Thai people often say, “If you don’t know what to eat, have pad kra pao pork.”
After living in Thailand for a while, I’ve picked up the same habit. When I can’t decide what to eat, I go for pad kra pao pork, much as I would choose braised pork rice or minced pork rice in Taiwan. But the 7-Eleven pork version doesn’t come with an egg, so I usually buy the chicken one instead. I’ve been eating it for years, and the flavor hasn’t changed.
A note I often find myself repeating: kra pao is holy basil, a type of basil, not the Thai basil known in Taiwan as jiucengta.
When you’re out and about, finding a restaurant that looks appetizing isn’t always easy. Sometimes my minimum requirement is simply somewhere clean where the food won’t upset my stomach. That’s when finding something to eat at 7-Eleven becomes a useful skill. Trying the different options is a bit like unlocking a skill tree in a game, and once the food is on a plate, it actually looks pretty good.
If I had to name a drawback, the heat level can occasionally be a little inconsistent, though it doesn’t happen often. If you’re used to Taiwanese lunchboxes, you may find it quite spicy, so try a small taste first.
