Mall food in Bangkok

Let's face it. If you are from the United States, your perception of mall food is Hotdog on a Stick, Cinnabon, and maybe a McDonalds. The malls maybe at best about 2 stories. For the most part, malls in the United States are based around the concept of a cornerstone department store with a number of retail outlets. In the States, if you've been to one mall, you've been to them all. With all the staggering rhetoric about competition and choice, the selection of stores in the USA are woefully minimal. There are only so many times I want to walk into the Gap.

So, what about Thailand's malls. They are almost contained cities. Central Mall, which has several locations, can be as high as 7 to 10 stories. There are grocery stores usually located at the ground level. There are high end retail outlets on par with The Grove in Los Angeles. There is a mall for everyone, even specific regional locations that are usually only visited by local Thais. McDonalds is in Thailand, but their menu is a little different. They do have the Big Mac, but they also have a pork burger, a version of jok (rice gruel), and other unique items not found in the USA. Ronald McDonald also is displayed with a Thai wai.

At one of the regional malls, I had an observation. You can see an interesting juxtaposition in this photo. This was at another regional mall a few miles away from my apartment. With Ronald McDonald in the foreground smiling, you got medical doctor offices in the background. I think that is for plastic surgery. So, after you get fat with American food, you can get liposuction.

Bangkok malls are enclosed self contained entities. Where you are located often dictates how you live. People go to malls in Bangkok not only for the retail options, but also for the air conditioning. It's cooler to be in the mall--in a literal sense. This is one observation. The other observation is food. Food has a central role in Thai life. They don't say how are you in Thailand. They ask if you have eaten. Food is more high end in the Bangkok malls. You have a range of a version of indoor street food types of food courts, and then you got this growing trend of Japanese restaurants, many of them frequented by Thais not Japanese. The Nine Mall next to my apartment seems to be heavily dominated by these Japanese restaurants. Unfortunately, it isn't enclosed, and so it doesn't seem to be as popular as enclosed air conditioned malls like Central. There is a ramen joint here, a Japanese bakery, a tonkatsu place, izakaya, and a Japanese curry place as well. There is also a 60 baht per item Japanese place for kitchen and home items. Everything in the store is basically 2.00 USD. Not a dollar place, but close enough. The Nine is basically a mall for food venues. The first two floors are dominated by food venues. No Gap. No Hot Dog on a Stick.

I go to this ramen place at the Nine. The decorations are Japanese. In fact, the menu is in Thai and English. The ramen isn't that bad. It's better than some of the places in Los Angeles. This is what the standard bowl looks like.

They start with a tonkatsu base or pork based broth with your standard ramen noodles. You have options to have more wakame or more chashu pork. Overall, it was not too salty, and the special comes with a Pepsi and a side of gyoza. It's all for about 150 Baht.

Next door to this place is an izakaya. They do sushi. I got bored, and walked to the mall for sushi. How convenient is that? So what do you get in an izakaya in Bangkok. This is what you get.

This meal, including the tall Asahi, put me back by just under 15 dollars. For a dinner, it is low. It included miso soup as well. It's more of the price range of the lunch menus in Gardena, CA. So, if you are into Japanese food, or if you are Japanese, Bangkok might be the foodie place for you. The costs are actually not entirely cheap, but then if you are into Japanese food, you know that there has always been a cost. By the way, did I mention this is mall food?

There also seems to be a preponderance of shabu shabu buffets in Bangkok. At the Central Mall located near my location, there is a Mo Mo Paradise place that serves it using a tsuyu broth, instead of a clear broth. You dip the shabu shabu in a beaten egg.

 

Overall, the quality isn't too bad. The fact that it is all you can eat astounds me. There are all you can eat shabu shabu places in Gardena, CA. The cost is usually around 30.00 USD per person. On the other hand, they have unlimited Kirin beer as well. If you take into consideration costs, Japanese food in Bangkok isn't too bad. Now, there are uber-high end Japanese venues in Bangkok. We're talking about places that might compete with Nobu in Los Angeles.

So, this is mall food in Bangkok. No wonder people hang out at the malls here.

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So you want to live in Bangkok huh? Apartments.

