my collection of street food — I ate every single one of them — and these are only a tiny portion of photos I have / food I’ve eaten
The one thing that excites me about other countries is street food. It’s a fun and delicious way to experience a country’s culture. Asia is a mecca for street food where it is a way of life. My first memory of street food was a chocolate popsicle skewer of fish balls being deep fried in a giant wok when I was 6, bought behind my mom’s (paranoid-about-food-cleanliness) eyes during a trip to China (we never got Christmas presents but went to trips instead). She still forbids us to eat from the streets up to this day. But that has never stopped us 
What is the allure of it, you may ask? Well, they’re transportable, portable, extremely cheap, ready-to-eat, totally exotic, and they’re very convenient. One of the best places for such is Thailand. There are three Thai places in Atlanta that are known for serving street food. Of all, my favorite is Thaicoon. They have this special menu on Sundays that showcase, yep, street food.
been here many times– my fave Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, taken ’09 (no one would ever tell you this: keep your mouth shut while traversing these waters…and get a hepa shot if you plan to eat street food)
The Boat Noodle Soup is very popular Thai comfort food. It was made famous by the vendors on boats, who, up to this day, roam up and down rivers peddling hot, ready-to-assemble soups. Resembling pho but with a more heady broth, the boat noodle soup makes for a great first course or as an accompaniment to a meal. The homemade broth here is the best I’ve had in Atlanta. It is rich, both sweet and tangy, savory, and with the slightest hint of anise. A good amount of rice noodles swim in the broth and topped with cilantro and generous slices of tasty roast pork. It’s comforting. And hearty.
Deep-fried Pork. Did you hear me? Deep. Fried. Pork. Belly. With rind. Crispy and tender at the same time. The layers of texture are unbelievable: crunchy then tender then soft as you bite and your teeth clench together. OMG. Served atop jasmine rice. With either stir-fried kale. Or basil. Get either one. They’re equally delicious.
The Papaya Salad packs plenty of punch and crunch. Green papayas, cucumbers, and carrots are julienned into thin, long pieces then mixed in with tomato slices, dried shrimp, and peanuts. The spicy, salty-tangy vinaigrette dressing is perfectly balanced. Served with a wedge of cabbage, take a leaf and top it with the salad. Bite. Repeat. This is a fantastic salad that’s very common in Thailand.
The BBQ Chicken is another fantastic option. The grilled quarter chicken is marinated well then basted in a sweet-tangy Thai bbq sauce. It is flavorful all the way through. The side of sticky rice adds texture and a sweetish flavor to the entire dish. It’s finger-lickin’ good.
Pan-fried Mussels. You see pan-fried calamari on thousands of menus. But never mussels. It’s a better option I think. The mussels are cut into halves, lightly battered, then pan-fried. I love that there isn’t the chewy factor here that calamari has. Eggs, sprouts, scallions, cilantro, and a side of Thai sweet-tangy sauce makes this savory dish unbelievably good.
There you have it, folks. Get there and sample great street food. On Sundays. You can thank me later
Thaicoon & Sushi Bar
1799 Briarcliff Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 817-9805
Technorati Tags: Thai, Emory, Druid Hills, street food
