My Very first Meal

My Very First Meal- Chok โจ๊ก

Straight off the plane I knew I wanted to eat my first meal in Thailand from a street vendor and I wanted to eat it right away. After getting to my hotel and settling in I walked right out the door and found myself something that I had heard about for years: a ricey porridge that comes with practically everything but bones. They give you the food in a bowl if you choose to stay or in small plastic bags with rubber bands if you want take-out. In one bag they gave me the rice porridge or in Thailand known as Chok. It is rice that is slow cooked for hours to resemble something like grits. They put liver, blood pudding, pork pieces, intestines and a partially cooked egg in it. Then chopped spring onions are usually added, and the dish is optionally topped with fried garlic, slivered ginger, and spicy pickles such as pickled radish. All of these things come in a separate bag. The dish also comes with a hot red chili sauce and vinegar with little green Thai chili’s soaked in it. Then it’s up to you how you mix it and how hot you want it to be. I took it back to my hotel room to eat because I still couldn’t figure out how to explain eat here or take home. Pointing seems to work for that too. When I got back to my room I could not wait to taste all the things that I had just gotten. This dish is so simple yet so amazing! The tastes are so complex. The rice was so warm and smooth, and the egg gave it a certain richness that only an egg could. Then when you add all the spices, which make the meal something completely different, you get all warm and cozy from the spiciness of the peppers and the heat of the rice. The liver is also so tasty.  This meal is a heavy meal and definitely good for the working population of Thailand. They eat this meal for breakfast to fill them up and get them ready for the workday. Chok is a meal that I eat as a staple to my Thai diet. It gets you going in the morning and makes you feel great for the entire day.