Swimming with rescued elephants at an Elephant Sanctuary was by far the biggest highlight of our time in Thailand. ❤️🐘
However, sticking with the food theme (😋), the second-best thing we did in this beautiful country, was an evening street food tour of Bangkok by Tuk Tuk. Such a fun way to see the city and try some fab (& not so fab) foods along the way!
Not-so-fab foods? CHICKEN BLOOD. At first it looked like the reddish liquid was the blood, but then I was told that the blood is the thick huge chunks floating in the soup! I gather it is common in some cultures (namely in China, Vietnam and Thailand) to serve the coagulated blood of chicken, duck, goose or cow that's been cut into blocks, known as "blood tofu." I tried to google the health benefits and found little information. When I asked our guide, she said it was just a popular food that people loved the taste of. I will admit, I could not bring myself to try it… so our Tuk Tuk driver was happy to eat mine!
Fab foods? Warm steamed coconut BREAD DIPPED IN PANDAN LEAF custard (to die for!!) and THAI ICED TEA (already a fave of mine back home, but a real treat to have in its country of origin!).
➢ Pandan leaf: Thai people have been relying on the natural healing properties of pandan leaves for decades. The roots and leaves are boiled to make tea for chest pains, cramps, spasms, headaches and to lower blood pressure. The dried, crushed leaves are made into a powder, and massaged onto the scalp to heal dandruff. There are numerous pandan-based medicines in traditional Thai pharmacies that offer treatment for skin fungus, arthritis, even some forms of cancer - the list goes on.
➢ Thai tea: Since Thai tea is made from black tea leaves, it’s full of antioxidants, which are said to have anti-cancer properties. In addition, consuming Thai tea expands your arteries, which plays an important role in preventing heart attacks and strokes. A study at Boston University shows that heart patients who drank black tea experienced 50% better functioning of their blood vessels than those who didn’t.
For the BEST and most authentic Thai food in Toronto (including Thai Iced tea!), you must check out @Khao San Road and @Nana