SED Artist

Hi! I am currently travelling South East Asia and I am determined to prove to myself and to my parents that this 4 month trip isn’t simply about ‘bumming around’. I’ve always wanted to start a blog discussing foods, people and experiences, but it’s just never been the right time, so here I am, with so many new observations that I want to share and discuss. Realistically these will probably gravitate mostly around food, but it’s going to be a mixture of everything based entirely off my travelling and my experiences whilst I’m out here.

First point of discussion: Safety; which right now is regarding how I’ve felt as a woman travelling from Europe to South East Asia, specifically right now, Thailand.

People like to warn you before going off to travel in parts of the world that aren’t the West. Everyone has some kind of horror story they heard from a friend of a friend, and everyone has seen a video or a docuseries about something macabre and terrifying. So why is it that I have felt safer here, specifically regarding the presence of men, than in and around western countries where I have lived, travelled or spent time? Liv and I have continuously noticed how few social differences there seem to be between men and women here. Most noticeably to us, men don’t stare nor jeer at women in the streets, nor do they outrageously flirt with them at a bar, nor do they linger too long or make you feel uncomfortable solely for the fact that you are a woman. The self conscious body disappears when the eyes do not give it the importance (as does the pitied and humbled body which never did receive ‘importance’ or male gaze). The gaze of the man on a woman and her body can be found world wide, but it is remarkable how general gender stereotypes seem naturally dismantled here. From my so far limited and external observations, men and women seem to take up similar roles in the everyday workplace; there is no sexualised difference between men and women clothing, and respect comes naturally and mutually to all. Interestingly enough though, you can find signs dotted around the most visited cities and towns asking tourists to please respect the local culture by dressing appropriately, and only then will you find multiple images of women in various states of undress, with large crosses marked below, but not a single example nor suggestion that a man might possibly be presenting himself inappropriately. These signs are designed for tourists, so people from, generally, the western world or developed countries, and do not portray Asian women. One last little observation here, advertisements completely lack any kind of sexual ambiguity, which greatly contrasts the advertisements I’m used to in the UK or know of the US.

This is all first impressions after only three weeks here, with little research and knowledge of history of female persecution of the country. I am absolutely going to research this and I’m excited to do so, but I felt it important to note my feelings with little to no knowledge, so that I may cross examine later on as I continue to learns and observe.

Second point of discussion: Expectations; What did I expect, and how does it compare ?

I’m in the fortunate position to have travelled quite a bit so far, specifically in this instance, to developing countries and parts of Asia. I don’t mean this in a ‘big me up’ way, but solely to explain that I have seen and temporarily been included in countries which have distinguishable differences to western or developed countries.

I definitely held conscious and subconscious expectations before leaving for my travels, and in some aspects I am disappointed just like in others I find myself pleasantly surprised.

The first thing that springs to mind is how many tourists there are here. Obviously, I am totally aware that I too am one of those tourists, and most likely doing a similar thing to every other tourist here, but, sometimes I can’t help but feel saddened by it. It creates this feeling of sameness and blandness which is what I feel many people yearn to escape by going travelling in the first place, at least for many people. You truly notice how towns and cities have built themselves around the reception of tourists, creating epicentres where western culture and mindset thrive and dominate, dampening the original culture and social life. I am not saying that this is a terrible thing nor that it completely erases beautiful culture because I understand the exoticism that may be attached to this, but I find myself sadly turning away from other travellers because I did not come to Pai or Chiang Mai to feel like I am in bar or club in the UK surrounded by 18 year olds on their gap year. This is harsh and I truly apologise, I do not say this from a position of self professed superiority, simply from a space where I have carefully filtered out the things which I don’t wish to take part in. Obviously there is also great beauty in meeting people who live close to you back home and in becoming linked to them in ways which would never have been possible had you not both been tourists, but this is my immediate reaction and I do feel it says a lot. About me or about the tourist industry though, I am not too sure.

I have to admit how badly I feel regarding my lack of knowledge of the history and language of the countries I am visiting. I would definitely suggest to any one planning on visiting anywhere for an extended period of time, or come to think of it even for a short holiday, to at least do some sort of skim reading of a history book and learn the most useful and kindest words in their language before heading there. I know three sentences… Sawasdee Kah (hello/ female), Kap kuh Kah (thank you/ female) and Tao Rai (how much?), and they do truly help me, especially the latter, when it comes to bartering or ordering taxis. Mainly though, they help me show kindness and respect to the other person which can be slightly harder to do when you don’t speak the language, and I have noticed how much it pleases them to hear us speak with as much effort as possible, even these three simple sentence.

