Cockroaches and Thai Cooking – Thailand

coackroaches

Yes, they do cook with cockroaches in Thailand. They use the body fluid as a spice.

Bangkok developed country

     To many westerners, the use of insects seems primitive yet Bangkok is anything but that with skyscrapers and all the modern conveniences of any other developed country.

Bags of Blood in Bangkok Market
Bags of Blood in Bangkok Market

Having said that, go to market and you can choose the type of blood you’d like to cook with – a vampire’s fantasy.

Bangkok green is beautiful food

Vegetarians are also in tenth heaven with a wide assortment of green vegetables at the market.

Shopping in Bangkok 2014jpg

You can’t be inhibited if you want to experience Thai foods – even if they look strange to western eyes.

Shopping in Bangkok2

But they taste like nothing you can get back home. So eat well in Thailand.

soup at blue elephant

I took a cooking class at the Blue Elephant Restaurant rather than get caught in the crossfire of the political unrest at the time.

Blue Elephant Restaurant
Colonial Elegance in Blue Elephant Restaurant

The Blue Elephant class wasn’t cheap but it was worth the tour of the market, five-course meal, and ambiance.

East Asian building

Juxtaposed between new high rises and the ferry launch in Bangkok, you can find reminders of the old colonial presence, such as the historic East Asiatic Company headquarters.

long tail boat on Chao Phraya River

Took a local commuter boat on the Chao Phraya River where dragon boats share the waterway with modern ferries.

Watt Arun on Chao Phraya River
Wat Arun on Chao Phraya River

And long-tail boats transporting goods are seen passing famous sites such as Watt Arun.

Rama VIII Bridge
Rama VIII Bridge

Less famous but very impressive is the cable Rama VIII bridge.

Fight Home - End of Trip
Fight Home – End of Trip

What caught my interest during the time I was in Bangkok was the struggle between the Peoples Democratic Reform Committee and the Pheu Thai party run by Yingluck Shinawatra, whose brother, the former Prime Minister, was in exile due to corruption.  Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators lined the streets, resulting in traffic jams, blocking access to the airport, killings, and eventually a coup d’etat by the military. Like so many other trips I’ve been on, I was able to catch a plane home to my secure, comfortable life…for now.

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