A STREET VENDOR I WON'T BE EATING AT

The streets and sidewalks of Bangkok are always overflowing with vendors selling just about every kind of delicacy you can think of - balls of fish, chicken and pork on a stick (most of which is either stir-fried, deep-fried or barbecued), squid, soup, noodles, rice, fruit and various sweets.

I have never eaten food from any of these vendors, mostly because I don't want to get sick. First of all, I don't like spicy food and secondly I have no idea how it is prepared and whether or not my stomach is ready for it even after nearly four months here. It must be OK, because I see plenty of locals scarfing this stuff down on a daily basis. Financially, it might be the way to go because from what I hear you can get a plate or bowl of food for around 50 cents US, but at this point I'd rather spend some extra cash to eat a legitimate restaurant rather than risk getting a stomach parasite of some sort.

The other night I happened past this vendor whose selection would have immediately frightened me off if I hadn't been so curious. It's kind of hard to see in these photos, but available for consumption here are various deep-fried critters including cockroaches, grasshoppers, scorpions, beetles, and larvae (click on the close up pics to zoom in even more).













I guess this kind of diet is supposed to be high in protein, but I'll never personally find out. The whole scene reminded me of something I'd see on reality TV. I half-expected Survivor host Jeff Probst to emerge from behind the cart and offer me a plate of these "snacks" in return for a chance to see my parents for the first time since June.

As this sign indicates, these vendors don't appreciate pictures being taken of their wares (I think that's what "Take Photo No Tips Please Get Away" means), although other people were doing just that so I joined in. Right before I left, the woman on the left turned around and gave me a dirty look. I didn't mind - it beats a plate of crickets.