It is easy to get a tourist’s heart to melt at the sight of seemingly abandoned children who look like they are in dire need of volunteer help and charity donation. If you are one of these volun-tours who plan to spend some time with “orphaned” kids, you may want to re-think your itinerary.

Thailand Orphanage (Photo by Frontierofficial)

Volunteering is generally looked at favorably, especially if done on the grassroots level where help is really needed. But there are certain arguments that even childcare institutions espouse against volun-touring in orphanages that seem to sprout like mushrooms these days.

• First, orphanages are not the best place to put children in. Wherever possible, they are placed in continuum care environment where they can go back to their families if the families can already afford to support them. For true orphans, they are placed in appropriate homes or child care institutions where the traditional notion of orphanage does not apply.
• If orphanages do need to be set up, they should be run by professionally trained child caregiver or social worker. Orphanages often claim to even have non-government organization status so as to appear as legitimate child care institutions.
• Next, only trained professionals should directly interact with the kids. This is because they are the ones professionally equipped to handle trauma that the children may be going through, and they are the ones regularly onsite. Any “orphanage” that allows anybody to just come in and interact with the children is suspect.
• Travelers who volunteer in orphanages may form bonds that need to be broken when their stay ends. The end result is often more trauma to the recipient of short-term affection. This is the hardest part of a volun-tourist’s stay in an orphanage, especially on the part of the children.
• Volun-touring in orphanages only encourages the perpetuation of the condition of the children, regardless of how exorbitant the placement fees were. Reports state that often, only a trickle of charity dollars go to the actual beneficiary.
• Orphanages for tourism may open doors for child trafficking and abuse.
• Volun-touring in orphanages creates a new industry called “orphanage tourism.” Children who may not altogether be orphans are sometimes rounded up and placed in these “orphanages” to secure funds from charitable travelers willing to part ways with their precious dollars.

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Below are the ingredients needed for about 2 servings:

• 3 cups of shredded green papaya
• 2 tbs. of lime juice
• Chili peppers (quantity depends on how spicy you want it!)
• 2 tbs. of palm sugar
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup of tomato
• 2 tbs. of fish sauce
• ¼ cup peanuts
• ½ cup of green beans

This video proves how simple it is to make Som Tam. Please comment on how your salad came out!

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1) Pad Thai

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is usually the first Thai dish people will try for it’s simplicity and international demand. This national dish is a stir-fried noodle dish combined with eggs,  tamarind, fish sauce, red chili pepper, bean sprouts, and topped with coriander and crushed peanuts. Meat, chicken, shrimp, and tofu are also added based on your preference.The mix of flavours provide an explosion of yumminess in your mouth.

2) Som Tam

Papaya Salad

Known as Papaya Salad, this dish is mostly enjoyed by those with a strong threshold for spice. It is undoubtedly Thailand’s most popular salad. Prepared by using a mortar and pestle, a spicy dressing of chili, garlic, and tamarind juice, along with other ingredients is grounded with unripened papaya. This spicy and sour salad is healthy and delicious…if you like spice.

3) Khao Soi

Khao Soi

A proud cuisine of Northern Thailand, Khao Soi must be tried while visiting the North, especially in Chiang Mai. It is a soupy dish made with pickled cabbage, shallots, lime, fried ground chillies, and meat in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. The best part is the top off of deep fried crisp egg noodles.

4) Tom Yam Goong

Tom Yam Goong

Another spicy dish, Tom Yam Goong or Spicy Shrimp Soup is Thailand’s most popular soup. It can be clear or thick(with coconut milk) and very versatile with ingredients, but mainly includes shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. Spicy, sweet, and sour, Thai’s are passionate about this soup.

5) Gang Keow Wan

Gang Keow Wan

In Thai cuisine there are many different curries and green curry is a pleaser. Morsels of chicken, eggplant, bamboo shoots, and basil are bathed in coconut milk mixed with spoonfuls of green curry paste creating a delightful taste. The texture is quite soupy compared to other curries.

6) Khao Pad

Khao Pad

Even more simpler than Pad Thai, Khao Pad or Fried Rice makes a perfect lunch treat. There are usually several different variations of this dish on each menu, but there is nothing wrong with ordering the plain old version, fried rice with egg, onions, and herbs. Thai’s also add ingredients such as, chicken, prawns, pineapple, and crab to dress it up.

7) Tom Kha Kai

Tom Kha Kai

Tom Kha Kai is simply chicken in coconut soup similar but milder than Tom Yam. This soup combines chillies, galangal, shallots, lemongrass and tender strips of chicken. It can be on the spicy side, but the mass of coconut milk softens it.

8) Gang Massaman

Massaman beef curry

Originating from Southern Thailand, Massaman is a thick sweet curry made with coconut milk, potatoes, peanuts, and cinnamon. Chicken, beef and pork are options to make the dish more filling. It’s best if tried in the South.

9) Kai Med Ma Muang

Cashew Chicken

A perfect option when sick of coconut milk and spice, Kai Med Ma Muang is basically chicken with cashew nuts. It may sound boring, but the way Thai’s prepare it, you will be begging for more. It is usually prepared with chicken, roasted cashews, sweet soy sauce, onions, chillies, peppers, carrots and mushrooms.

10) Kao Niew Ma Muang

Kao Niew Ma Muang

Saved the best for last…desert! Kao Niew Ma Muang is better known as mango with sticky rice and is loved by all. Glutinous rice absorbed in coconut milk and sugar is topped with ripened mango and sometimes garnished with coconut cream syrup and/or sesame seeds. It’s taste is sweet, juicy, and dances in your mouth!

Photos by winn*, adactio, avlxyz, avlxyz, Lummmy, clayirving, BrownGuacamole, jasonlam and migikata

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