Let's be realistic. Bangkok is not Los Angeles. In fact, not only would you be moving to a new culture, but to another hemisphere and weather profile. There are aspects to Thailand that often tempt people to permanently move here. This post will be the first in a number of meditations about living in this part of the globe. Let's address the most basic thing. Housing.

Essentially, for about a month, I will be experimenting with the realities of living in Bangkok without that annoying thing called work. Being a college professor has its perks. So this isn't a realistic evaluation of work and living in one of the most dynamic and complex mega-cities in the world. Think of these posts as documenting a practice session, Spring Training so to speak. I've rented an apartment through local connections. I'm eating locally. I'm hanging out with local people. In fact, I've been privileged to go out to places that only Thais go to. Like underground after hour places that can go until MORNING. More on what I would perceive as daily life later. Let's look at generalities.

How do Thais spend their days. Because of the demonic heat, things often happen late at night. If you were to get up at 6 AM, you will find the streets to be deserted. The only thing open at 5 in the morning was the McDonalds. Lunch does happen, but more often people will eat small meals. Between 6AM and 10AM, it's a dead zone. The Nine Mall doesn't seem to get active until well after 12:00 noon. Things get interesting after sundown. If the sun is out, and the humidity is high, it can be miserable. People park their cars with the windshield wipers up, because the rubber might melt to the windshield. The weather often governs the housing decisions.



Looking out of the apartment complex, you can tell the diversity of housing here. It's a mix. The tourism traps of Thailand: that's a separate world. No one lives in hotels in LA except celebrities. No one lives in hotels in Bangkok, except tourists. There are a few hotels that sort of straddle the spectrum, but for the most part, people live in apartments, condos, townhouses and stand alone homes. Again comes the question. Can you move here? If you just get on an airplane and drop yourself off here, it could happen, but there would be difficulties. Could I possibly move here? Sure. Why would I? If California collapses, I might end up here. I have connections and resources developed over the years. Much of these connections were developed through the charity work done through the Tsunami Children Foundation. That had allowed me a window into the Thai world. The weather seems to govern how people live. New York invokes a particular type of lifestyle. Los Angeles also invokes a particular lifestyle. Bangkok does the same. It governs choices in terms of housing. The key terms that you should remember is air conditioning.

The housing breakdown in Bangkok is rather mixed. You will have sort of a "hi so" (High Society) sort of place that I'm in right now, but next to it might be some housing that has corregated steel roofing. It depends on how much you are shooting for in terms of rent. You can get ultra cheap to ultra expensive in this part of the world. If you have money, you get AC. No, you must get AC. AC trumps hot water. More on this later.

You will have to develop a sort of comfort zone. There will be these minor annoying things that may end up really irking you. Housing being one of them. I've been flying to Thailand and SE Asia for about 8 years now. My travels began after the 2004 Andaman Ocean Tsunami. My friend, being the only bilingual Thai psychologist in Cali, would go to Phang Na. I got drafted to help consult, and become a member of the board. The relief work has ended, but I still travel to visit my best friend from high school on an annual basis. For me, Thailand is a reset button. There is a sense of freedom here that is hard to concretely describe. And no, not in the Vegas way. This would be my 8th year. I've pretty much have done all the touristy things possible in this country. Temples. Check. Beaches. Check. Tsunami related relief work. Triple check.

Of course the pink elephant in the room is Bangkok's reputation as the Vegas of Asia. This is why some of the less than stellar creeps move here. I have never been to a massage place. I avoid the red light zones. Those places attract the dregs of the world from slimy Middle Easterners going to coyote dances or Russians selling their Women to Japanese. If you have to pay for it, you suck monkey chunks fool. Besides there are scary shady elements involved with these things. I avoid it. You could go and partake, but it just is too annoying to me. This is why I am far away from Nana, Thong Lor or Sukumvit. If you are easily tempted, Thailand isn't for you. Many a farang has died a premature death due to overindulgences of their appetites. There are other aspects that make Thailand great, and the above things are excluded.

Throughout the traveling years, my friends here have been asking when I want to move here. I'm on the fence so to speak. On the one hand, I am open to investing. But in order to invest, you must get to know the situation. Situational awareness is key, and if you get taken in Bangkok, you really might get taken. One of the most important things to understand is what is Thai-ness. Try to see how Thais really live. How does face plays a role? What is socially acceptable here? There are perks. Gas stations are full service. McDonalds is a high end venue. They will help you load your groceries in the car. People are generally polite. These perks of daily Thai life will emerge in later posts. First we should address the basics.

