What I love in BKK right now

As I write this, I'm eating a bowl of homemade 'fast food' dessert-- freshly sliced mangoes over hot rice and covered with coconut cream and a sprinkle of sugar on top. Several years ago, I never would have made this dish for a late night snack and I'm so thankful to have found this wonderful explosion of flavor combination. Here's a few other things I've discovered, and LOVE, in Bangkok:

A wonderful woman who sells pure essential oils at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Go visit Wassana's selection of oils, starting around 120 baht per bottle. Oils are sold throughout Chatuchak, but many are watered down or not pure. Frankincense, Patchouli Orange, Lemon Lavender, Bergamot, Neroli... all favorites of mine and all sold in the wonderful peace that exists within Section 26, Stall number 208, Soi 1/9 of Chatuchak Market. (Oh, and great all natural fiber bags and yoga mats and other goodies are sold in this stall too!).

Crepes and Company's Moroccan Mint Tea. A well known restaurant in Bangkok, Crepes and Co. isn't off the beaten path. But, a late night visit recently yielded an amazing pot of authentic Moroccan mint tea. Lift the lid on the golden tea pot you are served and you'll see muddled mint leaves, floating pine nuts and sweetly swirled honey. Enjoy a pot in the restaurant's beautiful garden with tropical foliage surrounding and fairy lights floating overhead. 18/1 Sukhumvit Soi 12.

Cicada. If you've never seen the insect up close and personal, consider yourself very lucky. One of the ugliest creatures I've ever run across, the cicada looks like an overgrown fly. However, I find it's excessively loud hum a comforting sound here in the tropics. Throughout the year, the sky grows dark and the cicada begin their electric sounding hum that resonates throughout the cities sois.

Bangkok's Street Side Sewing Men and Women. Turn a Bangkok corner and it's not unusual to find a man or woman sitting behind a huge and heavy sewing table right in the middle of the sidewalk. They are usually busy at work, mending, making products as requested by their customers and not noticing the blazing sun overhead. Come September, I look forward to working with our neighborhood sewing vendor and having several sets of napkins made to order for our dinner table.

Cooking in Thailand, entry no. 89:

Fast food mangoes over rice

When you want to enjoy the flavors of Thailand and only want to spend a few moments preparing a late night snack, reach for some coconut milk, a mango and some hot rice.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon of sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup of cooked white rice

1 mango, cut into bite-sized pieces

Method:

In a small saucepan (or microwave safe bowl), heat the coconut milk, sugar and salt. Stir. Add the rice to a serving bowl, Place the mango on top and cover with the heated coconut milk mixture.