A Moveable Feast Food vendors and their role in everyday life First come the pile drivers to lay the foundations
for one of the huge new buildings that seem to be rising on almost every street in Bangkok and other major cities. The workers follow, setting up a collection of temporary shacks on or near the site. And then, often simultaneously, the food vendors appear, ready to supph' a quick, cheap, above all convenient meal to anyone who happens to crave one. A Thai city street without vendors is as hard to imagine as one devoid of traffic.
As a result of this widespread interest, Thai street food has evolved into a distinctive culinary category all its own, generally characterized by speed of preparation (if any is done on the spot} and easy portability of equipment and roughly divided into snacks and more substantial fare.
Snacks cover a wide range. Some may consist of nothing more than freshly sliced fruit sprinkled with salt, sugar, dried chilies or a combination of these seasonings. Or they may be a selection of traditional sweets, prepared by the vendor at home and temptingly arranged in a display case. Other vendors offer noodle creations adequate for a fast, nourishing lunch. To produce the universally popular kway-tiaow1 a bowl of freshly cooked rice noodles is given a few ladles of meat stock, topped with precooked pork or chicken, and sprinkled with sugar, crushed peanuts and dried chili flakes, while for Pad Thai the noodles are quickly stir-fried with garlic, spring onions, salty dried shrimp and a variety of spices.
Gai Yang, northeastern-style barbecued chicken, is grilled over a charcoal brazier and often served with side orders of glutinous rice and green papaya salad.
Just about every governor of Bangkok has tried, at some point in his tenure, to outlaw food vendors, citing civic hygiene, sidewalk obstruction and general untidiness. All have failed for the simple reason that the vendors fill a clearly perceived need for a substantial number of city residents. Were the opportunity for a quick meal to be taken away, as one fan wrote indignantly to a local newspaper, "it would be the end of civilisation as we know it."
for one of the huge new buildings that seem to be rising on almost every street in Bangkok and other major cities. The workers follow, setting up a collection of temporary shacks on or near the site. And then, often simultaneously, the food vendors appear, ready to supph' a quick, cheap, above all convenient meal to anyone who happens to crave one. A Thai city street without vendors is as hard to imagine as one devoid of traffic.
As a result of this widespread interest, Thai street food has evolved into a distinctive culinary category all its own, generally characterized by speed of preparation (if any is done on the spot} and easy portability of equipment and roughly divided into snacks and more substantial fare.
Snacks cover a wide range. Some may consist of nothing more than freshly sliced fruit sprinkled with salt, sugar, dried chilies or a combination of these seasonings. Or they may be a selection of traditional sweets, prepared by the vendor at home and temptingly arranged in a display case. Other vendors offer noodle creations adequate for a fast, nourishing lunch. To produce the universally popular kway-tiaow1 a bowl of freshly cooked rice noodles is given a few ladles of meat stock, topped with precooked pork or chicken, and sprinkled with sugar, crushed peanuts and dried chili flakes, while for Pad Thai the noodles are quickly stir-fried with garlic, spring onions, salty dried shrimp and a variety of spices.
Gai Yang, northeastern-style barbecued chicken, is grilled over a charcoal brazier and often served with side orders of glutinous rice and green papaya salad.
Just about every governor of Bangkok has tried, at some point in his tenure, to outlaw food vendors, citing civic hygiene, sidewalk obstruction and general untidiness. All have failed for the simple reason that the vendors fill a clearly perceived need for a substantial number of city residents. Were the opportunity for a quick meal to be taken away, as one fan wrote indignantly to a local newspaper, "it would be the end of civilisation as we know it."
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