The term ‘Jing Jing’ means real or authentic. For us, it’s about doing Thai food justice. This tour is deliberately designed with the more experienced Thai traveller in mind. It is for the traveller looking to find new and exciting Thai dishes that they have not yet tried. We try some spicy dishes along with more mild ones; all exhibiting that wonderful Thai ‘balance’. You may find it hard to believe, but the humble chilli is not native to Thailand. It found its way here with Portuguese navigators in the 16th century via developed trade routes. It’s very difficult to imagine Thai food without chilli, so symbiotic is the relationship, yet contrary to popular belief, not all Thais love their food searingly hot. Many prefer to opt for a more medium spice level. As long as the dish and meal are in balance, it all works. This is how we will be sampling Thai food. We start the afternoon in the back streets of Hua Hin. Here we try some southern food, which is often redolent of Indian spices like turmeric. Dishes will include Bplaa Dook Fuu Phat Phrik Gaeng: Stir Fried Crispy Shredded Catfish, as well as either Sa-dtor Phat Phrik Gaeng: Stir Fried Stink Beans w/- Prawns or Khua Gling: Dry-Fried Yellow Pork Mince Curry; it is simply delicious. NorthEastern food; the food of Isaan, is our next port of call. You can’t really use the term Jing Jing without sampling Isaan food – the flavour explosion region of Thailand. Our tour guides will choose dishes that our guests have not tried before, whether that is Soop Nor Mai: Hot ‘n’ Sour Warm Bamboo Shoot Salad, or an unfamiliar version of a dish which is fast becoming Thailand’s national dish, Som Dtam: Green Papaya Salad; though we will pick one of the myriad variations to the standard papaya, just to challenge your taste buds. Over the tour, our guides will assess your level of Thai food knowledge and stop at other vendors to take your food experience to the next level. Rest assured, these are where we eat and they are not on the tourist maps so you will be delighted with these food stops. As with all Thai meals, we will be striving for balance, so not everything will be seriously hot, but it’s all sure to be tasty. Note: This tour is not suitable for guests that have dietary restrictions. Some food restrictions can be accommodated however this must be made known to the tour operator upon booking. Note: Sometimes our regular vendors are closed on the day you have a tour booked, however we have other vendors that are equally as good in the event that there are closures.