2025-07-07, 08:02 AM - Word count:
What is this smell?
Sandro wandered through the streets of Bangkok after training determined to get to know his new home. He’d been watching social media clips and had basically learned two lessons about Bangkok: the beautiful women may or may not come with an extra surprise, and that the street food is world class.
In his time in Sydney, Sandro had stuck mostly to what he knew best from his childhood in Brazil, Outback Steakhouse. While he was unable to find one in Australia, he kept to the same menu of grilled shrimp, steaks, brown bread, salads, and steamed vegetables. Basically the best he could hope for while in such a different food environment from his home in Natal. He was shocked when no restaurants in Sydney had Bloomin‘ Onions on the menu. However, since there exists no Outback Steakhouse equivalent in Bangkok, Sandro realized that he would need to branch out or starve to death.
On the street, the food passed the smell test. He began to notice similarities to other foods from back home. Actual Brazilian foods. First, he stopped at a vendor in a stall grilling pork skewers. The prices were somehow even lower than back home in Brazil. Sandro was given rice with his skewers, and realized that this could be something he’d eat at a restaurant in Brazil, all it was missing was the farofa and vinaigrette. He scarfed it down quickly and continued on his way back to his apartment.
It wasn’t long before a new smell entered the air that he just had to check out. Another smell that registered memories of his childhood. One he could recognize anywhere. Fried Bananas. He quickly got one from the vendor and continued his walk home as he stuffed his face with the sweet snack that he’d missed so much since he left home. You never really appreciate such simple foods until they’re out of your life for a year like his past year in Sydney.
The smell of coconut intrigued him and he went to check out another stall before the vendor warned him that Thai curry was very spicy and scared him off immediately. He wasn’t done though, as he knew that he still had enough room for something else. So far it had just been snacks, but he wanted a proper lunch that he could take with him and eat at home. That’s when he saw it. Illuminated in faded neon like Dirk Diggler’s name from Boogie Nights, the Pad Thai vendor. The smell filled his nostrils from across the street and he picked his way through the bustling motorbike traffic to the vendor.
He was just down the block from his apartment now, back in his neighborhood that housed many foreigners that live in the city. Sure enough, this is where he found the Thai dish that had entranced so many people of other nationalities around the world. He got a chicken and shrimp combination Pad Thai without any added spice and jogged home so that he could get it on a plate before it got cold. Through the marble lobby and up the elevator to the penthouse. Sandro spilled out of his private elevator into his apartment overlooking the endless city sprawl and grabbed a plate and fork. Threw the pad Thai on and headed out to the pool deck where he’d enjoy his first taste of Pad Thai in the Bangkok midday sun.
He was hooked.
He knew he was going to have to go on longer runs, put in a little extra effort in training, or he would be overcome by the Pad Thai weight gain. This was his new favorite meal, and he was going to be eating it a lot.
Graças a Deus pelo Pad Thai.
Sandro wandered through the streets of Bangkok after training determined to get to know his new home. He’d been watching social media clips and had basically learned two lessons about Bangkok: the beautiful women may or may not come with an extra surprise, and that the street food is world class.
In his time in Sydney, Sandro had stuck mostly to what he knew best from his childhood in Brazil, Outback Steakhouse. While he was unable to find one in Australia, he kept to the same menu of grilled shrimp, steaks, brown bread, salads, and steamed vegetables. Basically the best he could hope for while in such a different food environment from his home in Natal. He was shocked when no restaurants in Sydney had Bloomin‘ Onions on the menu. However, since there exists no Outback Steakhouse equivalent in Bangkok, Sandro realized that he would need to branch out or starve to death.
On the street, the food passed the smell test. He began to notice similarities to other foods from back home. Actual Brazilian foods. First, he stopped at a vendor in a stall grilling pork skewers. The prices were somehow even lower than back home in Brazil. Sandro was given rice with his skewers, and realized that this could be something he’d eat at a restaurant in Brazil, all it was missing was the farofa and vinaigrette. He scarfed it down quickly and continued on his way back to his apartment.
It wasn’t long before a new smell entered the air that he just had to check out. Another smell that registered memories of his childhood. One he could recognize anywhere. Fried Bananas. He quickly got one from the vendor and continued his walk home as he stuffed his face with the sweet snack that he’d missed so much since he left home. You never really appreciate such simple foods until they’re out of your life for a year like his past year in Sydney.
The smell of coconut intrigued him and he went to check out another stall before the vendor warned him that Thai curry was very spicy and scared him off immediately. He wasn’t done though, as he knew that he still had enough room for something else. So far it had just been snacks, but he wanted a proper lunch that he could take with him and eat at home. That’s when he saw it. Illuminated in faded neon like Dirk Diggler’s name from Boogie Nights, the Pad Thai vendor. The smell filled his nostrils from across the street and he picked his way through the bustling motorbike traffic to the vendor.
He was just down the block from his apartment now, back in his neighborhood that housed many foreigners that live in the city. Sure enough, this is where he found the Thai dish that had entranced so many people of other nationalities around the world. He got a chicken and shrimp combination Pad Thai without any added spice and jogged home so that he could get it on a plate before it got cold. Through the marble lobby and up the elevator to the penthouse. Sandro spilled out of his private elevator into his apartment overlooking the endless city sprawl and grabbed a plate and fork. Threw the pad Thai on and headed out to the pool deck where he’d enjoy his first taste of Pad Thai in the Bangkok midday sun.
He was hooked.
He knew he was going to have to go on longer runs, put in a little extra effort in training, or he would be overcome by the Pad Thai weight gain. This was his new favorite meal, and he was going to be eating it a lot.
Graças a Deus pelo Pad Thai.
![[Image: C75197-D1-9-E74-4-DC5-836-E-981-D75-A96413.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/nc8qJ0Nf/C75197-D1-9-E74-4-DC5-836-E-981-D75-A96413.png)
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