Say Another Last Goodbye to Iconic Soi 38 Street Food

[webfact]

Say Another Last Goodbye to Iconic Soi 38 Street Food
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


Photo: Randolph Ruiz

BANGKOK — Tonight is the last night for some of the remaining food joints on Soi Sukhumvit 38 before its famous street food scene, which for decades has fed tourists and locals, is finally swept away.

Several restaurants which for 40 years have operated in the building along the west side of the soi will serve their last suppers this evening after being granted several extensions, with the remaining food sellers clearing out by the end of next week for a condominium to be developed there.

“The last contract to rent the building for three years has come to an end,” said a dessert vendor answering the phone at the Nongamm Kanomwan shop who declined to give her name. “All the 10 tenants were then told to move out.”

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1452841814


-- Khaosod English 2016-01-15

[SoiBiker]

I went a couple of weeks ago. It's become a rather desperate scene. Sad to see it go, but I think the time has come. Hopefully the vendors will find a decent spot elsewhere.

[terryp]

One of the pleasures of BKK, eating food prepared by people who have no idea about personal hygiene or food preparation hygene, sitting in the gutter with the fragrant drain stench while the rats nibble at your feet …yeah I on that pass thanks

[petermik]

One of the pleasures of BKK, eating food prepared by people who have no idea about personal hygiene or food preparation hygene, sitting in the gutter with the fragrant drain stench while the rats nibble at your feet …yeah I on that pass thanks

No sense of adventure then

[SoiBiker]

One of the pleasures of BKK, eating food prepared by people who have no idea about personal hygiene or food preparation hygene, sitting in the gutter with the fragrant drain stench while the rats nibble at your feet yeah I on that pass thanks

You think the indoor kitchens hidden from view are better?

Have eaten street food here for years. Never got sick. You're missing out.

[realenglish1]

The price of Progress I guess Too bad

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Say hello to one less soi where you are forced to walk into traffic with drivers all to ready to run you down.

People say the street food is part of Thai culture, well so is getting run over by cars. I will welcome back every single sidewalk that they take away from these vendors.

There are a lot of areas to go to find this food.

The police have no business selling the sidewalks for their benefit.

I hope it happens on soi 11 soon too.

Good riddance!!

[Thaidream]

I am ever so amazed at how many people really want to make Bangkok like London, New York or Tokyo. The street vendors are what gives Bangkok that unusual flair which sets it apart from other dreary cities in the World. Not only that but food vending has provided opportunities for Thai people to own their own business for years. Materialistic capitalism rears its ugly head again. If this keeps up everything in Bangkok will be sanitized to the point there would be no reason to come here to enjoy anything different. Who needs another Condominium project or a shopping mall. Only the greedy owners- certainly not the people who love Bangkok just the way it is. If you want New York or London , please go there and leave Bangkok alone.

[razer]

National Geographic, Discovery etc all included the street food vendors as part of their programs on Thailand

Travel shows include the street food vendors as part of their program on Thailand as a must do experience

Is Tourism Authority of Thailand slowly bleeding tourism to death by failing to endorse and protect street food vendors?

[wabothai]

I am ever so amazed at how many people really want to make Bangkok like London, New York or Tokyo. The street vendors are what gives Bangkok that unusual flair which sets it apart from other dreary cities in the World. Not only that but food vending has provided opportunities for Thai people to own their own business for years. Materialistic capitalism rears its ugly head again. If this keeps up everything in Bangkok will be sanitized to the point there would be no reason to come here to enjoy anything different. Who needs another Condominium project or a shopping mall. Only the greedy owners- certainly not the people who love Bangkok just the way it is. If you want New York or London , please go there and leave Bangkok alone.

YEAH !!

So has Kaosan lost its attractiveness, shame.

Where are you hiso TAT madame or are you too busy counting money?

[springheeled jack]

the sights and sounds and cheap eateries are rapidly disappearing from Bangkok and are not being replaced simply because of the high rents now being charged by property owners.

[gemguy]

One of the pleasures of BKK, eating food prepared by people who have no idea about personal hygiene or food preparation hygene, sitting in the gutter with the fragrant drain stench while the rats nibble at your feet yeah I on that pass thanks

You think the indoor kitchens hidden from view are better?

Have eaten street food here for years. Never got sick. You're missing out.

Street food is OK....

But I don't like it when you scoop up a spoonful of your meal and find a cockroach that somehow got mixed in with your meal.

The baby cockroaches are all the harder to discover.

Cheers

[SoiBiker]

the sights and sounds and cheap eateries are rapidly disappearing from Bangkok and are not being replaced simply because of the high rents now being charged by property owners.

I'm not sure that's the case. Yeah, they're thinning out on Sukhumvit. But Bangkok is not Sukhumvit. Plenty of street food available elsewhere.

[laban]

Sad day, great food on Soi 38 always - will miss it.

The food courts at shopping malls seem to be giving the street food vendors a ride.

Not an easy time to be street food vendor, being squeezed from all sides.

[LostDemocracy]

One of the pleasures of BKK, eating food prepared by people who have no idea about personal hygiene or food preparation hygene, sitting in the gutter with the fragrant drain stench while the rats nibble at your feet yeah I on that pass thanks

You think the indoor kitchens hidden from view are better?

Have eaten street food here for years. Never got sick. You're missing out.

