While in Thailand, I was enamored by the prices. But more so the street food. However, during my first few days in Bangkok, I was reminded by my visit with the travel clinic. Don’t eat anything from the street, she said. So when presented with Thai iced tea, I asked for no ice and cautiously watched them. It tasted horrible. So I decided that I couldn’t do it anymore.
My first street food experience in Bangkok was ice cream. It was cheap, less than a dollar.
Then I had mango, guava, coconut, coconut pancakes…
And strange fruit that I didn’t recognized called milk fruit
Then grilled chicken, noodle soup, more fruit, more coconuts…and even fried stuff as much as I abhorred fried stuff. When I returned to San Francisco, I sulked around for a few weeks dismayed at the price and quality of food. It was either huge unhealthy portions of low quality food. Or it was high quality with an expensive price tag. Or if it was street food, it was the taco vendors that I had so many times..and the fruit cart that sometimes amused me (mango with chili powder), but it seemed so much easier to buy the fruit at the nearby grocery store.
But then I discovered street food in San Francisco.
The curry man who also had learned from cooking schools in Thailand.
His brother who had mastered creme brulee.
And best of all, on my long commute, I found Amuse Boche who will appear on mornings at 24th/Mission. They were friendly people not looking to make a quick buck, but actually caring about getting quality food out and sharing that experience. It wasn’t to cover the overhead. It was purely to share something that they enjoy with the rest of the world.
I never liked hot dogs, the wasted processed meat put inside yet another wasted soggy bun. But when getting something from those recent carts, I really feel something. I make it for you, I can almost hear them say.
But for now, I am trying to figure out what I want to share with the world.
