Street Food at Bann Ton Tan Riverside Market, Thailand
One fine morning earlier this month, I found myself on the banks of Pasak River, a little north of Bangkok in Thailand at Sao Hai District in Saraburi province. We were here to explore the Sunday floating market and given the images of the more popular floating market, we expected the boats on river selling all the colorful fruits and vegetables of Thailand. We reached and found a market on the riverside – I was a bit disappointed and thought of all those missed photo opportunities, but this was just for a moment before I started exploring Ton Tan market.
There were no other tourists at this Sunday market except our small group of travel bloggers. We all started walking at our own pace, stopping where we wanted, trying to make a conversation where possible and trying to understand the local way of life. Asian markets of any kind are always colorful and hence enchanting. Bann Ton Tan market at Sao Hai is primarily dominated by food. It is like one big Sunday party place where families and groups of friends come to eat by the riverside. I was amazed by the variety of fresh food being served at this market including the whole lot of fresh fruits of all kinds. I ended up discovering quite a few new fruits and new ways to consume the old ones.
Ton Tan Market: Colorful Sweets, Fruits & Garments
Lot of fried / baked / roasted food was being prepared right in front of us. I noticed the women were running most of these shops – as if they decided to cook for a larger audience today instead of just cooking for their families only. They chatted with each other as they cooked; they chatted with the customers as they transacted and smiled at us when language was a barrier. They were all very graceful and made me taste everything that I potentially could. When I started walking around the market I was not too sure if I would find any vegetarian stuff to eat but by the end of my walk I was full by just tasting the options available.
My verdict is Thai people like to eat a lot of sweet, you can find sugar or rather palm sugar is all their snacks but they also eat lot of fresh fruits. There were lots of salads – almost in a Do It Yourself fashion; you could choose what you want to eat with the dip of your choice. Sweets were as colorful as they can get. At one place I saw sticky rice in 5-6 different bright colors stuffed in the raw jackfruit pieces. At other place I saw boiled pumpkin stuffed with sweet inside. There were sweets shaped as pink flowers that looks too good to put it in your mouth and spoil.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJh73ztKZc?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]
Presentation of the food became my point of exploration after I walked a few steps. There were pumpkins filled with a savory, there were cones of sweets and there were lovely drinks being served out of clay pots. Fruits, fruit juices and a combination of the two created an mélange of colors in transparent plastic glasses. Boiled vegetables, especially the parts of Bamboo and Banana plant seem to be quite popular. At one place I saw the eggs that looked like fake imitation of the real eggs but I was told these are real eggs that have been hardened using salt to preserve them for longer duration. Sugarcane could be seen everywhere and it seems like the favorite offering for the deities. Bamboo steaming technique was used for cooking many dishes. Sweet corn and sweet potato was available as roasted or boiled or as a part of ingredient in a bigger dish. Lots of grains were being roasted on a Tawa for making a Chikki like preparation. Imagine having a Chikki custom made for yourself right in front of your eyes.
The cherry on the cake at Bann Ton Tan market was the small sheds by the river that could be reached through fragile bamboo bridges. This is the place where families were sitting around with all the food their bought in the market – kept in a small cane round basket like table and enjoying their Sunday. One such shelter had may be 20 odd places for the people to sit and eat and you must take your shoes off before you step into these places. Shaded from harsh sun, with Pasak River flowing quietly by the side, this was the perfect way to spend Sunday with family. Boats were parked at the banks of the river. I tried conversing with few people, they all had a warm welcome smile on their faces and that was the language that would work between us. Little children posed for the camera, the younger ones wanted to connect and the old ones wondered what we are doing in their idyllic village.
In another bamboo shelter, a make shift massage parlor was operating. Mats were arranged on the floor and some people were enjoying their Sunday with a relaxing massage. At a central point there was a wall with lots of colorful flowers and everyone was busy taking selfies here. I could not read what was written there but in my mind this was the ‘Selfie Point’ of the Bann Ton Tan Market. I also clicked a selfie and proceeded to explore some garment shops that were selling garments made of coarse hand woven cotton. Toyshops with simple toys made of palm leaves, bamboo or paper were a riot of colors. At another crossroad in the market stood the traditional spirit house that you see outside houses throughout Thailand. Folded flowers spoke of the dexterity of fingers of Lanna or Tai Yuan people of this region of Thailand.
Spending an hour and a half at Bann Ton Tan market, just wandering around and observing people as they managed their shops or as they shopped to enjoy their Sunday was such a relaxing experience. There was no hard selling, the display at shops did that well. There was no rush, no running around. The aura of relaxed life of hinterlands dominated the riverside. This is how the world used to be, before industrialization took us towards a more mechanical life.
Who are these Tai Yuan people? Wait for the next post on Thailand where I will talk about this very interesting community of Thai people.
Recommend you to read following Thailand Tourist attractions on my travel blog.
- Hua Hin – An elitist beach town .
- Pranburi Forest Park, Thailand .
- Grand Palace Bangkok – Photo Essay .
- Bangkok Nightlife – 8 Things to Explore .
- Ratchaprasong Walk – Hindu Deities in Heart of Bangkok .
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