Some of the tastiest, and cheapest food around and a nice real Thai atmosphere.

[curtklay]

YUCK!

[IMA_FARANG]

I worked in Saudi Arabia for 5 or 6 years 1n the 1970/s and 1980's.

My vacations in Bangkok from Saudi were spent in a now defunct guesthouse about 100 meters down the street from that market.

Many nights returning from a night of drinking on Patpong or the then Soi Cowboy I stopped there for a bowl of "Monkey Ball Soup" (as we called it then) before stumbling back to the guesthouse and to bed.

Good memories. Sorry to see it go, but that is the way life is.

Edited January 15, 2016 by IMA_FARANG

[SoiBiker]

To be fair, there are hundreds of other places selling similar food. You might have to venture more than 50 yards from the safety of the BTS, though.

[MyFriend You]

Say hello to one less soi where you are forced to walk into traffic with drivers all to ready to run you down.

People say the street food is part of Thai culture, well so is getting run over by cars. I will welcome back every single sidewalk that they take away from these vendors.

There are a lot of areas to go to find this food.

The police have no business selling the sidewalks for their benefit.

I hope it happens on soi 11 soon too.

Good riddance!!

Been walking these streets for 40 years, never been hit by a car, bus, tuk tuk, taxi but a European (german??) dude hit me on the sidewalk with his bike, he went down, drunk, I threw his bike out into traffic and kept going.........I had road rash for a week.

[tigermoth]

the sights and sounds and cheap eateries are rapidly disappearing from Bangkok and are not being replaced simply because of the high rents now being charged by property owners.

The property owners have very little to do with it as the street vendors are on public property. It is the police who charge them and put it in their own pockets. Similerly with all the bars. If you don't pay off the police they make it almost impossible to operate.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

I lived the other side of Sukhumvit for over 10 years and used the food stalls on 38 occasionally, they weren't the best street food around. apart form late night eating I use Food Halls these days, lots of choice, good and very reasonably priced.

I won't miss 38, butI still enjoy late night noodles on the street.

[dantilley]

I lived on soi 38 briefly about 10 years ago and the street food at the end of the soi was pretty good back then. But I was new to Bangkok so I guess any street food would have seemed good. I went back a few years ago (long before the announcement of its impending demolition) and it was a shadow of its former self. Or maybe my rose tinted glasses had faded a bit...

Anyway - it's just a collection of average street food stalls. Nothing particularly amazing about it, so what's the big deal about it closing, other than for the vendors themselves? Street food can be found all over the city and often much better than soi 38. I think the only reason it's being seen as "iconic" is because it's one of the only collections of street food like this near a BTS and touristy area.

Edited January 21, 2016 by dantilley

[smokie36]

Yes I went there only once and wasn't blown away...OK food on the street.

I can get better for near the same price and with aircon at Food Republic so why bother?

[SoiBiker]

The main appeal of soi 38 wasn't the food. It was the fact that it opened until the small hours, had a fun atmosphere, and would sell you a cold beer with your food. An easy spot to stop off at after a night out.

[berybert]

I lived on soi 38 briefly about 10 years ago and the street food at the end of the soi was pretty good back then. But I was new to Bangkok so I guess any street food would have seemed good. I went back a few years ago (long before the announcement of its impending demolition) and it was a shadow of its former self. Or maybe my rose tinted glasses had faded a bit...

Anyway - it's just a collection of average street food stalls. Nothing particularly amazing about it, so what's the big deal about it closing, other than for the vendors themselves? Street food can be found all over the city and often much better than soi 38. I think the only reason it's being seen as "iconic" is because it's one of the only collections of street food like this near a BTS and touristy area.

Was it close to the sky train 10 years ago when you lived there ?

[SoiBiker]

I lived on soi 38 briefly about 10 years ago and the street food at the end of the soi was pretty good back then. But I was new to Bangkok so I guess any street food would have seemed good. I went back a few years ago (long before the announcement of its impending demolition) and it was a shadow of its former self. Or maybe my rose tinted glasses had faded a bit...

Anyway - it's just a collection of average street food stalls. Nothing particularly amazing about it, so what's the big deal about it closing, other than for the vendors themselves? Street food can be found all over the city and often much better than soi 38. I think the only reason it's being seen as "iconic" is because it's one of the only collections of street food like this near a BTS and touristy area.

Was it close to the sky train 10 years ago when you lived there ?

Why wouldn't it have been?

[dantilley]

Was it close to the sky train 10 years ago when you lived there ?

Yes, in the same spot, right by the entrance to soi 38.

[dantilley]

The main appeal of soi 38 wasn't the food. It was the fact that it opened until the small hours, had a fun atmosphere, and would sell you a cold beer with your food. An easy spot to stop off at after a night out.

Again, something that can be found all over the city. OK, not everywhere is open late, but there plenty of places are.

[SoiBiker]

The main appeal of soi 38 wasn't the food. It was the fact that it opened until the small hours, had a fun atmosphere, and would sell you a cold beer with your food. An easy spot to stop off at after a night out.

Again, something that can be found all over the city. OK, not everywhere is open late, but there plenty of places are.

Indeed. I don't think anyone is claiming it was unique, are they?

[dantilley]

Indeed. I don't think anyone is claiming it was unique, are they?

Exactly. Which is why, in my opinion at least, the fuss made over its demise is a bit over the top.