Students looking to immerse themselves in another culture won’t go wrong by sampling local street foods – typically inexpensive yet offering an authentic experience of that place.
Street food often goes well with chilled beverages like soft drinks or water, while beer can also be enjoyed as an ice cold refreshment.
Thailand
Thailand may be best-known for its glorious stretches of white sand fringed by gentle waves and relaxing Thai massages, but there’s much more to this tropical nation than just beaches and massages. Savour local farmhouse cheeses over a cold pint of locally brewed beer; or soak in an oceanfront pool overlooking jungle-topped karst towers from their ocean-view pool; in addition to sampling its unique street cuisine!
Thai streets offer delicious cuisine 24/7. Find everything from snacks to full sit down meals at Raan Jay Fai, headed up by one of Thailand’s beloved culinary legends Supinya Junsuta (known by his nickname Jay Fai).
While Thai cuisine can be spicy, most dishes can be customized to your personal preference at the table and many of its world-renowned curries can actually be much milder than you expect. If in doubt, just ask!
Owinging to Thailand’s excellent public health system, most street food in Thailand should be safe to eat; just ensure you stick to vendors with health inspection badges (with regular updates through Covid), established establishments with longstanding history and those where locals frequent. Remember to pack Imodium just in case any upset stomachs arise during your adventure.
Vietnam
Vietnam’s food and eating culture is inextricably linked with its culture. This can be seen through its cuisine which features few oily foods but abundant herbs and vegetables. Furthermore, regional variations exist throughout Vietnam with northern dishes being more fragrant/aromatic, center cuisine embracing spice flavours, while southern meals frequently incorporate sweet fruits into their meals.
Pho, the popular Vietnamese noodle soup from northern Vietnam, has long been a mainstay of Vietnamese cuisine. You won’t go far in Vietnam without encountering long lines of people enjoying its cheap, tasty and plentiful goodness at makeshift stalls across the country. No wonder locals love this comfort food so much!
Other popular Vietnamese dishes worth exploring beyond noodle soup include Cha Ca La Vong (fried fish seasoned with garlic, ginger and turmeric). This delicacy was first created on Hanoi’s Cha Ca Street; thus making it a national treasure that visitors should not miss!
Vietnam boasts an abundance of festivals, many of which are celebrated at national levels – International Women’s Day, Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival and Teacher’s Day are just a few examples of such national celebrations. Other Buddhist-related festivities may involve ceremonies to appease spirits who roam about. Many Vietnamese avoid direct eye contact as a sign of respect or deference so don’t be alarmed if they look away when speaking to you directly.
Indonesia
Indonesia, Asia’s largest archipelago, boasts an exciting blend of cultures and cuisines from across Asia. Its cuisine reflects this geographical and socio-economic diversity, with each region possessing signature dishes handed down through generations for preservation – in Sumatra you’ll be treated to the spicy-rich rendang; Java offers up fried rice dishes like the ever-favorite palutang; while Pontianak chicken of Kalimantan should not be overlooked!
Indonesia is a tropical country, so meals typically consist of rice and other staple foods like maize and potatoes. Vegetables like tumpeng (cone-shaped yellow rice) and kecombrang are consumed during feasts while winged bean or small variety bitter melon varieties are often either boiled, served raw, or processed into fermented dishes like urap, asinan betawi, and tempeh burger.
Urban environments make it easy to find affordable food sold by mobile hawkers known as pedagang kaki lima, who sell it on bicycles, food carts or stand under tents on street corners – often drawing customers by using distinctive calls, tunes or noises that they announce themselves with.
Even though most grocery products and restaurants meet food hygiene standards regulated by Badan Pengawasan Obat dan Makanan, that cannot be said of all warung traditional food stalls and street vendors. Therefore, to protect yourself against food poisoning while on vacation in Indonesia it is advised to drink bottled water and choose cooked hot meals over uncooked room temperature ones to reduce your chances.
Philippines
Philippine cuisine is an eclectic fusion of various ethnic influences and regional preferences, such as mountainous areas which tend to favor dishes with boiled vegetables, freshwater fish and insects.
Philippine street foods come skewered on sticks. A popular Filipino street food known as Kwek-kwek features hard-boiled quail eggs dipped into orange-dyed batter and deep fried, while Tokneneng uses chicken or duck eggs instead of hard boiled quail eggs for this snack. Balut is another traditional street food comprised of fertilized eggs with embryos contained within, which have been removed before boiling and being consumed usually with salt and vinegar as an appetizer or main course dish.
Other savory snacks include okoy (also pronounced ukoy), which consists of batter-coated shrimp with vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, cassava root, mung beans and shredded pumpkin. It is often enjoyed dipped into a mixture of chilli powder and vinegar for maximum enjoyment.
Street vendors also sell more substantial dishes, like the national favorite Adobo (a stew of pork or beef cooked with soy sauce, garlic and bay leaves) and Lechon (roasted pork), both popular festive meals in the Philippines. For an exotic twist try Romblon island’s Sarsa Na Uyang which features large freshwater shrimp in spicy red chili pepper sauce or Tinola’s classic chicken and vegetable soup made of ginger garlic chayote chili leaves – two classic Filipino meals.
Cambodia
Though sometimes underestimated and misunderstood, Cambodian cuisine is one of Southeast Asia’s most complex and exquisite culinary traditions. Like its neighbors in Thailand or Vietnam, Cambodian food strikes an exquisite balance between sweet, salty, sour, bitter notes – though less fiery. Rice remains the staple food and Cambodia boasts some of the largest wetland areas to provide ample supply. Khmers also use various root vegetables, herbs like sawleaf coriander and Asian basil leaves, exotic fruits as ingredients in their dishes.
Most meals feature some form of protein, with Tonle Sap (a vast freshwater lake), fish from this body of water, beef, pork and chicken being popular choices. More adventurous diners will discover plenty of insects available to try, from fried tarantulas and scorpions to cooked snake.
Vegetables play an integral part in Cambodian dining, and there are many varieties used throughout the year. Winter melons, squash, eggplant, bok choy and cabbage are among the more widely consumed vegetables; local favorites include jicama, kuy fruit romduol pineapple are also frequently seen on menus. Dishes may be enhanced further with herbs like kaffir lime leaves as well as spices like garlic chili peppers lemongrass turmeric etc – and breads and pastries from French colonialism often seep through; although rice remains the staple food used; other starches used include manioc taro and sweet potatoes.
Laos
Laos is a landlocked nation situated between China to its northwest, Myanmar to its northeast, Thailand to its south, Vietnam to its east and west and Vientiane as its capital city. Laos boasts a strong culture with rich oral traditions of folklore such as ghost stories, place legends and trickster tales making up part of its folklore heritage.
Lao cuisine varies considerably by region, yet is often distinguished by the use of herbs and chilies in its preparation. Many foods possess sour flavors while some dishes can even be bitter; in this cuisine steamed rice and other glutinous products are popularly featured as staples.
Thai cuisine is well known for its delectable noodle soups, such as khao piak sen. This thick and chewy noodle dish made with pork or chicken meatballs, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic cloves, coriander leaves and bean sprouts is served alongside various dipping sauces such as smoked aubergine (djeo mak kua), medium spice tomato or thick chilli paste known as kang phi.
The majority of Thailand is Theravada Buddhist, yet there is considerable syncretism with animist traditions. Many of these practices are celebrated during festivals like Loy Krathong when small banana-leaf floats are released into rivers to transport away negative feelings and spirits.