Breakfast, that's the key. I'd find myself in Thailand standing on the street in front of my hotel or guest house that first morning in a new city or town or village and realize that I was ravenous after yesterdays' travel. Once more down the list of options. Eat in a nice hotel dining room where the food tastes exactly like every other hotel dining room in the world or is priced several times beyond what I would like to pay?

Maybe take a chance on one of the "Farang" restaurants (that means foreigner.) A sign in English and photographs on the menu so ordering can be done by pointing. And yes, the credit card size piece of ham is as small and the eggs are as runny as they look in the picture. You can also bet that the toast will be as cold as my high school English teachers' heart. The "Thai" food won't much better because it's always carefully adulterated so as not to offend the taste buds of foreigners who don't like Thai food anyway.

No. Start walking in any direction you see people are going and take a chance on what you will find. You'll know it when you see it. Indoors, outdoors or even street side, people are sitting and eating. Better yet is if you see more than one operation serving food in an area and only one of them is busy with satisfied customers while the competition stands around contemplating a career change. If there are taxi or Tuk Tuk or Moto-Taxi drivers starting their day there, you know you've hit the mother-lode. The food will be good and the price right.

Walk in, sit down and look like a customer. Catch someones' eye and have a go at ordering. I might end up with jok (rice porridge,) khao thom (cooked rice stewed with some meat) or even some noodles in a broth if I have to resort to pointing to the next table and asking for the same. My first choice though is usually pad gra pow (pronouncing "pot kapow" with a smile on my face usually does the trick.)

The beauty of pad gra pow is that it's so simple that it's almost impossible to not do well and it can be done quickly and easily. A plate of cooked rice smothered in a stir-fry of meat and holy (or sacred) basil. It is obviously peasant food but it's exactly what is needed to get your day off to a good start.

To prepare at home, put about two tablespoons of oil into a hot pan, chop or mince about two tablespoons of garlic and about the same amount of chili peppers and drop into the hot oil. Stir the garlic and chilies until the garlic just starts to brown then add about a half pound of ground chicken (gai) or pork (moo.) Stir the mixture until it seems to dry a little then add a tablespoon of sugar and one or more tablespoons of Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce. Last, add from about one half to a full cup of fresh holy basil leaves. Give a quick stir to mix the basil in well and wilt the leaves, remove from the heat and serve over rice. If finding fresh holy basil is a problem go ahead and use sweet basil and the results will be close to the original.

In the authentic Thai restaurant, the condiment offered on the table will be nam pla prik (fish sauce with some chopped chilies and a squeeze of lime juice.) Just a few drops of this is sufficient to add some saltiness and a bit of after burn to make the meal satisfying.

When ordering, don't be afraid to ask for mai phet (not spicy) or phet nit noi (a little spicy.) A popular garnish is an egg (kai) fried sunny-side-up (dow.) Don't be frightened off by all those who say that Thai is a difficult language to learn. Try ordering pot kapow moo kai dow, mai phet for a very satisfying and authentic Thai breakfast.