Protein fix post-gym in Thailand - Cheap and delicious
I have mentioned in the past that it can be quite problematic to obtain all the protein that someone who is attempting to build muscle can be in Asia. The meals here are almost entirely centered around having a very low amount of protein and focusing instead of curries and of course rice.
I love Thai food and eat it frequently, but desire to obtain around 150 grams of protein per day. This can be problematic... unless you find one of these places (and they are all over the place)
There is a place that is on the way home from my gym and it is my "go-to" for loading up on protein on the sofa at home. I have no idea how much protein is in one of these, but since it is entirely meat, I would imagine a lot.
The concept is simple: The shop has a bunch of "snacks on a stick" sitting on ice in the front and you take as many of them as you want, put them in a basket, and hand the basket to the attendant. The cook them on the grill right in front of you so there is no question of cleanliness for anyone that worries about this kind of this.
The reason why you cant see any of the fatty pork sticks in the picture is because I took all of them (they have more in the back, I am not greedy) and i round things out with some mushroom sticks too. I get 24 sticks in total every night that I go to the gym at night (I prefer the afternoon because no one is there, but whatever!)
Despite the fact that this place is already incredibly low-priced, they also have a "get 2 free with the purchase of 10" policy. This makes it much easier for me to decide how many I am going to get. ONE WORD OF WARNING: The default flavoring is "melt your face off spicy" by western standards, so be sure to tell them you don't want that if you can't handle it.... after more than 10 years of living here I can't handle it, so you might be even less capable.
For me it is the perfect end to an evening and a well-deserved reward that I don't have to feel guilty about eating normally right before I go to bed.
The total price for a massive bag of 24 of these things cost me 100 Baht (right around $3.) I love the taste and based on my chosen diet, it is something I can snack on without even a tinge of guilt.
I didn't indicate the location of this stand intentionally, because there is nothing unique about this particular place other than the fact that it is on my way home from the gym. If you see a bunch of meats on sticks pretty much anywhere in this country - it is the same thing. Have a go! It is only a few dollars afterall.... just look out for the default spice.
I was going to say you made me hungry, I'm before breakfast. But reading the end of the post made me realize it's not really for me. I don't like very spicy and hot food, not even allowed to eat any (doctor's order) and I know Thai food is spicy and hot as well.
I was in a brand new Thai restaurant in The Hague and ordered something (I can't remember what it was) that tasted like eating hot pepper or chilly although the menu said nothing about the dish being hot.
this can be a real issue with spicy food because it is a matter of perspective. What i consider to be spicy a Thai person would probably think is about as spicy as milk. However, a dish I consider to be inedible spicy a Thai person would probably laugh at.
I am surprised that this notion would carry over to the West though.
I've learned my lesson that day and always careful when ordering oriental food but even though, you can't avoid it.
That is pretty awesome that they have places like this all over. It kind of reminds me of some of the Mongolian BBQ places like we have over here. Those have more than just meat though. I think we are going to one next week. I am going to have to be sure to take some pictures!