the rest of the group.

Just down the street from our hotel was a Pad Thai stand. Having spent my summer being mystified and interested in the process of making Pad Thai, I was beyond excited to see The Real Deal. He had nothing but a giant wok and some noodles, and he was ready to go. Pad Thai with Egg was only 20 baht. AKA about 66 cents. It was tiny and tasty and perfect.

Maybe I built up the Pad Thai experience a little too much in my mind, but it has become one of the defining features of Thailand for me, and the image of this man making Pad Thai before my eyes has been stuck clearly in my mind as a picture of a real Thai meal. It's not just what Americans think is Thai food. It's actually everywhere here.