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Thursday, February 6, 2025

Dinner in Chiang Rai Was Disturbing, Too

Dining indoors at the Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House did not save me from becoming mosquito food

Last night in Northern Thailand and I wanted an authentically Northern Thai meal.  About a ten-minute walk from my hotel was the highly-rated Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House, so I decided to give it a try.


Of course this meant walking past the Blue Temple, where even the shuttlebuses parked just inside the gate at the end of the long day are blue.

But soon I arrived at my restaurant choice.


Outdoor dining was full.


So inside I went.  I figured the mosquitos would be less of a bother.  Less, perhaps, but still hungry and out for blood.  My blood.  I talked about the dining options with the waitress and how I like my food "spicy" but not Thai-level heat.  So I ordered a pork dish.  (Can't recall the name).  And, as an "appetizer," a ginger shot, made from ginger, lemon and honey.


The waitress tried to warn me, especially after I said that I didn't like my food too spicy, that this was very "hot."  I told her that I've never complained about ginger being too intense.  So I ordered.  It was ginger-hot and awesome, with the lemon cutting the ginger heat nicely.  I definitely want one of these next time I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.

The pork dish -- name escapes me -- was excellent, in a sweet and savory and sesame sauce.

EDITED TO ADD:  the name of the dish, in case you're ever in Chiang Rai, was Grilled Mala Chili Kurobuta Pork with Sticky Rice.


I am guessing the lettuce was there, sans salad dressing, to turn these into lettuce wraps.  So I did.  It was served with a side of sticky rice.  How "sticky" was the sticky rice?  Sticky enough that my bridge in the back of my mouth fell out.

It was the end of the meal.  The night before, I noticed a dentist's office that I thought was open fairly late for a dentist.  Funny that thought stuck with me.  I googled it.  It was open for another 45 minutes or so.  So I paid my bill and walked as fast as I could to the dentist to have my bridge re-glued into place.  An hour later, and 2500 baht later (about $80 U.S.) (not bad for emergency dental work that made the office stay open a half-hour later than it should), the bridge was back in place.  I was whole.


And I walked past the Blue Temple on the way back to the hotel.  My day ended at the local dentist.  My first medical emergency in all my years of international travel.  And it was a dental emergency.

4 comments:

  1. How fortunate that you noticed that office earlier, that it was open late, and that they would offer you treatment.

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    2. I know. It was weird that I made that mental note about dentist offices being opened late in Chiang Rai. Only problem: I didn't get to order dessert at the restaurant. And it had a bakery attached!

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  2. Interesting experience to say the least . Glad it worked out !

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