Housing. Without a pad, you got no base. The apartment that I'm renting is a one bedroom. It is running me about 8500 baht a month. That is just under 300.00 USD per month. It has a fingerprint security system. No key cards. Looking out, there are cheaper options. Some rentals can go for as low as 2000 baht a month. That's about 60.00 USD a month. But you get no AC and maybe no hot water. It is located on one of the side streets. It is not on Sukumvit or Thong Lor or any of those "flashy" places. There are very few farangs around me. Ironically, I don't like to be around foreigners. They annoy me. This place I've rented suits me.

What does 300.00 USD get you? Let's see. As you can tell, lighting is recessed, and they use CFL bulbs extensively. This is the kitchen. Notice something missing? No. How about a stove? Many of the kitchens in Thailand do not have a stove. The culture of Thailand is to eat out or order in. You don't necessarily cook. This place came with a microwave and fridge, but no stove. Also, there is no hot water in the kitchen. This might explain why the dishwashing soap is so potent here. A little goes a long way.

 

If you look at the flooring, it is tile. If you are going to rent a place, try to get tile, The vinyl flooring in Thailand sort of stinks.

The living room is well, a living room. This place came with a TV, sofa and tables. True satelite TV is pumped through as part of the rent. For English, you have CNN and HBO. This place has AC. You can tell by the vents above the table. You have a telephone to call out for food and other services. What does the bedroom look like. This is pretty much standard.

 

 

 

This bedroom is furnished with a regular sized bed. I bought sheets and a comforter. Overall, the place is clean and well maintained. This particular layout has a sliding door between the livingroom/kitchen and bedroom. The closet is also using sliding doors. It's efficient, as you don't have a door crowding the room. What about the bathroom? Well, this is when you know you aren't in LA anymore.

Bathrooms. Now it gets funky. The fish thing, I don't get it. My friends tell me all the rooms have this, so I guess it was a way to decorate things on the cheap at this complex. Toilet is western. Not the squat stuff you hear about. There is a hose to wash your behind. It gets interesting when that hose begins to mess up. You can get a major water leak. But this is inconsequential, as the bathroom set up in Thailand is different than in the USA. Tile is everywhere. No bathtub. The bathroom floor is recessed, and there are drains in the floor. You can just pour a cleaner directly on the floor, mop it, and then wash it down the drain. Easy peezy. The water heater is electric. In the case of this apartment, they have the hot water heater on a separate water line than the cold water. The cold water often isn't that cold given the ambient temperature being over 90 degrees outside.

Water heaters in SE Asia. In Thailand, most of the places that I know use this type of a water heater. You rarely find gas water heaters. A hotel may have a different system, but then we are talking about how regular Thai housing. Water pressure is often a big question in Thailand. The water pressure is OK here not the best, but some people not used to this would complain about it. I've lived in housing in which water was sort of unpredictable, and I kept a trashcan full of water in the bathroom, just in case the water ran out and I wanted to take a shower, or flush the mighty throne. Never underestimate the importance of water pressure. When you can't flush the throne, you will know how valuable it can be.

 

So yes, I've rented an apartment, not a hotel. Been checking out local restaurants, and walking around the neighborhood to see what I can see. It is very clear, that I am not in LA anymore. It's a type of heat that makes LA heat seem mild. The humidity gets you as well as the heat. Cambodia also has a heat that is hard to describe. Vietnam can have dry and humid heat. If you want to live here, you've got to adapt to this. This is why AC is Mandatory. Do not skimp on this feature. Water pressure is also important. You can buy a water heater, but you got limits with water pressure. Get used to showering every time you go out too. As soon as you step out the door, you will be sweating up a pool like Lake Erie.

The high heat might explain the service industry here. McDonalds delivers here. There are no drive thru places. Many of the Thai restaurants have open air kitchens. If enclosed, the cooks would wilt. The Thai economy provides for many jobs, but they are often low paying. Service is a big thing. The apartment complex has a guard 24/7. He helps you park your car. He watches the door. They also know who you are.

Can I move here? Of course I can. But can you?

 

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What Thaitown in LA wants to duplicate.

