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.
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We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Middletown Missouri,
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baby chicks for sale in Middletown MO.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Middletown Missouri
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
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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
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that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
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but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
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was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Middletown,
Missouri Baby chicks are very
charming and also
challenging to withstand,
but it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right products, but
likewise the correct
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply need
to provide them with the following: A
clean and also warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food and water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be an easy box, aquarium,
cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (with no loose
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You likewise need
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you should
provide them with a heat source.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also work effectively (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and also weekly this can
be reduced by
around 5 degrees approximately. The heat source need to get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
light, you have to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not just cuddling),
you need to add some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is essential as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to alter
the bed linens
typically and also
constantly provide tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand very fast
which requires plenty of clean
food and also water. Provide
enough in any way times as well
as inspect
commonly to prevent dehydrated as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Focus and love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and also
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
view their behavior, you could
catch disease or other issues earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Make certain to
also take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted plumes as well
as clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to learn more
about cages as well as
appropriate cage environments.