Humbled by the cuisine. . .

Yesterday was a day filled with food highs and lows:

First, I decided to be my own personal, completely reject Thai culture, and only order two fried eggs for breakfast. It only took 5 minutes (4 minutes longer than expected), but it was a decision that lasted hours, mainly in the form of stomach discomfort.

Next, I re-embraced the culture by trying a Thai delicacy for dinner, thanks to the advice (and ordering assistance) of our TAs here. The delicacy: duck beak. The verdict: delicious.

This high was not to last as I sipped some soup near the end of the meal and ended up with a pepper stuck to the back of my throat. Of course I was already sweating from the climate and the first few dishes, but this actually brought me to tears. Lucky for everyone but me, Angela was there to catch it on camera. The picture just might make it on the blog in the future.

The dinner was then salvaged by the first ripe mangoes of the trip accompanied by sticky rice.

My best guess is that Thailand earned the name "The Land of Smiles" from all of the Thais laughing at foreigners trying to eat the dishes. And to think, they wouldn't even give me a discount for providing entertainment at the restaurant.