BBQs

The past two days have taught me a great deal about indoor barbequing-not something you'd think would be so important in such a temperate climate but apparently it's quit a celebrated custom. Firstly on Wednesday night at the bar Lek and Nataing produced a griddled hot plate and a plastic box of marinated steaks and cooked us all steak in the middle of the bar alongside it were giant chillis, tomatoes and pineapple.
Yesterday Christian and his girlfriend took us to a bbq restaurant, You get brought a big bucket (looks like a giant flowerpot) full of charcoal and a metal plate that looks like a hat to sit on top of it. You get a kettle of broth which you pour into the brim of the hat and then you go to the buffett section of the restaurant and choose from all different marinated meats, huge prawns and squid. You also get a basket of vegetables together and some bowls of sauces and noodles and fried rice. There are loads of other things too-tofus/bean curds meat substitutes that we just don't have.
Back at the table you use chop sticks to put your mean on the top of the hat to cook and break up vegetables and cook them in the broth. We were very well looked after and shown what to do otherwise it would've been really hard. The Thai's seemed quite pleased that we didn't have anything simillar in England.
We ate for about 2 hours. You can keep going back for mopre bits and there's even a big griddle in the middle where you can cook whole fish and kebabs. Thai people have an amazing stamina for eating-Kim you'd be impressed. Afterwards there was ice cream and we sat around discussing each others fatness which is not only acceptable but almost obligatory even though no one has any extra weight on them!
It was a really lovely experience and I was amazed that whatever you eat you pay a small flat fee for the meal and they even bring you charcoal top-ups to enable you to keep going.
Hope you enjoy this random news. Love Jo xxx

 

The bbq restaurant, 

                                                         The bbq itself.

                                                     The electric bbq in the bar.