Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market

Chiang Mai, 7/3/11

Yasmine is a soft spoken cute German with bleached blonde hair striped with streaks of black. If she weren't so darn pretty, her hair could potential attract skunk suitors. She wears all black and grey, including a tight black top equally skinny grey acid-washed jeans, plus heavy mascara. Her demeanor, clothes, and coif say rebellious gothic punk, yet they belie her true love of stuffed animals and all things pink which I quickly learn when we tour Chiang Mai's Sunday night market together.

We spend the evening eating our way through the endless market, which runs for ten blocks through the central quarter of Chiang Mai. Holy temple sites are now surrounded by street vendors rolling pork balls by hand and selling noodle soup.

Truck o' durian

Yasmine wants dessert first so we head to one vendor selling bananas wrapped in pancakes covered in chocolate, nuts, and coconut. A big sign boasts that they came up with the original recipe and condemns copycats. But I'm not sure if one can truly patent a banana wrapped in a flapjack.

Throughout the night, we consume: Summer rolls stuffed with poached shrimp, soft buns stuffed with roasted pork and hard-boiled eggs, fresh passion fruit juice, coconut water, pork and shrimp dumplings, small peanut and coconut skewers wrapped in banana leaves, taro cookies, and mini banana pies.

Omelets in banana leaves

Cookies

Som tom and rice paper roll stand

Making rice paper rolls

Rice paper rolls

Fresh juices

Hot buns

Mangosteen