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 Surprise New York,
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Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
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chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Surprise NY.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Surprise New York
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
Surprise New York * 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 Surprise
New York * 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
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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
Surprise New York 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 Surprise,
New York Baby chicks are quite
cute as well as
hard to stand up to,
yet it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right materials, yet
likewise the correct
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you simply need
to provide them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food and water Attention as well as
love Habitat Your environment could be a straightforward box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
paper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You additionally require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
give them with a warmth source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also work extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could occupy to 2 months). The newly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
as well as every week this can
be decreased by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The warmth resource need to be on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you have to
minimize the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you need to put some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is vital and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to alter
the bed linens
often as well as
constantly offer tidy
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand really quickly
which calls for lots of clean
food and also water. Supply
enough in any way times as well
as check
frequently to
stop dehydrated and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Interest as well as love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will more than likely bond with you as well as
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
watch their behavior, you could
capture illness or other troubles previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other undesirable
signs. Make sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted plumes as well
as blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
as well as move outside right into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken coops to read more
about cages as well as
appropriate coop habitats.