Food, glorious food

There are a lot of perks to living and teaching English in Thailand and as someone who likes to eat good food, one of the perks I enjoy the most is delicious home-cooked food being available at your fingertips. The streets of Bangkok, and many Thai cities, are teeming with vendors selling a myriad of Thai delicacies, refreshing drinks and a bounty of fresh, ripe fruit and this makes for a very happy English teacher.

Many apartments here, including my own, don't come equipped with kitchen facilities. When I tell friends and family this back home, their reactions usually include a gasp of horror and a fervently asked questions like, "How do you eat?!" and "How do you cook?!".

Before coming to Thailand, my reaction to hearing this information would make me feel a bit anxious too, especially since I'm constantly thinking about what I'm going to eat for my next meal, but now I just grin and nod, proud of the fact that I can eat delicious food without slaving away in the kitchen.

The next concern of Westerners is that, surely if I am constantly getting take-away, it must be very expensive! Again, a silly grin crosses my face with the knowledge that most take-away meals off the street cost no more that $1. Meals that cost more than $2 have become expensive treats for me and warrant changing out of my stuffy teaching clothes and putting on a nice shirt and shoes.

How could this situation get any better? Well, the proximity of all this food! Just a five minute walk down my street and I'm greeted by the aromas of freshly cooked food and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from. I simply wake up and take a morning walk in the sun and am able to buy whatever I fancy at that very moment for breakfast, no planning necessary. There is no need to worry about lunch and dinner at that moment; the vendors are always out and even the Bangkok heat can't take away from the convenience of ready-made food only being a five minute walk away.

So, when you are looking for reasons to convince yourself that a move to Thailand is reasonable, don't forget about the basic necessity of food! I can't think of a better reason to justify moving somewhere than the availability of cheap and delicious food! After a long day at work, in my case teaching a bunch of energetic kindergarteners, there is nothing better than coming home, relaxing and not having to worry about cooking your dinner!

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