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Bangkok’s Biggest Burger. Seriously.

As the inevitable slow (death) march towards the ubiquity of American junk food gains pace, the relative healthfulness, price and availability of delicious Thai street food becomes even more precious. Witness the opening of Thailand’s first Krispy Kreme shop, which got a ludicrous amount of attention and lineups more akin to a Justin Bieber concert than a lump of fried dough. But every once in a while in Bangkok you must indulge, and I recently found a place that takes indulgence to a whole new level with the most outrageously oversized hamburger I have ever seen. While I try to avoid disgusting displays of the gluttony that western culture seems to have a trademark on, I've written about mutant hamburger fads here before. Once I saw this monster, I knew that it was too insane not to write about.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:28+00:00Bangkok, Food|0 Comments

Bangkok in a Bun: How a Weird-Ass Treat Symbolizes the City’s Awesomeness

There’s a lot of strange things to be found in Bangkok, from the driving ‘rules’ to the cultural norms to the variety of food. For first-time visitors it’s usually exhilarating, confusing and draining all at once, and rarely is it boring. It’s hard to imagine what could accurately depict all the intangible pieces of Bangkok’s jigsaw as a single image, but it struck me the other day that the closest I could come was one of Bangkok’s favorite treats – and something that makes absolutely no sense to us foreigners the first time we see it: the Bangkok ice cream sandwich.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:30+00:00Bangkok, Food, Thailand|8 Comments

Five Reasons You Should Definitely Visit Bangkok – and Five Reasons You Shouldn’t

Bangkok is kind of like a handlebar moustache – some people love them, some people hate them, but rarely will you find someone that says they don’t mind either way. If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you’ve likely come to the (correct) conclusion that I really dig this awful, amazing, ugly, beautiful city to the point where I rarely leave it. But as much I like it here, I can also see why people want to avoid the place like a barbed-wire hammock. I make no judgment either way, but after nearly a decade living in the Big Mango, here are my reasons why you should definitely spend some time here – and why you definitely shouldn’t.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:33+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Food, Thailand, Travel|8 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok… Unholy Ice Cream Topping

Thai food is, after Indian food, my all-time favorite cuisine in the world. Many people would call me crazy for even saying that, as Thai food is usually seen as the end-all, be-all food in terms of sheer taste bud-exploding goodness. Fair enough. But there is one thing that Thais have not yet nailed, and that's their desserts. Oh sure, the sticky rice and mango is to die for and here and there you'll find certain dishes that are okay, but the efforts often don't make it to what we as westerners would call 'palatable'. Exhibit A: an ice cream sundae with corn topping.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:35+00:00Food, Meanwhile in Bangkok...|0 Comments

The Worst of America’s Fast Food Comes to Thailand

As more and more jobs consist of mainly sitting at a computer and more and more recreational activities consist of mainly sitting in front of a television, it's no surprise we're getting fatter. The oft-maligned American diet is usually brought up as a pretty hefty (heh) contributing factor, chronicled brilliantly on ThisIsWhyYou'reFat.com. Well, one of America's worst culinary offenders has officially landed in Bangkok - the Donut Burger, wherein a donut takes the place of a burger bun. Never being one to resist temptation, I figured I'd do my blogging duty and headed down to try it out.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:36+00:00Bangkok, Culture, Food|0 Comments

An Afternoon With a Tea Master

Like many big cities with a strong 'crossroads' element, Bangkok is a place where cultures, personalities, and histories merge into one big socio-economic stew. There exists almost unlimited opportunities to see things you've never heard about; experience things you've never thought of; and talk to people you never would have met otherwise. It's a hell of an opportunity to learn some pretty cool stuff. At a recent lecture at the Siam Society, I met a gentleman named John Toomey, an American who is, ahem, steeped in the ancient and intricate tea ceremonies of Japan and Korea. He very graciously invited myself and a few others to his house to take part in a tea ceremony, and this is how it went down. A warning - if you don't really dig tea or cultural nuance, this post might be a bit long for you.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:48+00:00Asia, Culture, Food|3 Comments