Isan Food

Isan food is mixture of the Lao and Thai cuisines, but it has taken something from both. Very typical is the use of sticky rice that accompanies almost every meal rather than plain rice.

Popular dishes include tammakhung, or in central Thailand, som tam (papaya salad), which is eaten at least once a day, larb (meat salad) and gai yang (grilled chicken).







Food market in Sangkha







Grasshoppers


Many people in Isan eat a wide variety of creatures, such as lizards, frogs and fried insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, silkworms and beetles.

Building in the village

Earlier, construction materials were obtained from village´s natural environment, and they had to meet the requirements of the local conditions.

In Thailand, houses have been built of teak or similar oily wood, because termites, ants and other insects quickly destroy the soft wood. The roof was made of grass, as it is cool in the hot season; grass roofs are still used in many local workshops, such as forges.

The construction of a wooden house was one of the skills possessed by men of the village. In the past, all the son-in-laws had to build to his wife a house , it was proof of husband capacity. In the dry season, there was time for construction.

At the beginning of construction work, an offer was made to the phii of the compound, the supernatural guardian of the place, where the new family came to live, and the souls of ancestors were also invited to protect their parents in the new housing.

Nowadays, professional builders are needed: masons, carpenters and installers. Houses in villages, too, are equipped with opening windows, electricity and water pipes.

Before


Building















After.....coming later

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Buses

The bus service in Thailand is very broad. You can get to most destinations by bus or by Song Taew (a city bus).

There are different "classes" on a bus in Thailand from the economy to VIP bus service. There are bus terminals in all cities on major routes in Thailand.

Surin bus terminal


You can find buses many different flavors. Local buses are very cheap and are suitable for travel between the near cities.


They are uncomfortable and not air conditioned. They also respond to the Thai people who are generally shorter than westerners. Falangs should not expect too much room for legs. If you travel further, then get an air-conditioned bus or VIP - they usually have comfortable seats, a toilet and drinks and snacks available. Thaibus timetables

Farmer Life in Isan Village

Earlier hand harvesting was the only way in Isaan villages. Nowadays harvesting machines have become for great help. This machine is an old model and many people are still needed for manual work.

The big harvesting machine are already used in some villages and they have to be the thing of the future.

Many farmers do harvesting themselves with their families or friends and neighbours . After they have worked their fields, they go and help the neighbours to harvest.

House of Spirits

House of Spirits in Isan village



The view inside of house






After the offer women asks good luck from the spirits

Buffalo

Earlier buffalos were very important for thai farmers in their work. Nowadays machines make same work buffalos before.



Buffalo or ploughing machine?

Forty years ago, most villagers were against the ploughing machine and swore that the buffalo would never disappear from Thai villages. For 3000 years, it had been a part of rice farming, Thai culture, and it could not disappear unless Thai culture disappeared. However, events proved otherwise. The buffalo, as well as the zebu, have entirely disappeared from plains villages. The water buffalo is becoming an endangered species.

The buffalo was habituated to the existence that followed seasonal changes. In the dry season, buffalo were kept on the fields, grazing on rice stubble and grass growing on the dams. In the rainy season, when rice was growing, the buffalo had to be herded elsewhere, and it was work allocated to children. They had time for it, as there were no schools, and even later on, their school attendance was not considered to be important.

The buffalo is an undemanding animal, eating whatever nutrition was available in the environs of the village. In the dry season, the buffalo was satisfied with rice straw that would otherwise have been unused. Buffalo and zebu dung was used in seedbeds, fields and vegetable patches. Many of the informants pointed out that the buffalo fertilized the field even during ploughing, and in the water the dung was well mixed in the soil. Buffalo dung also harboured insects that were a local delicacy. By Matti Sarmela

Isaan food

Isaan food for spirits

Pictures of Surin

Homevillage

Pictures of homevillage

Pictures of Ubon Ratchathani

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TukTuk ride

TukTuk ride in Surin

TukTuk ride

In Isaan rice harvesting has started and is just now making every people in villages very busy as you can see in video...

Building

Next visit in home village will be little easier, pictures will tell why.



I think toilet builders have much work in Isaan villages...