Mealworms and Meatballs

The other day we went on an interesting scavenger hunt at Kat Luang, a huge market in Chiang Mai. We were paired off and given a list of things to find. It sounded like a fairly simple task, until we were handed the list and realized that it was entirely written in Thai. Though it was transliterated into the Roman alphabet, we had absolutely no idea what we were looking for, given our severely limited grasp of Thai. 

Nevertheless, Ally and I set off with confidence and began searching for the various items, some of which we were instructed to taste and describe. Luckily, we learned how to ask 'yu ti nai?' (where is....?) in class this morning, so we were able to ask some of the vendors how to find some of the items. (Though we managed to mispronounce almost everything, as we don't really have a great grasp of Thai tones yet.) As we worked out way through the list of items we were to find, we soon found out that our teachers intended for us to try some of the more 'exotic' offerings of Chiang Mai cuisine. We tried deep fried mealworms, deep fried pate, honey balls and a spicy local sausage. They weren't the most delicious foods I've tried thus far in Thailand, but I'm glad I've tried them at least.

As if one excursion to the market in search of bizarre foods wasn't enough for the day, my mae took me to the Night Market that evening, in Mae Lim (the village where we live.) My mae bought me a rose for Valentine's Day, even though it wasn't actually the day. (Apparently they actually celebrate Valentine's Day here!) The market is really amazing - so many people seem to hang out there on a Friday night. I was amazed at the variety of snacks available on sticks. We saw BBQ chicken, pork, garlic cloves, fish, honey balls, sliced fruit, grilled chilies, pig knuckles and even grilled squid, all skewered onto bamboo! We bought what I thought were sausages on sticks, but when we got home I discovered that they're actually intestines stuffed with rice. I've become quite familiar with this process of stuffing intestines, actually, as my mae makes her own spicy sausages to sell at the market. She threads a washed intestine on to the end of a sliced soda bottle and then uses it to stuff chopped pork into the entrails. It was rather disconcerting at first, especially as I was eating at the time, but they sell for quite a bit at the market, so it makes sense to make your own.

Last weekend, we went to the bulk market in the city and I got to see the butcher's who sell such offal. It was quite shocking to see lunch, livers and hearts laid out on ice, but the severed pig's head beside them nearly made me vomit! But the need to be rip roi (appropriate) held me back and I managed to keep it together by wandering over to the vegetable vendor across the street.

We go to the market fairly often, as my mae (pronounced mehh - smile when you say it) makes food everyday which we package up for her to sell at the market. I have yet to go with her to sell things at the market, but when we go to buy things, I ride on the back of her scooter, which is both thrilling and nerve wracking. Thai drivers are INSANE and drive all over the place, with little regard for lanes or turning signals or even helmets for that matter. Luckily, my mae is a fairly conservative driver, so we wear helmets and rarely come close to colliding with one of the surging army of vehicles which traverse Chiang Mai's freeways.