by Craig Williamson

Created on: February 20, 2009   Last Updated: February 23, 2009

Thai food is known the world over for it's aromas, contrasting flavours and brilliant colours. There is no doubt that it is much easier to get high quality Thai food in Thailand, in large part because Thai food depends upon fresh herbs and spices rather than dried ones. But, that being said, some of the absolute best food in Thailand is available at very low prices on every street in the country.

The variety available from the Thai street food vendors is significant, but there are some dishes that can be found nearly everywhere. One of the most famous for tourists to Thailand is pad Thai, but the pad Thai available in tourist areas such as Khao Sarn Road is of a much lower quality than what the more authentic Thai street vendors sell. If you find yourself on Khao Sarn road, you are only a five minute walk from some excellent and very genuine street food which the locals eat.

One of this writer's absolute favourite dishes is guay thiew. This dish is simply noodles in a kind of broth. Another favourite is som dtum, which (unripened papaya salad with tomatoes) comes in a number of different varieties and is often eaten with sticky rice and grilled chicken. Sticky rice is meant to be eaten by hand the flavour of the sticky rice dipped into the liquid from the Som Dtum is reason enough to eat it this way.

When in the mood for something that has a slightly more meaty taste, rat naa is a great choice. It consists of noodles, pork and a very thick gravy that tastes something like a typical North American gravy, only thicker. This would usually be eaten as a dish by itself, though it can also be a part of a larger meal. Pa see iew, (pan-fried noodles and vegetables) is a somewhat lighter choice than rat naa and is often served in the same restaurants.

In addition there are also many food markets and smaller street venues that have a variety of pre-prepared foods which otherwise are as frequently seen on the streets. These can consist of different curries as well as Pad Krapow (usually pork or chicken cooked with Thai basil) or any variety of other foods.

If you happen to be out in Thailand in the morning and feel like some breakfast, johk is the dish of choice. It's a thick rice based soup with various vegetables and herbs served alongside it. It's best with a raw egg mixed into it so that it cooks after it's been served.

There are numerous street coffee vendors who make excellent, traditional Thai coffee, either hot or cold. Make sure they give you the real one, they might

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