This is a bit of a throwback post that I wanted to write when in Thailand, but after getting sidetracked was put on the back burner for a while. Either way, sorry for the delay but enjoy the bug eating sneak peak window into this awesome market!
The Jatujak or Chatuchak weekend market is sprawling massive marketplace well within the reaches of the core of Bangkok. We spent a day roaming, petting, playing, tasting, and eating all around this place. This was probably one of the better ways we really dove into the local feel.
The most interesting of our experiences was the delving into local bug snacks.
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| Bug Snack Stand |
We didn’t know what to try so asked if we could get a grab bag – he sold us a full sampling for 20 baht but said the big guys (pictured below) were extra.
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| Maeng Da |
We decided to just stick to the grab bag – as the ‘Maeng Da’ were about 3-4″ long with solid girth. We weren’t even sure how to eat them even if we did get them.
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| Non Pai – Bamboo Worm |
Non Pai tasted basically like these, probably with a bit more protein:
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| Non Mai – Wood Worm |
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| Jing Leed – Cricket |
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| Tak Ga Tan – Grasshopper |
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| Grab Bag of Bugs |
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| Closeup! |
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| Non Mai |
Apologies for the dark picture, there is a better one of the basket above. These had a little more substance than Non Pai but we were still in the worm world, so pretty easy to eat. Not too crunchy, little bit of goo here.
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| Jing Leed |
Starting to get crunchy – I would loosely think of softshell crab with a bit of that fingernail type consistency but a little more tender.
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| Tak Ga Tan |
These are not small, and most who are enjoying these would have wanted to take two bites. Crunchy, honestly a bit more tasty than the Jing Leed but with a similar consistency.
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| Jing Leed (slightly bigger ones) |
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| Fried squid |
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| Marinated squid eggs – 50 baht |
These squid eggs were super delicious. and the spicy sauce that came along with them was fantastic – for just over $1 at the the exchange rates at that time it was a great taste to value ratio.
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| Fried Quail Eggs |
Quail eggs in all forms were fairly rampant throughout all the food markets we went to.
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| Random Fried Foods |
Then there were a couple things that were a bit borderline and not well defined.
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| Unclear if these turtles were in the pet or food section. |
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| Live Bugs |
The bugs could have either been pets, bait, food for pets, food for humans, or food for things that would eventually be eaten by humans.
If you are ever in Bangkok on the weekend, check out this place. It is hands down the coolest marketplace I’ve ever been to.
