For those of you that know me, you know how much I love Thailand. It is such an amazing place that I claim it as a second home. The people are friendly and respectful, the scenery is beyond beautiful, and the food...the food is indescribable! All of these reasons, in conjunction with many others, have earned Thailand the nickname of "The Land of Smiles". I got really excited when I learned that there was going to be a Thai festival in the DFW area! I'll take advantage of anything that close since it takes around 28 hours to actually get to Thailand!
The second annual Thai Festival was held in Dallas on this past Saturday and Sunday. It began with a parade around a Buddhist temple showing off some of the traditional Thai Buddhas, Muay Thai boxers, and traditionally dressed Thai women in full Thai silk garb. There were many food vendors who brought in many Thai delicacies that I have not been able to order from the restaurants around here. They also had several vendors selling Thai clothing (which I may have bought a few pieces of to wear when we have trunk shows), silver jewelry handmade by the hill tribes, and even specialty plants such as the kaffir lime tree.
My husband and I attended the festival and I was able to introduce him to many of the traditional Thai foods and culture. When in the mission field, it is so important to become familiar with the culture and traditions of the people you are building relationships with. Roughly 95% of Thai people practice Buddhism, about 4% are Islam, and 1% everything else. Christianity is lumped into this 1%. My prayer for Thailand is that God will soften their hearts and use us to be Jesus to them.
Scroll through the pictures below to see some of the traditional Thai dishes and yummy treats we tried! I'm a foodie at heart, so I tend to document events based on what I ate:)
The Thai Temple at the Buddhist Center in Dallas
Anyone out there watch Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern? Look who I found! Definitely go watch the Thai episode that was filmed in the DFW area!
Shopping
Thai meatballs (luk chene) my favorite!! Nueng and I used to hop on our motorbike and ride all the way across town to find the lady who made the best meatballs!
Starting at the top left and working clockwise: nam prik noom with roasted beef shank, sticky rice, and fried pork skins for dipping; traditional pad Thai; Thai sausage flavored with lemongrass and chilies; mango and sticky rice with a sweet coconut milk (kao neow mamuang); sweet sticky rice with banana and taro grilled in a banana leaf; pork dim sum dumplings.
Golden milk bubble tea and coconut corn
I hope you can join me next year at the Thai festival!