Travel From Home: Thailand
Our most recent adventure from home was to Thailand, thanks to several friends who suggested the location and researched possible ways to experience it.
The Music: Traditional Thai Music
We found a one-our playlist on YouTube with traditional Thai music that was perfect background music for our dinner and conversations. It’s very soothing and wonderful for a relaxing afternoon or evening.
The Drinks: Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
I researched non-alcoholic Thai drinks and normally would have gone with Thai coffee or tea, but decided to go down the fruit route since I wanted the extra vitamins.
Thailand is warm and humid and rich with delicious tropical fruits so freshly pressed juices are a good way to refresh yourself. My research showed that orange juice (as well as pomegranate juice!) is a popular drink in the country, so I found my most tropical-looking glass and enjoyed the sweet taste of a freshly squeezed orange.
The Food: Pad Thai
Despite its instant association with Thailand, Pad Thai isn’t an originally Thai dish. An Atlantic article talks about its Chinese origin and how it made its way to Thailand, most likely as the first fast food of the country.
“[…] was but one of several measures taken by Thai authorities in the 1930s and 1940s to both Westernize and modernize the country.”
Either way, Pad Thai has played a huge role in Thailand’s food culture and has become an international delight for foodies. So we were certainly having some.
Our friend Lorie shared this recipe for making Pad Thai, explaining that the most important thing is the sauce. After some experimentation, her sauce ingredients included tamarind puree, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and palm sugar (you can substitute palm with brown sugar, and tamarind puree with ketchup). You can make extra sauce as it keeps well and you can easily add it to another stir fry noodle. Everything else is what you want to put in it (e.g. tofu and chicken). And don’t skip the bean sprouts! They’re critical to lighten the dish and add a textural element.
If you don’t have the time or ingredients handy to make it at home, consider supporting your local Thai restaurant. That’s what we ended up doing and I got to enjoy my favorite tom yum soup, characterized by its hot and sour flavors and fragrant spices.
The Literature: Ira Sukrungruang
Ira Sukrungruang is a first generation Thai-American, born and raised in Chicago. He’s the author of the memoirs Southside Buddhist and Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, the short story collection The Melting Season, and the poetry collection In Thailand It Is Night.
I found this poem by him from In Thailand It Is Night and it really resonated with me, reminding me of my grandparents and their love.
What I Want to Remember in the Next Life
That each morning begins with birds.
That spring evenings wake tree frogs into chirping frenzies; that their sound is the metronymic beat of your sleep; that you enter symphonic dreams of crescendo croaking.
That the beagle next door bays to be let in; that it loves its little girl to the point of squeals; that this love is limitless.
That once you were a boy and did boy things and your father and his calloused hand touched the back of your hare neck and squeezed, and it felt like he was passing all he had into you, all his other lives, all his other sorrows, and when his hand left what remained was its phantom warmth.
That once you rolled out of a moving car with a doughnut in your mouth; that the accident was so quick you didn’t shop chewing.
That your dog brings her velvet head under your hand, even when you are despondent because the world has broken its promises.
That the green before the storm is the quietest time on earth.
That the swallowtail kites fly linguistic patterns in the open sky; that they arrive once a year with an invisible message; that this message is as mysterious as a geode.
That Buddha was a lost prince before he became Buddha; that his story has a beginning and an end and a beginning.
That time never moves backwards but memory does and what was lot could he found again; that if you whisper remember, remember, you will find what it is you are looking for, like the gecko that clings desperately to the tree in a storm, trusting it won’t blow away but climb from this life to the next and to the next.
Based on this poem, I became very curios about Ira Sukrungruang and might grab one of his memoirs next.
The Entertainment: Photos of Thailand
Our friends Zhanina and Kosta traveled to Thailand in 2019, so in a Zoom call they shared stories from their explorations and showed us the beautiful photos they took. They told us about Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, hosting the festival of lights during which lit-up lanterns are released into the skies and rivers as a symbol of parting with sins and misfortunes. We learned about the fun uber-like rickshaw service people in Thailand use and the cities’ busy streets filled with delicious street food options.
From their stories we also learned about how wonderful sailing in the lush islands by Phuket is —secret beaches emerging next to caves that lead to hidden pool areas. Unpredictable stormy weather can be your companion too, but only for 20 minutes or so. You can see more photographs from Thailand and read about the stories that accompany them in Zhani’s blog.
The History: The Thai National Flag
Google’s Art & Culture has a wonderful exhibit about the Thai national flag here. It walks you through the evolution of the flag from being entirely red in 1680, to later getting a white chakra (the weapon of the Hindu god Vishnu), then an elephant in 1808, and finally the red-and-white striped version we know of today, with dark blue in the middle to represent solidarity with the Allies of The Great War.
Our travel-from-home to Thailand was an enjoyable experience and we’re better prepared to one day visit the country fully and immerse all of our senses in its culture.
