Thai food & beverages

First, an admission: I have not written a lot over the last 1 month. I can't make many excuses, but for what it's worth, we took Samay on his first international trip to Thailand in mid-June (excellent!). I have had an aversion to Thai food because I had never had Thai food in Thailand. Also, I am allergic to shellfish, so that rules out approximately 3/4 of their food (fish and oyster sauce are like salt—they're in everything). In any case, our food choices on this trip were exceptional—10/10. The most interesting observation I had about restaurants and street vendors in Thailand is that many of them are organized by protein type—shops that sell only chicken, only pork, only fish, only beef, and so on. Many restaurants also have...quite literal names; e.g., a famous chain in Bangkok is called "Kub Kao Kub Pla," which is a popular Thai phrase that literally means "dishes to eat with rice."

Another interesting discovery was the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. While I enjoy food, I definitely do not have the palate to appreciate a 1-/2-/3-Michelin-star meal. However, for people like me, Michelin has come up with this handy Bib Gourmand tag, which represents "great food at an affordable price." Restaurants and street vendors in Thailand will proudly display that they were given the Michelin Bib Gourmand tag. Now, don't get confused by a random "Michelin Guide" sign—that just means they were in the Guide, i.e., "they are good," vs. the Bib Gourmand badge, i.e., "they are a banger."

Anyway, some of my favorites were:

• Beef noodles from Ket-o-cha (Bib Gourmand). These guys know broth, trust them blindly.
• Thai teas in all forms (incl taro etc.). It's all the wonder of condensed milk + ice + hot & humid climate. You can keep guzzling these things.
• Mango sticky rice from anywhere. Because it combines mango (Thailand has excellent fruit) with sticky rice (it looks like every Thai makes it every day).
• Chicken and rice from Go-Ang Pratunam (Bib Gourmand). I could not believe how tasty a two-ingredient dish could be, but you have to try it to believe it.
• Pork dumplings from a place whose name I don't remember, but which is a Hong Kong-based vendor with a Bib Gourmand. Which brings me to the simplest tip—go to "Gourmet Eats" at Siam Paragon. It is a collection of Bib Gourmand and Michelin Guide street vendors and restaurants under one roof: an air-conditioned roof, with nice seating and manageable lines. And even after paying that premium, you will feel as if you paid about 5 times less than you should have.