If you’re a fan of Korean and Japanese cuisine, but you find yourself in Bangkok, Thailand: you’re in luck! For whatever reason, there’s a ton of Korean and Japanese restaurants there. So if your home country is in closer proximity to Thailand than either Korea and Japan, I reckon going to Bangkok for you is a good enough substitute - food wise. It’s probably cheaper, too (in the non wagyu category).
One of my evenings in Bangkok I was in the Thonglor district. A hip and trendy area for you night life party enthusiasts. As I was walking on the main thoroughfare towards the bar where my friend is having his post-wedding party, I noticed an endless parade of Japanese restaurants. There was at least one on every block. I adore sushi (raw fish on a thing of rice) as much as the next person, but this many Japanese restaurants in such a tiny area seems highly excessive for a place that isn’t Japan.
Good news for people like me, though. I’m not all that enamored with Thai food, so having other Asian options so readily available is a plus. Every morning in Bangkok I ate two 7-Eleven onigiris to start my day. You may think that’s crazy: going all the way to Thailand just to eat convenience store snacks, but I don’t think so. The 7-Elevens in the States do not sell onigiri (never mind the seedy and dangerous reputation). So whenever I am in Asia, I can’t get enough of those things.
Word on the street is that will be changing: American 7-Eleven is trying become more like the super awesome version they have in Japan. There’s a 7-Eleven less than a mile from where I live, so we shall see.
How fresh is it though…