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 Brownsville Tennessee,
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. Brownsville
Tennessee also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Brownsville Tennessee, 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 Brownsville TN.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Brownsville Tennessee
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
Brownsville Tennessee * 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 Brownsville
Tennessee * 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
Brownsville Tennessee 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 Brownsville,
Tennessee Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
difficult to withstand,
however it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not only the
correct materials, yet
likewise the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you merely have to provide them with the following: A
clean and warm
environment Plenty of food and water Attention as well as
love Habitat Your environment can be a basic box, aquarium,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loose
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks utilize straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
paper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You also need
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks age you could present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
provide them with a warmth resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise function very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
as well as every week this could
be lowered by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource ought
to get on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
opposite corner of your warmth
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you should include some warmth.
House cleaning
Sanitation is vital and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to alter
the bed linen
usually as well as
constantly supply tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand quite quickly
which needs lots of tidy
food and water. Offer
enough in any way times and also check
usually to avoid thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dust baths, while others will not take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Focus and also love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
enjoy their habits, you could
catch health problem or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Make sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted feathers and obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is essential to look out
for social concerns, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and move outside into a cage. Take a look at our
section on chicken cages to learn more
regarding coops as well as
appropriate cage habitats.