[Food] Here, there and everywhere.

I’ve only been in Thailand a week and there’s 1 thing you can’t avoid. Food. It’s everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. There’s no food allowed on the subway or skytrain. But everywhere else food abounds. When we went to the grocery store our first night here there was huge food court inside. The selection of offerings was dizzying. There were dozens of chefs cooking, serving and packing food to go.

Right outside our apartment building, in the quiet neighborhood where we’re staying, there is food right there on the street. At any given time there are 2 to 4 street food vendors cooking up stuff. And this is not a busy section of Bangkok.

Our 5 minute walk out to the main drag leads us past more vendors. Simple set ups consisting of either a table, a cart, or sometimes a motor bike attached to both. Various meats on sticks, deep fried balls of who knows what, piles of noodles, rice, and deep bowls of stews. Once you get out onto the busy main street there are many more selections. Larger, more permanent operations with little hole in the wall set ups dot the sidewalk leading to the closest subway stop about 20 minutes walking from our place. You’ll have passed 40 different options for eating and not one resembling a restaurant you would ever consider eating in.

On your journey into the subway station you’re confronted with more vendors. Cases with large, white fluffy dumplings, small plastic bags with liquid and solid things floating around, and sweet treats are ready for you. Walk down a flight of stairs toward the subway and there’s a supermarket. And remember supermarkets have huge food courts inside. This one has a coffee shop, bakery, and what appears to be 2 open area restaurants right inside the grocery store. It’s a great idea. You can grab a coffee and snack on your way into the subway. But we should slow down now. Food and drinks are not allowed on the subway. Neither is trash, noise of any kind, pushing, shoving, due cutting, attitudes or talking for that matter. When you get on the train you stare into your phone swiping through pictures of – wait for it – food.

When you stop for a coffee and snack before getting on the subway you finish it. There is no trash, not even a stray receipt or napkin on the ground – anywhere. And it’s not just the subway. I’ve been hard pressed to see any trash, any litter, anywhere in Bangkok. I’m not kidding. This city is really nice and clean. Plus, the Thai people in Bangkok are the most respectful, polite, mellow people I’ve ever met.

Anyway, you take the subway somewhere, get off, and guess what’s there? Yes, more food. On the way out of the subway there may be more grocery stores with food courts. More carts and tables dot the sidewalks and street sides. You may even see some restaurants but most of them are grouped together or found in malls. And then there are the delivery services. Scooters with giant boxes attached speed around the city delivering food to everyone day and night.

We spent some time in Lumpini park this afternoon. There was a public aerobics class starting at 5:20 PM. We asked an elderly man about the class. The conversation turned to his brother living in L.A. We asked if he’s been to the states. He said no. He liked it here. The food he said, “it’s everywhere, it’s great, why would I go anywhere else. It’s so easy.”