 

Over 10 years ago, I always wondered what the Thai restaurants in Thaitown were trying to duplicate. Some of them would have bands. It is also where Thai Elvis plays. (Where that concept came from, I don't know.) Well, now I know. Bangkok is populated by several tiers of restaurants, and many of them do have music. The locals hang out at what I would like to describe as minimalist gastropubs. Generally, even if it is a bar, they will serve food, or get food for you. This differs heavily from the malls in Bangkok, where more high end food are situated. In this post, I'm going to examine this local scene.

 

Open air with live bands. Many of these establishments follow this basic common denominator. This is the parking lot of a standard local Thai restaurant area adjacent to 2 universities. If you want cheap but good Thai food, go to areas that are close to universities. They cater to the students, and they are generally cheap and probably better than what you would get in a sit down restaurant. The street food scene in Bangkok is serious business. As you can tell, many of the restaurants will be open air with open air kitchens. Will it pass code in LA? Hell no. Does it taste better than LA? Hell yeah. Tables are set outside on a daily basis, and at the end of the day, which could be very late, they fold the chairs and wrap up. Because of the food police in Los Angeles, Thaitown is unable to create a set up like this one.

 

 

Much of the food in Thaitown is largely emulates this scene. The outdoor setting of the original format makes sense in that Bangkok for the most part is very hot, humid. Overhead for AC and other features are minimal. In addition to the restaurant, there are often other street food venders close by. Many of these street vendors specialize in one item only. You can get an array of food like seafood salad, papaya salad and grilled fish and squid at almost unheard of prices. In fact, there are items on the street that are impossible to duplicate in Los Angeles. Many restaurants in LA do not have open air cooking areas.

I picked up 3 dishes. The one on the left is chicken larb. The one on the right is a peanut combo with lemongrass, onions and other items that you mix together. The main event is in the back. Those chunks of white flesh goodness are grilled squid with a chili sauce. They grill the squid over coals. Usually the squid are only about 12 hours old, as they usually go from boat to market quickly. While driving through the countryside, you would see these trucks leaking water racing towards Bangkok. They were delivering squid and other seafood. That dish, which composed of about 2 large squid, cost about 70 baht. Basically, each dish was just over .60 cents USD. This entire spread was just under $6.00USD total. Beat that price McDonalds. Ironically, there are McDonalds in Thailand. A Sausage McMuffin combo is about $3.50 USD in terms of Thai baht. It's considered ironically to be a high end place. In a strange way, you get less food and play a higher rate.

Costs in LA Thaitown versus Bangkok. These are proportionately higher. A single dish in the particular area of Bangkok that I am staying, near Ramkhamhaeng University has a large number of street venders. A dish may cost you on average about 35 to 110 baht. That is a range between just over a dollar to 3 dollars per plate. In Los Angeles, the average plate would begin around 5 to as high as 8 dollars. The costs for equivalent dishes would be proportionately twice the cost, but obviously, if you are in Bangkok, the authenticity is out of the discussion.

Downside. Unless you know people, you may not necessarily know which street vender to go to. On the whole, you go where the crowd is. If there is a line, generally the locals deemed the food to be OK.

Comparisons. When you compare LA's Thaitown with Bangkok, well . . . that's just not fair. The closest that they will get is the Songkran Festival, now that they shutdown the vendors by Wat Thai in North Hollywood. The vendors who frequent those events tend to have very specific and limited menu items. The food is different in Thailand. The vegetables are different. The eggs are different. Eggs in Thailand have a deep orange color. In some ways, the meat in the USA is better unless you consider ground beef recalls. Pork actually tastes like pork here.

When you come here, focus on the areas by the universities. I'm in an area next to the Thai Sports Authority and Ramkhamhaeng University and Assumption University. Some good stuff here. And of course, the people are friendly.

 

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Bangkok and the Ugly Farang (Foreigner)

Arrival

Korean Air was surprisingly good, given the nature of economy class. The service was wonderful, but I still arrived at Bangkok International around 1AM. Of all days, Friday the 13th. I didn't really plan on that, but then maybe that might explain why the ticket was slightly cheaper. The fact that I was forced to stay a few weeks longer than intended might also be a factor as well. One of the things about travel is the circadian rhythm thing. No, not that type of rhythm either, you . . . No, it's about the body clock. I'm out of wack. I didn't always sleep well at home in the US, so this isn't surprising. What do you do? You look over the local news streams on crime. Boy, are there some ringers and most of them are not Thai.

