Our glasses were somehow full again. I emptied mine too fast, laughing. He smiled back, a handsome guy, practically a stranger. Younger than me, but so what? Bangkok doesn’t judge your appetites. It feeds them.
“What do you think?” He leaned in close, closer.
“I love it.”
Love’s the wrong word, of course. This was lust, love’s more marketable counterpart, the city’s stock-in-trade. No doubt I’d wake up the next morning filled with greasy, wash-out regret. But right then morning seemed far away.
“Still like it?” he asked as we paused for breath.
“You know I do.”
“Good.” He didn’t bother to whisper. “Because this is the best fried chicken in Bangkok.”
***
I hadn’t come to Bangkok to get involved with a chicken. (Who does? Wait, don’t answer that.) The last thing I expected in this city of pleasure was a good time. I’d signed up for a CELTA course, the ESL teacher’s equivalent of boot camp. CELTA certifications are respected all across the world. That’s because they’re hard to get. Candidates spend four weeks being ground to slush under papers and lesson plans. They don’t sleep much.
So I was not Bangkok’s target demographic (single, thirsty, primed to stay out all night). The city wasn’t doing much for me either. Sure, it had some character, with its gap-toothed skyline and office girls riding sidesaddle on motorbikes. But essentially it was just a big city, like big cities anywhere. It could’ve been Chicago in a heat wave, or Seoul without the street cleaners. My feelings toward Bangkok could be summed up with one word: meh.
That was before I’d fully explored what was on offer.
***
“Let’s order another bird.”
“Oh baby, talk dirty to me.”
***
You can buy anything in Bangkok. Anything. It was a promise I heard over and over again, and I didn’t doubt it was true. The city flogged itself daily, nightly, to whoever was passing through. You could buy a Maserati in a mall in Bangkok. You could get a crocodile on the street. You could spend money on massages or ping pong shows or other things that couldn’t come home with you (not long-term, anyway), but scratched that itch.
But this system assumed that you wanted something. What did I want? I’m not a shopper. I don’t even like ping pong the sport. My mid-CELTA needs involved a full night’s sleep and whiteout tape that didn’t break.
Which was when one of my fellow teachers stepped in. “Have you tried Isaan chicken?”
***
“What’s this crunchy stuff on top?”
“Fried garlic.”
“That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
***
Bangkok can’t be faulted on the food. You could eat yourself to death for ten bucks in that city. I just ate to happiness, which cost a dollar or two. Chicken rice. Mango rice. Dumpling soup. Fried noodles. My school was just steps away from Soi Convent, a road that disappeared under street food stands and tiny plastic tables every afternoon. We ate there every day except Mondays, the venders’ day of rest. On Mondays we turned to the restaurants on the school’s ground floor, which sold exotic foods I hadn’t tasted in years. There was Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, all of them inexplicably swank with luxury-style adverts. It was hog heaven.
One of my fellow inmates at the CELTA program had lived in Bangkok on and off for years. We quickly learned to follow him at mealtimes, and he lead us to the most amazing holes-in-the-wall I ever expect to eat in. When he sketched a map showing the way to his favorite Chinese restaurant, we photocopied it and passed it around. I keep mine with the passports and other important documents, in case I go back to Bangkok. That’s how good the food was.
So when he suggested a place he knew, about a thirty minute walk but the best fried chicken in Bangkok, did I want to go? There was only one answer. I would’ve followed that guy anywhere.
***
No one’s going to kiss you after a meal of Isaan fried chicken. We pressed fried garlic into handfuls of sticky rice. We scooped it up with spoons. We ripped the chicken apart with our fingers, dipped it in chili sauce, in lime juice, in the dregs of the other dishes. We licked the plates.
That chicken messed me up.
Sorry I didn’t bother to get a better photo, but this was a veni ,vidi, vici situation.
Sam knew about the whole affair, of course. He was there, and another friend too, a ménage à quatre all scraping garlic blossoms from the platter. It was pretty hot.
Bangkok: a city of distractions and temptations. Surrender to at least one. Mine was Polo Fried Chicken on Soi Polo, just off Lumphini Park. No regrets.
-Erin
PS – I had to restructure my fried chicken hierarchy after this meal. It now goes Isaan fried chicken, , all other Korean chicken.
America, I’m sorry, but you don’t place.
Related posts:
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Bartow Georgia,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Bartow
Georgia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Bartow Georgia, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Bartow GA.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Bartow Georgia
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Bartow Georgia * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Bartow
Georgia * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Bartow Georgia is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Bartow,
Georgia Baby chicks are extremely
cute and
tough to withstand,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
proper materials, however
also the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you simply should offer them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
environment Lots of food as well
as water Attention and also
love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You also need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food as well as a family
pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
into the habitat to get them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you should
offer them with a heat resource.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also function very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched require a temperature
between 90 and 100 degrees,
and also every week this can
be reduced by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth source should get on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other edge of your heat
lamp, you should
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not merely snuggling),
you have to put some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is key and it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to transform
the bed linen
typically and
constantly supply clean
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand quite quick
which requires a lot of tidy
food as well as water. Give
sufficient in any way times and also inspect
frequently to prevent dehydrated as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first two months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly most
likely bond with you as well as
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you can
catch disease or other problems earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Make certain to
also take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted plumes as well
as clogged cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and move outside into a
coop. Look into our
section on chicken coops to read more
concerning coops and
proper coop habitats.