You know, a day without tentacles is like a day without sunshine. Or tentacles.
It was supposed to be a lazy day, a free day, a "Go where you want My Heart" sort of day. And in fact it was. Given that nothing much happened, it would seem that there would be nothing to write about. However, besides being a lazy day, it turned into a food day and a people day.
The silliness of the day started at this place, a tidy little food joint on the main drag in Surin. Not only was the place pretty and spotlessly clean, the owner was a character. Dressed in serious flood water trousers that were yanked even higher by his suspenders, he looked much like what I imagine a Thai hobbit would look like. As we were ordering our noodles, he treated us to an elaborately pantomimed language lesson, repeated at loud volume for solid recall.
Then there were the noodles. Serious stuff this, fine egg noodles with beautifully BBQ'd pork and morning glory greens. Everything about this bowl of noodles was perfect. More reminiscent of Japan than Thailand, they were a treat. Just when I might think "Oh, ho-hum, noodles again..." Some bowl of wonderment gobsmacks me back into culinary reality.
After lunch, My Heart wandered off to do girl-stuff type shopping. Left to my own devices, I walked back towards the digs with every intent of catching up the blog without experiencing anything that I might feel compelled to contemplate or write about. So, head down, keep walking, don't notice anything and...
Okay, no more input. Walk back to the hotel, easy and... I bump into the amulet stands. As I am an aficionado of Thai amulets, of course I have to hang around and sort through the goods. The Thai vendors see my amulet and of course we have to compare notes and one thing leads to another and there goes another half-hour.
Eventually I did make it back to the guesthouse. I grabbed a cigar, camped out in front of the cafe' with an Americano, and churned out the blog backlog. Besides that small achievement, I researched our next destination and planned a date-night out in Surin. Not bad for a Farrang slacker boy.
My Heart returned from a relaxing Thai massage and we whiled away the few hours before dinner time. With the clouds growing heavy on the horizon, we set out to find out dinner spot, remembering to bring the bumbershoot.
In Thailand, finding a place can be most of the battle. Just as I gave up hope, we found the joint we were looking for, a sparkling glass fronted Thai family restaurant. We were welcomed in and ushered to the last open table. From here on, the culinary hits just kept on coming. The menu was daunting, more for the sheer scale of the thing than the language issues. Glossy picture of great dishes had us locked in the paradox of choice. I asked for a recommendation (in Thai!! Yes I did. Really. Yes, the owner actually understood me!) and the dishes stared rolling up to the table. One of the owner's daughters or nieces or who-knows hovered nearby to fill our soda waters or bring some other delectable. It was the Royal treatment indeed, a far cry from sitting on the curb in the Night Market.
First up was Morning Glory greens sautéed in chilies and tons of garlic. Just the thing to get those gastronomic juices flowing.
On the heels of the greens came a fried chicken, cashew and water chestnut stir fry. Just parsing out the various backnotes of the spices and herbs was a treat, much less the overall yumminess.
Save the fire for the fiery finale. The heat of Isaan is packed into this minced pork Laarb, a much more Laotian than Thai dish. This region is a crossroads of culture, with Thai, Khmer, Vietnamese and Chinese influences all playing a part.
The Laarb was fiery with chilies, but before the fire was on the tongue, there was a wash of lime leaf and lemongrass. It was as if the flavours were set for a timed detonation across the palate. Lime leaf BOOM! Lemongrass KABAM! And then the chilies for a long burning crescendo. Amazing!
We finished the repast with a lovely cooling fruit plate. After a four-course meal for two, being waited on hand and foot, our total bill with tip came to 320 Baht, or just about $10.
Walking off our meal, we started chatting with some local guys hanging out on the sidewalk. A bit of Thai, a bit of english. When I remembered the name of the fanatically followed local football team, there were cheers all around and even a hug for me. Crazy fun.
The samlor (tricycle taxi) guys were sleeping off a hard day's pedaling as we meandered back through the quiet streets. Another wonderful day in Isaan, a day punctuated with food and the friendliness of the local folk. Damn I love this place.
Tomorrow we journey even further east, deeper into the heart of Isaan. And, as always Friends and Neighbors, I bid you Ciao for Now!
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