| | |  Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining 
Thai Food at the Puerto Vallarta Farmers Market
 Rick Hepting - PVScene.com
June 10, 2010
| This week's Puerto Vallarta Farmers Market featured vendor: Narisa and Joe Moros' Thai cuisine.
(photos by Sarah Hepting, PVScene.com) | |
Some people travel quite long distances to sell at The Puerto Vallarta Old Town Farmers Market. Each Saturday, vendors come from the neighboring towns of Tuito, San Jose de Valle and Bucerías, but Joe and Narisa Moros have come from Chang Rai, Thailand; not directly to the Market, of course, but as expats in search of a new home with the creation of a stand at the Market as part of this quest.
For 14 years Narisa had taught elementary school in Thailand before meeting Joe, an American expat teaching at a University there. They married and started building a life together, a process which eventually led to moving to Puerto Vallarta in 2009. As with most expats, the reasons for this move are many and complicated.
To shorten this story in relation to the Farmers Market, Narisa and Joe missed real Thai food here in Puerto Vallarta, being presented only with poor, though earnest, imitations and "fusion" interpretations. Many expats carry with them the traditions, values and habits of their former homes and food-related memories are often at the top of this list.
Narisa’s knowledge of Thai cuisine is first-hand, with the experience of someone raised in the restaurant business. Narisa’s mother owned a restaurant in Thailand and Narisa often worked there. If anything, her knowledge is too authentic because it is almost impossible to obtain the traditional ingredients for many Thai dishes here in Puerto Vallarta (hence the "fusion cuisine" versions).
Her solution to this problem was simple: take no shortcuts and use only authentic ingredients. "Simple" in this case involves trips to México D.F. because, quite frankly, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and rare Thai spices can’t yet be found here in Vallarta.
When Narisa cooks a dish at the market she prepares it individually for each customer and will vary it according to preferences and tastes. She also has a catering menu of about a dozen different dishes ranging from Tom Kha Gai to Gaew Taew Lohd and she chooses 2 or 3 of these dishes to offer at the Market each Saturday.
A full menu can be had by emailing her or Joe at narijoe123(at)gmail.com or by calling 322-142-1544 or 322-142-1929. Or by stopping by their stand at the Vallarta Market and seeing what is being offered. Her dishes are very inexpensive and of the highest quality.
One would think that with the tourist season at an end, the Vallarta Farmers Market would just fold up its palapa and wait for fall: Not yet. This week there are four new vendors with homemade ice cream, gourmet tamales, clay art, and hand made aprons and shopping bags.
The Vallarta Old Town Farmers Market opens from 10 am to 1 pm each Saturday (until July 31) at the new Paradise Community Center, Pulpito 127, between Olas Altas and Amapas streets. To keep up with the latest Market news, visit OldTownFM.com. |
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