I only went for Thai food in Leicester once. It was a place on the London Road a few years back and I don’t remember much about it other than it tasting nice and costing the best part of a tenner.

Having now eaten several times in Thailand, I can safely say that if the natives ever find out how much their cuisine costs abroad, they will rise up as one and demand some sort of commission while pounding their fists and gnashing their teeth.

The food here is stunningly delicious and even better, staggeringly cheap. You can eat a banquet’s worth of freshly-cooked delights for 150 bhat (the rough equivalent of 2 quid), including an ice cold beer. Conversely, a plate of Phad Thai in Leicester will set you back about £7.50, which in Thai money is probably a week’s wages. Ouch.

Should I ever eat Thai food in the UK again I will have little choice but to bore my eating companions senseless by carping on about how the Penang curry I had in Pai cost me 30p  and how the glass noodle salad that went with it set me back about 15p. At that
point I will have either made them see the error of their expensive ways or I’ll be asked to leave the restaurant and punched by a waiter for being so smug. Either way, I have seen the light.

As for the rest of my travels, I have so far had a live tiger’s head in my lap (courtesy of some
feline-friendly monks outside Bangkok), sampled the famous Bangkok nightlife, visited the bridge over the River Kwai, rode the train through stunning countryside and avoided as many smelly hippies as possible. So far I’ve succeeded, but I have one week left in this country so anything could happen. I’ll just have to keep my deodorant close to me at all
times.

What’s your thoughts on Jimmy excursions? Is Thailand a paupers paradise? Is Thai food really that bad in the UK ? Hit comment... 

Picture: Kustomculture

James Gate, MyVillage, 30th October