The taste of "back home"

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For any expat, living far from home, one of the delights of life is familiar food, the "comfort food" we remember.
But Chiangmai is at the far edge of the known world.
Beyond here, there isn't anything besides jungle and mountains and abandoned opium fields.
Even the railroad ends at Chiangmai.

So it is amazing and wonderful to discover the vast array of food stores and restaurants here.
For most Western nationalities, you'll be able to find something familiar.
For Americans, Brits and Aussies, you'll find a surprising amount.
Whenever a new-comer gets on a forum and asks where to find some specialty food, the answer almost always comes back with a positive sighting somewhere in Chiangmai.
A few examples to make the point:

For the Americans: Quaker oatmeal, Jiffy peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), Oscar Meyer wieners, Oreo cookies, taco chips, bratwurst, corned beef.

For the Brits: Branston pickles, steak and kidney pie, and Waitrose everything.

Canadian maple syrup (three different brands).

At least two restaurants serving Dutch food.

Several German restaurants, and at least three brands of German sausages.

More Italian restaurants than Italians.

For a new-comer, one enjoyable adventure may be finding the shops and restaurants offering food he enjoys.

"Rimping" is a chain of gourmet supermarkets in Chiangmai.
Their quality and selection would rival the finest you'd find back home.
In their meat deparment, each tray of beef has a small, hand-lettered sign, showing the number of days that cut of beef has been aged.
The seafood selection is rather amazing, and they will scale, clean, de-bone, and fry the fish you select -- while you go about doing the rest of your shopping -- at no extra charge.
If you buy more than you can carry, Rimping will deliver your groceries to your door: free for orders over US$ 35.00.

Another source of foods from home is "Kasem Store" which has two branches in Chiangmai.
This is more like the old time grocery store in a small town, a little bit worn around the edges, but with products packed from floor to ceiling.
Fresh-ground peanut butter, a large assortment of Smucker's jams and jellies, lots of breakfast cereals (Kellogg's and other brands).
Plus Kasem Store bakes their own breads and pastries, with some varieties in whole wheat or multi-grain.
Don't go into Kasem Store if you're on a diet.

Pizza is everywhere in Chiangmai.
There are entire forum threads arguing about where to find the best pizza.

And talking about pizza, what about delivery?
Of course!
"Meals on Wheels 4 You" will deliver lunch or dinner from dozens of different restaurants to your door, in about an hour, including pizza.
Pay the normal, menu, price, plus a delivery charge of about US$ 1.75.

What about Mexican food here?
Lots of restaurants offer some Mexican items.
"Miquel's" is a small chain -- two locations -- offering very good Tex-Mex.
I had lunch there today: fish taco plus rice and refried beans.
Delicious.
And the steak tacos are even better.

How about a full English breakfast?
Probably two dozen restaurants and pubs in Chiangmai offer British food.
At least one of those, "Soda's" restaurant, is open 24 hours.

How about a Reuben sandwich on rye with swiss cheese and sauerkraut?
At the "Rose Guest House" restaurant -- one of the long-standing and dependable sources for Western food here.

But, now, let's get serious:
What about a good hamburger?
Well...
If there were a "hamburger" event in the Olympics, the Chiangmai team would win one of the medals.
I can't predict gold, silver, or bronze, but there are so many good hamburgers in Chiangmai, that any place serving just so-so hamburgers wouldn't survive in this town.
The best known hamburger chain is "Mike's" with three or four locations in Chiangmai.
It's a good burger, and shakes and malts are made with real ice cream.
And Mike's burger stands are open until 3:00 AM.

Now, there are going to be a few sharp characters reading this who are going to try to stump me by asking, "Yes, all that's very nice, but what about a good steak?"
No problem!
There may be others which I haven't discovered yet, but the Nimman Grill in the Kantary Hills Hotel offers magnificent steaks.
Okay, it's not Kansas City, but, remember, you are in the jungle of Southeast Asia, and you can get superb steaks.

Let's move on to dessert.
I would bet there are most patisseries in Chiangmai than in any equivalent size area of Paris.
The best I've found -- and it's been a long and sweet search -- is the restaurant in the "De Naga" hotel next to the moat.
Their chocolate cake (called "tuxedo cake") is memorable.
(But this is not a recommendation for the hotel.)

Alas, I'm going to come up short on coffee.
I don't drink coffee, so I can't offer anything there.
But I can reassure you that Chiangmai has more coffee shops than gas stations.
The number of coffee shops here is quite amazing.
Thai people almost never invite foreigners into their homes.
If you're going to meet to socialize, it will be at a coffee shop (or restaurant).
In the foreigner quarters of Chiangmai, you are never far from a coffee shop.

I could go on, in this vein, for a very long time.
But enough.
Just writing this, I must have added a kilo.
In Chiangmai, it's very easy for the kilos to add up.

-- Oneman
Chiangmai
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