It was the sunny month of June 2015 while I was having my summer break when I came looking for an internship opportunity in Thailand. Locals say that Thailand has only three seasons- hot, hotter and hottest! It’s true because Thailand is hot year-round but extremely hot from April onwards and during June, the weather gets hot and rainy!

I prepared my resume and started to contact local companies that might offer an internship opportunity to students looking for something to do besides melt in the hot sun. Luckily, I got an opportunity to work with Taste of Thailand Food Tours, as a Social Media intern.

 

Mainly my job is to take care of all social media platforms, including twitter, facebook, pinterest, and instagram, but I have also dabbled in website design and development, email marketing, blog and content writing,  and some graphic design.

I was really attracted to the idea of running food tours in Thailand. I had only known about typical travel agency operated tours but food tours were something new to me.  It’s great to be part of a business that not only helps to promote Thai food and culture to visitors (and locals!), but also keeps these tastes, sights and ideas alive through social media.  This way we can reach an even greater audience who may not be able to join us in person!

Here are some of my picks for food and culture in and around Bangkok:

1) What is your favorite Thai food?

I love Isaan food from the Northeast of Thailand, especially- LarbPed, LarbGai, Nam TokNuea, TomSaebNuea/Gai/Goong. And I am crazy for Som Tam! Here are my picks- Som Tam Boo Pla Ra, Som Tam Taeng, Som Tam Krathon, Som Tam Korat. My favorite Thai Salads are Yam Ma Mueang, Yam Kraton, YamPholamai andNoodle dishes such GuayTeowPed, Khanom Chin and Pad Thai.

2) What is your favorite place in Bangkok?

The night market around SAT, Rajamangala Stadium (Ramkhamhaeng) is my favorite one. It is definitely a food heaven. I love the Som Tam and Mashed potato shop there. I also love to visit Talad Rod Fai (Behind Seacon Square) and Asiatique, The riverfront. I visit SuanLuang Rama IX once in a year (November), when the weather is a bit cool here and the park is filled with colorful flowers.

3) What do you like to do when you are not working?

I love to travel around Bangkok. I am a busy person so I hardly travel outside Bangkok. You will typically find me in shopping malls, eating in food courts and roadside Isaan restaurants. I am a movie fanatic, so I love to watch latest movies in the local theater.

4) How do you help promote the street food culture of Bangkok?

I would love to build an app (web platform) where people can share their favorite restaurants, foods and recommend others to visit those places by uploading pictures, videos, and maps. It will start with Bangkok, and then perhaps move to other parts of Thailand. This kind of work requires a lot of research (both technical and foodie), but it will definitely be worth it to be able to share this great street food culture with others!