Who knew that the island of Phuket, Thailand produces and ships over 2 million coconuts each year, to Bangkok alone. Throughout Thailand and Cambodia, coconut-themed food stands along the side of the road are as ubiquitous as hot dogs at American sports venues. Kefir lime laves, Thai chile peppers, lemongrass, coconut : toasted shreds, milk and oil, mango, passion fruit, papaya, peanuts, fish sauce, shrimp, rice and rice noodles, chicken/pork/duck/seafood….the main components of a cuisine that never gets tiresome! Sweet, spicy, salty, sour.
Ask for “hot sauce” in Thailand, and you receive a bowl of fresh chopped Thai chilies. They work. Hella-so if you bite down on more than a couple at a time. Perfectly fresh, seriously hot.
Hot on the beach? Ask any of the kid-vendors who roam quietly waiting for your inevitable need for a refreshment to beckon their service. A soft sales approach is all that is needed–the sun does the hard work. Ask for a coconut drink and receive a full coconut with top removed, and a straw to suck up ice cold, fresh coconut water. “80 baht please mister.” ($2.56) Of course, if you prefer a cold beer… 100 baht. (In many paces in Cambodia, where beer takes the place of un-potable water…you will be asked for a, negotiable, $1.00! (Of course, there is a word–or many–for anyone who would try to negotiate down a $1.00 beer!!)
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