boodu dim mak, subyon

salaam

confused by the title? let me explain...but first i must set the stage... eh em...so as the wife mentioned in the previous post the thais consume their daily bread "family style". wait...i'm getting ahead of myself. so the first day that we arrived on the island we went to one of the two masjids around iftar, with a measly package of dates that we'd bought in bangkok and a hell of an appetite. immediately we were summoned to a straw mat laden with food and hungry thais eager to break fast. spicy chicken, curried delights, vegetables and rice all sat steaming in the middle of this circle of family, friendship, and goodwill. family style? not quite. excited, we too sat down cross-legged to partake in the feast before us. i sat next to this half dressed, middle aged brother whos longi (southeast asian man skirt) was tucked under his ample belly, weighed down by his man breasts, and warmed by his hospitable demeanor and smile. ah, this must be family style because it can't get anymore family than this...well almost. so as the adhan sounds, plates of rice are disseminated to the hungry lot (silverware free of course) and the feeding begins. hands dig into the center serving bowls grabbing roasted fish, chicken curries, and seasoned vegetables. rice dotted fingers pass fisted balls of food across smoke stained teeth, and then return to drip curry and saliva into previously non-curried or salivaed dishes. now THIS is family style!!! when my plate started to look a little sparse, my happy buddah emulating companion retracted four, well-licked fingers from his mouth, shoved them into a bag of bean sprouts and refilled my almost empty plate with a smile and little belly jiggle that did nothing to dislodge the rice granules wedged between his stomach and left man-breast. now that's a hell of a welcome!! day 1...repulsed, day 16...lickin' and drippin' with the best of them. oh, i forgot to mention...when this brother finished eating, he washed himself off, put his clothes back on, then went into the masjid to lead prayer. they sure don't make imams like that back home :)

plane ticket to thailand...$400
bus and boat ticket to phi phi...$20
saliva flavored fermented fish sauce...priceless

so after 22 days of thailand, i'm loving it and i wouldn't change it for the world. and when we come back to the states it'll be family style eating and i'll be hollering "boodu dim mak, subyon!" (fermented fish sauce is good, number one) to the death of me.

hope you enjoyed...

salaam
mateo