Then dawned the day of the conference. Thank god i brought along a formal skirt. Everyone were in suits! Never spoke up so much before, in front of a congregation of 80...i must be insane...maybe being alone in a foreign country does that to you..
So in between falling asleep during the various presentations, I had to get up and take a walk. Went to the nearest convenience store to top up my pre-paid phone card and spied more street hawkers! This was flour balls, green bean paste balls and batter-fried bananas ala our own goreng pisang...yums!
So after the conference concluded, the thai people organised a lavish dinner for us. Have never heard of the place, but Sukhothai is apparently the go-to place for royalties when they're in town. The place was this floating resturant, where you dine amongst a lake of water lilies..nice!
With liz, the rep from the drug co, she's super sweet and made sure I was looked after.
A-Harn Waang
Clockwise from top Krathong Thong / Crispy sheels with minced chicken, shrimps and corn Thodmann Goong/ Deep-fried breaded shrimp cakes topped with pickled vegetables Chor Ladda / Steamed flower-shaped dumplings stuffed with minced chicken Miang Pla Salid Hor Roll / Rice paper sheets rolls, with crispy gourami fish and green mango Miang Kam / Toasted dried shrimps, toasted coconut, peanuts, lime, ginger wrapped in a leaf
Yamsom-o Poo Nim Thodkrob
Pomelo salad, fresh water chestnuts, deep-fried soft shell crab
Tom Yam Goong Spicy prawn soup, lemongrass, lime juice and garden chillies
The Sukhothai Khao Chae
Had no idea what this was, just that I was avoiding most of the side dishes because they look really out of the world! So i googled and got this from Lonely Planet.
Originally a royal cuisine, or a dish that was developed within a palace, or by a member of a royal family, it is now however a common Thai dish, found in various Thai restaurants in town, usually only in the month of April.
The name derived from how it is served. “Khao” means rice, and “chae” means to immerse in water. The rice is first parboiled, making it chewier than usual, then served immersed in icy cold jasmine-scented water.
What do we eat this with? A variety of mostly sweet side dishes, which include young pepper stuffed with minced pork, sweetened shredded beef or pork, glazed Chinese turnips, batter-fried kapi or shrimp paste, and more, depending on the “house” the recipe is passed down from.
Unlike other Thai dishes, it is less flavorful and not at all spicy, so it is not much of a favorite to many locals, but it sure is an interesting dish for foreigners with a rather more delicate palate.
Main meat dishes Clockwise from top left Mussamum Kae / Lamb in mussamum curry Goongmaenaam Phao / Grilled giant river prawn, spicy garlic & chilli sauce Platabtim Sauce Samrod / Crispy ruby fish with three flavour sauce Phad Prikpao Phak Tang Tang / Stir-fried seasonal thai vegetables with sweet chili paste
Tab Tim Grob Red ruby chestnut morsels with jackfruit in coconut syrup
The dessert was awesome stuff. Pity I was too stuffed from the earlier dishes. This was the best red ruby i've ever had. Couldn't down more than 5 spoonfuls...
Went to Patpong after for a little shopping with the singaporean participants. We returned to the hotel rather early so the drug co reps brought me out for a thai massage. My first! haha was rather appalled when I saw my neighbour being trotted on by his masseuse. So i told my masseuse to take it easy, and she did, and I fell asleep!
