Bangkok Street Food: Siege and Survival

In Bangkok, the heartbeat of the city isn’t found in its malls or temples—it sizzles on the sidewalks. In this episode, we explore the vibrant world of Bangkok’s street food, starting with the crack of mortar and pestle preparing green papaya salad and widening out to the livelihoods and identities built around these stalls. Street vendors feed millions, offer affordable meals to those who need them most, and provide crucial income—especially for the women who make up the vast majority of sellers. Yet city planners increasingly see them as clutter, threatening a culture that’s as essential as it is iconic. With even the Michelin guide celebrating their craft, we ask: can Bangkok preserve the street food that sustains both its people and its soul?https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/14/world/asia/bangkok-street-food.html