“Super Thai!” A snack shop where all the utensils are made of coconut

Text and photos byXiaosheng

Chom Thong (宗通), a small village under Doi Inthanon National Park, may just be a stopover point, but the town offers many authentic local snacks. Though not the most exquisite in taste, they are full of warmth and hospitality.


The Thai snack introduced by Xiaosheng this time is located in Chom Thong (宗通) town, about 60 kilometers south of Chiang Mai Province in Thailand. This town isn’t very well-known, but the nearby Doi Inthanon National Park is quite famous — it’s home to Thailand’s highest mountain and is a renowned tourist destination. Chom Thong is a small village situated below Doi Inthanon National Park. Thanks to its convenient location, I chose to stay here during both of my visits to Doi Inthanon. The Food Center in town serves some snacks during the day and turns into a small night market in the evening.


Since I was alone when I visited Chom Thong, I could only grab some snacks to tide me over. Although there were snacks at the night market, the options were limited. That evening, I had noodles at this noodle shop, mainly because of the Chinese characters on the sign that read “Emperor’s Egg Dumpling Noodles,” which looked more familiar to me. However, even though the noodle stall had Chinese characters, the owner couldn’t speak any Chinese at all, so I ended up ordering by using gestures.


The “Four Heavenly Kings” of condiments on the table were also essential.


What’s special about this noodle shop is that the meat slices are char siu (barbecued pork), which, although not very thick, were quite tender and delicious. The portion of vegetables was also generous, making it a great bowl of soup noodles overall. The broth was rich and flavorful, and I really loved the taste of the soup.


The noodles were just regular egg noodles. Although they were made quite thin, they had a good chewy texture. It’s just that the eggy flavor was a bit too strong — I would have liked the soup noodles even more if the egg taste were milder.


After finishing the egg noodles, I went to the neighboring stall for dessert. The table at this stall was filled with a variety of snacks, but my main focus was on Thailand’s most unique dessert — banana pancakes.


The banana pancakes had a crispy outer layer, and with the first bite, you could feel that crunchiness. The rich aroma of bananas and eggs filled your mouth — the taste was really good, though a bit oily, giving it a slightly greasy feel.


The next day, before heading up Doi Inthanon, I also stopped by the food center to eat something. It was especially hot that morning, so there were fewer vendors at the food center, with only a few shaded snack stalls at the edge of the square. There weren’t many food choices, but I still spotted a snack stall with a very unique appearance, so I decided to eat there.


This snack stall served Khao Soi, the most distinctive curry noodle dish from Northern Thailand. Actually, what made it special wasn’t the curry noodles themselves, but the fact that all the containers and utensils used by the shop were made from coconut shells. This gave the shop a creative vibe, and the coconut shell-shaped containers also made use of recycled materials.


But what touched me most about this shop was the shop owner — the owner was incredibly kind. After I parked my motorcycle and was taking photos inside the shop, I saw the owner take a sheet from inside and drape it over my motorcycle. It turned out she was worried that after eating, I’d find the seat too hot to sit on when riding my motorcycle under the blazing sun, so she kindly covered it with a sheet for me. Even though the owner didn’t speak Chinese and we could only communicate through gestures, her warm tone made me feel very cared for. It’s truly a town full of human kindness.




The cups provided for customers, as well as those used for holding the table condiments and side dishes that accompany the curry noodles, are also made from coconut shells. They are crafted in a very artistic and distinctive way — it was the first time I’d ever seen such cups.


For the Northern Thai curry noodles, besides the noodles themselves, the shop also serves lemon, red onions, and other items for customers to use. This is the most common way to enjoy Northern Thai curry noodles.


The specialty of Northern Thai curry noodles lies in the two types of noodles — egg noodles and fried noodles — paired with the rich flavor of Northern Thai red curry, creating a truly unique taste. The accompanying chicken is slow-cooked until it’s tender enough to melt in your mouth, which is really quite good. This noodle stall isn’t just unique in style; the quality of the noodles is also excellent.


Even the forks and spoons are made from coconut shells.




When the weather is hot, having a drink is the best way to cool down. Usually, I drink Thai iced tea, but this time I suddenly wanted to try Thai black tea. The color of Thai black tea is darker than that of Taiwanese black tea, and the taste of this one was a bit astringent. It wasn’t the best-tasting tea, but at least it helped cool me down, which was the most important thing.

Although Chom Thong is just a small town, it’s one of the routes to and from Doi Inthanon National Park. Though there isn’t much in the town that warrants a long stop, it’s a great place to take a proper rest if you’re traveling to or from Doi Inthanon. Taking a short break in Chom Thong, grabbing some snacks, and then heading up to Doi Inthanon is a wonderful choice.


Xiaosheng’s Wandering Journeyhttp://rt009211.pixnet.net/blog
Every journey of wandering, every trip, is about seeking something. Though I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for, what I ultimately gain is often more than I imagined. Therefore, my journey of wandering will continue, without end.