It has made me think about being a foreigner in a foreign land. There are good ones, and then there are real BAD ones. I have begun to develop the concept of a new proper noun, The "Ugly Farang." It can be roughly defined as a "Foreigner in Thailand who thinks that the law doesn't apply to them."

Do not dress that way fool.

While driving up the the Assumption University around 2 in the morning after getting out of the airport, I observed what appeared to be a European couple walking around. Being jet lagged doesn't mean my eyes are messed up. The man was dressed in club worthy black, and the woman was in some street walker style of outfit with a tattoo of what appeared to be a Thai temple on her lower back. Yes, you could clearly see most her. Not much left to imagine. Drunk as heck too. My gut reaction was "wow, she's wasted." Fast forward to 12 in the afternoon, and I saw her again in the same dress, but different guy. As Arsenio Hall used to say during the heyday of his talk show, "Things that make you go hmmmmmm." Although Thailand has a particular type of reputation thanks to movies like the Hangover 2, the country prefers people to dress more modestly. Strike one for the gal in the all too revealing dress.

CNN Mystery disease in Cambodia

Apparently, there is a new disease that is taking out kids under the age of 3 in Cambodia.  It doesn't appear to be SARS, H1N1 or others.

More can be read at CNN's article.

One of the things about Cambodia is that it clearly isn't the same as Thailand.  The healthcare system isn't as robust.  In fact, in the region, Thailand probably has the best system out there.

The SE Asia Situation in a nutshell

1.  Thailand's political world is still in flux.
2.  Vietnam is experiencing steady growth.  It is not becoming a major favorite travel destination.
3.  Cambodia is revisiting the Khmer Rouge era with trials.  There are still problems of poverty in certain sections of the country.
4.  Burma/Myanmar is undergoing more democratic reforms.

Thailand is currently going through much political upheaval.  For the most part, there is this tug of war between the Democratic Party of Thailand, and "Whatever is the party of Thaksin Shinawatra" which is currently Pheu Thai.  There are complex discussions about amending the Constitution in Thailand, as noted in the Bangkok Post.   We must not forget the drama that can erupt with political conflict.

On my last trip, I visited the area that had major protests.  The mall was definitely burned down and being reconstructed.  But other than that, it seemed normal.  Quite a few people died during that upheaval.  The current political environment of Thailand pretty much stems from the tug of war between these parties.  For the most part, my friends at Assumption University tell me all is fine.  People avoid politics if they can.  

Vietnam.  A few people ask me now, why Vietnam?  Well, it's a different country.  The weird thing is that Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma/Myanmar and even Laos are only 1 hour by air from each other.  Each country is distinct.  The food in Vietnam is more of a hybrid of Chinese, French and SE Asian.  They know how to make a sandwich. 

When you travel in SE Asia, you can use Thailand as the hub.  In fact, Bangkok is the place in which you can travel to all other parts of SE Asia.  If you are a citizen of ASEAN countries, all you need is your passport to travel freely between these countries.

Cambodia is still struggling with the ghost of the Khmer Rouge.  Many of the current politicians in Cambodia were former KR members.  Comrade Duch is currently going to be in his own solo cell.

A few of my friends from Long Beach City College and Bakersfield College are trying to set up a school in Cambodia.  Without actual personnel present on site, that's a tall order.  I know.  I did that stuff when I was doing Tsunami relief work in Thailand.

Burma/Myanmar.  I don't have the motivation to go just yet.  I'm still observing how they treat "The Lady" now that she's out of house arrest.  Other friends have gone to Burma/Myanmar, but I'm still a little cautious.   But it does look interesting.  At least the temples do.

Testing the concept of laptop less travel

This is a test shot of the Olympus EP3 with the 12mm prime lens. This is Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Not bad.

So far, the lens has been pretty good. The Shots have that Olympus warmth to them. The compact nature is going to work out.

The iPad app being used is Blogsy. The user interface is sort of complicated. On the other hand, with the Bluetooth keyboard, I think it will be fine.

Eyefi cards were not really working. I'm taking several cards and the backup drive. Hopefully this will cut down on the gear for this trip.

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