Editor’s letter I S S UE 23 , S P R ING 20 2 4


When I first visited Thailand, nearly two decades ago, Thai cuisine wasn’t quite as well-represented in the UK as it is today. But, even back then, there was enough of it around for me to know I was in for a real treat. And so it proved. In fact, I ate so well that my memories of that five-week stay are mostly of food: the simple salad flavoured with lemongrass I ate at 3am, shortly after landing; the unforgettable jungle curry I consumed during a rainstorm in Chiang Mai; my first massaman curry — the beginning of a culinary love affair — by the side of the road in Bangkok. But while I enjoyed many fine dishes during that trip, I’m equally mindful of the things


I missed. I didn’t make it to Trang, for example, and so didn’t experience the joys of early morning dim sum. I didn’t visit the Isaan region, and so didn’t sample its popular papaya salad made with fermented fish sauce. And while I certainly encountered khao soi, Chiang Mai’s beloved noodle dish, I didn’t make nearly enough of an effort to seek out the city’s best. All of which tells me I ought to go back. If you feel the same — or even if you’re planning


your first visit — check our cover story, which offers a tasting tour of one of the world’s most exciting culinary destinations — the kind of place worth visiting more than once.


Glen Mutel, editor NATGEOTR AVE LU K TO SUBSCRIBE, VISIT: SUBSCRIPTIONS.NATGEOTRAVELLER.CO.UK


WHAT’S ONLINE AT NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


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