Tom Yum Soup

Since we arrived in Chiang Mai I have twice eaten Tom Yum soup that has left my forehead dripping with sweat, my nose drained, and Marina giggling from across the table. This is a very delicious soup with ginger, lemon grass, and Chillies. The first time I tried this in Thailand it was at a market near our hotel with booths set up. There were mostly locals eating in this area. I made the mistake of not ordering rice and from the first bite I could tell this was a hot dish. About halfway through the dish the owner of the booth graciously offered me some rice and I gladly accepted. After this experience, having really enjoyed the spicy soup, I decided to eat this dish at a restaurant serving western and Thai food and ordered rice to start with. To start off with this seemed to be a much more tolerable heat, but by the end I had a similar result to the first bowl. Perhaps this dish is meant to be eaten as a family style dish or with beer instead of hot green tea. Marina and I also joked that maybe I could order Tom Yum soup again with three or four orders of rice. This is very yummy soup I look forward to making it a home with just a touch less spice.