Stupid_American

Since this has become the pinned thread on Bangkok dining, I'll add a link to some great hawker food pics:Thai Hawker Food

I attended a friend's retirement party a couple years back; had Club 33's wonderful buffet lunch. Because it was a company membership, a company representative (authorized manager) had to pick up the passes at guest services, the day of the lunch. Private members have to pick up theirs. The manager didn't dine with us, but I doubt it would be worth someones time, let alone risking their job or membership, to pick up and hand off passes. I would be very leary of any "Club 33 passes" being sold on eBay.

"Half Nachos with Carnitas" $4.45 + tax at Alberto's. This one's on Brookhurst, just north of Mile Square Park.

That's the chicken pie lunch from the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop.

$4.50 + tax!

Came across a site with some very good images of Bangkok street food. Many pictures you see don't really capture the "atmosphere". These are pretty stark. I especially like the first photo, 5th row. Besides showing a classic sidewalk restaurant, it also has the typical soi dog waiting for handouts! I know some will be shocked at these photos and wonder how anyone can eat this way. Personally, they make me anxious to get back! In any case, I hope they help some adventurers to know what to expect. This is street food The little sign, shown twice in the series, says to keep things 60 cms above ground, one of the standards for a "green star" rating. I don't recall having ever seen a green star! If you navigate around the site a bit, you'll find plenty of more photos and information about Bangkok. Unfortunately, the site creator seems to spend far too much time around Patpong! Bangkok Food Pages

I made up a little site dedicated to hole-in-the-walls, mostly in the Hollyweid area:Cheap Eats 'N Stuff. Here's a map of the Disneyland area: The La Palma Chicken Pie shop is classic. For around $6, you can get a complete dinner, including dessert! Lunch is less than $5. Thai Nakorn is one of the top Thai restaurants anywhere. Not on the map, but where Walnut bumps into Katella, just west of the Convention Center, is Marri's Italian; great pizza.

Thai brands will usually stand on their own virtues. The writing at the bottom of that bottle is Cambodian or Lao, not Thai.

One of the best eats in San Diego is Point Loma Seafoods. Hit it for lunch, or an early dinner; it closes at 6:30pm. Point Loma Seafood

I've just been told that the Kampaeng Phet subway station exits directly across from the market. It's the stop after Chatuchack, on the subway line, heading from downtown.

I checked "Healthy Boy" brand at a local (Orange County, CA) market. It appears "syrup" thick.

I put together a little website, below, with some of LA's "hole-in-the-wall" eateries.

How about this?

If everything went as planned, it will be across the street from the new subway station, the south end of Chatuchak, the direction from which the Skytrain comes.

We often hit both,...and I'm out of shape! Although Aw Taw Kaw is of peticular interest here, Chatuchak is always mentioned as a "must visit" by most guidebooks. I thought 2 trips up that way would be a bit much for a casual tourist. This time of year is wet, but not extremely hot. Just uploaded some cards from some of Bangkok's eateries and other businesses Still working on more cards and some write ups. Going on the road; might be a while. Bangkok Recs One of the restaurants, ROYYIM, is a place best visited with a local Thai host. The clientele is down-home locals; it doesn't see many Westerners.

Definitely a must do! But, for someone not accustomed to Bangkok's heat and humidity, I always suggest a couple days acclimation before a trip to Aw Taw Kaw / Chatuchak. Head there during the weekend to take full advatange of both. MBK's 6th floor foodcourt, although not in contention with Aw Taw Kaw, is a good, air-conditioned introduction. I haven't been since they've remodeled. I, too, believe that the Nancy Chandler Bangkok Map is a must have. I also recommend Bangkok Walking Tours, New Bus Map by Bangkok Guide. The streets are more detailed and it includes bus routes. They are both widely available in Bangkok.

Some of my favorites are on my website, Cheap Eats. In San Diego, I really like Rosarito's in Lemon Grove (taquitos and chicken burritos). Boll Weevils for their straightforward Steerburger. Pass on all the new stuff that wasn't on the turtle shell! Point Loma Seafoods for F-I-S-H. There's a little Mexican joint, just east of Magnolia, on Madison, El Cajon, the puts out good "shack Mex" Unfortunately, with all the chains, many little guys are vanishing. Especially with kids, it's easier just to hit the big guys. A classic was place in Spring valley, on Bancroft, just east of Troy. I believe it was called "Mr J's" It was a tiny burger shack, in the middle of a residential area, that put out over a ton and a half of pastrami each month (60's). Anybody remember the Barrett Junction family style fish frys?

Doing a search, all the "Amici's" I find are in the Bay area.

Have you tried different stores? Unfortunately, I've found many chains to be inconsistent. I used to love the carne asada burritos at the Laguna Niguel Baja Fresh, but found two other stores disgusting.

All over this country the are little place that make the best _____ . Often, much of the menu is marginal, but there's one or two items that keep the place open. There's that place where you always head to get the burger special. The little corner place that has the best potato tacos. Maybe it's the onion rings! Where are your favorite Southern California places and what item(s) keep you coming back?

MEMORIES!

If you have some Thai friends, you might head over to ROYYIM STEAK HOUSE, in Thornburi. It sort of reminds me of a Thai cowboy bar. Lots of off duty cops, military and moto taxi drivers. But, it has some of the best "Thai food" I've had. You'll find families mixed with the surly lot! Also, in the evenings, there's live "pop/rock/country" entertainment. Heard a great redition of "You're Cheatin' Heart"! I almost lost it when they did "Risten to the Lythm of the Fawreen Lain"! BTW I don't believe I've ever seen "steak" there! I did see one other farang once. On Soi Saladaeng, off Silom, behind the Dusit Thani, is Anna's Cafe. The food is thai/intl and decent. But, the desserts are great! It's also a nice atmosphere.

That's the Encounter, I believe.

But it's still amazing that, with all this imput, they can still compute the amount of baggage needed!

We all know that salmon return to the river of their birth. I don't remember ever hearing a definitive explaination as to how they do this. We've had a couple posts stating that the difference with CRS is that they are richer, "fattier". This is because the Copper River is so long and they need the extra fat for their extra long journey home. I think we can now conclude that salmon return to the birthplace using memory; no smell, no GPS, simply memory. How else would they know how much food to eat for the trip?