Happy ever after in the market place

Every night in Ban Phe, there is an evening market that sells food in a little covered area. On Mondays and Thursdays, the market expands, literally and figuratively, to encompass the surrounding land and sell clothing, shoes, perfume, housewares, and pirated movies.

When I'm not searching for rad new tee shirts or practical new belts, I generally visit the same few stalls.

This lovely lady is my Cha Nom Yen smoothie dealer:



She doesn't even ask what I want anymore, because though a rose apple smoothie does sound appealing, I can't think of anything else when I see that steaming, orange, caffeinated nectar waiting patiently in its pot to mingle with sweetened condensed milk and ice in a blender until it's all smooth and perfect.

And these two hook me up with vegetarian spring rolls. They're full of glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, egg, carrot, cabbage I think... probably other stuff too. Anyway they're divine.



And mango sticky rice, the food of the gods, is the first thing I bought (which is why I didn't get a picture of the goddess who provides it to me) and the last thing I ate, which is why it's the only food item of which I have a picture.



Sticky rice and fresh mango, drizzled in warm, sweet coconut milk.