8.03.2007

Mai Pet

Sweet Jesus, my luggage arrived. The guy delivering the bags spoke almost no English so Sarah and I hurried across the street with the cell phone to enlist the services of Jed, a Thai native who runs the coffee and waffles stand. He let us know the guy was minutes away. Jed also gave us a restaurant recommendation for the evening. We walked about ten minutes, ending up on a quiet street where shops transform into their owners' homes at night and you can see them eating dinner and watching TV through the big glass windows. Then out of nowhere a swanky lounge appeared. Inside a jazz trio played to a lively crowd of Thais. We were the only farangs (foreigners) so we knew we hit a good place. No seat left inside so we sat on couches around a table outside. None of the servers spoke any English so again we called on a local friend and Sarah's boyfriend ordered for us over the phone. Lemon chicken with lightly fried seaweed was delicious. I'm sure the Tom Yum soup was also, but my unaccustomed taste buds were reeling from the heat. I forgot to use the phrase I'd been so diligently practicing: "mai pet", which means "not so hot." Sarah, who's been in Bangkok for a year, is so used to the spicy food she was drinking the soup like milk. Maybe I'll get there in time, but until then, mai pet, mai pet, mai pet.