Later on, when they were forced to go looking for jobs in big cities like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, they brought with them their very own special cuisine; deep-fried insects.
Khun Beum from Phuket, by day a construction contractor, has a profitable part-time sideline selling deep-fried insects from his regular pitch in Sapan Hin park, on the southern edge of Phuket City. He takes his sideline seriously. The first thing he told us was, “I have a reputation to maintain. The secret is in the fresh oil. I never use old oil to fry the insects.”
The insects he sells include silk worms, grasshoppers, bamboo worms, water beetles, and crickets. But the potential range of the insect menu is huge. If you explore a bit, don’t be surprised if you come across cockroaches, spiders or scorpions being sold by other vendors.