Something that has taken me by surprise is how little I enjoy ‘travelling’ or ‘holiday’ when I feel like I haven’t worked hard for it nor deserved it. It feels indulgent, and I have realised that it might only become truly everything one had hoped it to be only when you have ideas of goals and ambitions you would like to achieve by your return. These are things I had thought carefully about for long months before departure, but I think it can be too easy to forget about them in the excitement of it all, especially when travelling as a group. A big reason for me to do this trip was so that I might also further my career in some way, and help others in the process. Now I don’t actually really know what that would look like, I just have certain passions and ideas that I would like to expand and curate, but in the first two to three weeks I did realise that I had, in a way, forgotten to unpack those with the rest of my things. I think it’s easy to get slightly existential about the entire trip and even your entire life, because if the only meaning to the four month trip is a four month holiday (which may be perfect for some) then it’s easy to feel like your present life has little meaning nor ambition which could potentially be quite difficult. So, along with personal ambitions and doing some sort of work or creative work during the trip, finding volunteer opportunities is definitely a great idea, as is balancing time spent alone, with your travel buddies, new buddies, and old buddies you might be potentially meeting up with.

Now! Here is the most crucial and pleasant part of the trip. The flipping food.

Liv and I lived together in second and third year, and we had a ball with all sorts of dishes using mainly eggs, meats, rice, and spicy chili oil ! We had the luxury and pleasure of living with Rachel in third year, who, thanks to her Thai connections, taught us so much to do with fish oil and specific dishes and dealing with spicy foods. I will admit it is pretty hard to disappoint me when it comes to food, but there is still a certain criteria things have to meet.

Now this poses the question what my criteria might be, and as I hadn’t yet given it any thought, liv (my number one food pal) and I are going to come up with one together. We suggest something along these lines:

⁃ Balanced plate

⁃ Flavours hitting different receptors

⁃ Creates curiosity regarding ingredients, composition, creation and background

⁃ Conversation starter

⁃ Cheap to Affordable

⁃ Requires a personality. The cook, the place and the food.

⁃ Filling enough, leaves us wanting more but not needing more

I am currently compiling a list of where our favourites places have been to eat during our stay… unfortunately I didn’t start this straight away so I am starting in Pai, with a couple references back to Chiang Mai because a couple places were unforgettable. Before I give you this though, I would like to talk about my experience with food since I got here, in general.

It is delicious. If you go to the right places, it is impossible to find a dish lacking flavour, even the most simple ones, which truthfully are some of the best!

I haven’t had any problems with the food regarding my stomach here yet, but I definitely have had some disappointing or overpriced experiences. The food here is so cheap that you genuinely cannot be spending too much money on it, ever, even if you’re over indulgent. The most expensive comestibles here are all the drinks. The coffees and juices and smoothies are what will get you, although they are tremendously cheap compared to what we’re used to. They’re also unbelievably delicious, my personal favourite is Mango and Coconut mix, but I need to continue trying other flavours so that I can truly solidify that choice. We have made a couple of errors regarding some ‘nicer’ or ‘Michelin guide’ restaurants at a couple of moments, which is mainly frustrating because neither of us felt that the quality matched up with the prices, and left feeling slightly remorseful, knowing that the lady in the food cart on the corner could make the same thing for a fourth of the price and four times better.

So, here is my recommended list so far:

Chiang Mai:

⁃ Man Food Cart opposite 7/11 in the old town – Pad See Yew

⁃ Lady Food Cart at night market in the old town – Thai Omelette with everything + rice

⁃ Night Bazaar – Khao Soy

Pai:

⁃ Na’s Kitchen – Panaeng Curry, Massaman Curry, Morning Glory

⁃ Pai Night Market – Big thick coconut tamarind pancakes (not the small flat ones)

⁃ Lady Food Vendor Night Market – Mango Sticky Rice

⁃ Pambok Cafe – Morning Glory

⁃ Banh Banh Mi Pai – Banh Mi, Fried Chicken options

More coming soon !! Can’t wait to share more of my thoughts and foods. Thank you for reading 🙂