Following Your Nose (and the Locals) to the Best Street Food
Author: admin
Those of you who regularly read H.T.G. know that I am a BIG fan of street food. Some people travel guided by their curiosity or their love of history or their need to relax or their libido. Me, I travel with my stomach.
People often think of street food as "funky" fare. Not funky as in cutting edge. Funky as in "you'd be crazy to put that in your mouth." On occasion, I've come across a street stall serving something that would be hard to stomach. But unless you go around searching for these extreme dishes (a la Anthony Bourdain in his show No Reservations) most of the street fare you come across will seem extremely edible. Delicious even.
How do you find the best street eateries? Follow your nose. The best part of street food is that it's, well, on the street. The scents of the kitchen is its own advertisement. As International Herald Tribune contributor Joshua Kurlantzick found out on a recent trip to Bangkok, the best street food can also draw quite a crowd:
Like rock bands, the best noodle slingers attract groupies. Normally, a plate of noodles costs the equivalent of less than a dollar, but at Raan Jay Fai, a simple open-air restaurant in old Bangkok, noodles run four times as much. Outside Raan Jay Fai, lines of cars, tuk-tuks and motorcycles crawl through the hot air, belching exhaust toward Jay Fai's al fresco seating. Still, at Jay Fai's opening time of around 4 in the afternoon, a line waits to be served, and the cook throws handfuls of chicken chunks and noodles into a pan as if she were a metronome on double time.
For me, crowds are the biggest advertisement for street food. Everyone on earth, be they democrat or republican, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, appreciates good food. Following those more experienced with street fare than yourself is a simply method for finding any city's best eats.
