Bangkok

Kamini travels to Bangkok, Thailand, a city with food at its heart. Bangkok’s culinary tradition is on display on every corner, from ancient temples to hallowed waterways: rigid, recognizable, and unchanging. Or is it?

Kamini’s guide to unpicking the mysteries of Thai cuisine is blogger Chawadee Naulkair, whose blog Bangkok Glutton specializes in tracing and sampling the best street fare on offer in the city. The two meet up at Somboon Seafood in Sarawong to taste Chinese-inspired Crab Curry, and then head to the sprawling Klong Toey Market and sample some of the weird and wonderful fresh produce on offer. The Chinese influence on Thai cuisine is explored on Yeowarat Road, where Kamini learns about the Chinese influence on a famous Thai dish. She also gets a lesson in modern Thai street food in a comfortable setting at Soulfood Mahanakorn in Klongtunnau Wattana.

After a colorful visit to the Klong Ladmayom Floating Market, Kamini and Chawadee get a taste of Thailand’s street food innovation with dinner and cocktails in China Town. Kamini discovers that Thai food, far from being rigid and unchanging, is constantly evolving and taking on new influences.