Delicious expedition: Bangkok's street food

Luciano Pavarotti, perhaps as well known for his appetite as for his tenor voice, once said: "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

Perhaps we are more open to new experiences when we travel and more willing to experiment with the unfamiliar, which gives us the sense of adventure necessary to try new flavours and take our taste buds for a test drive.

You won't find many national cuisines more varied, zesty, fruity and spicy than Thailand's. There can't be many cities around the world which do not boast a Thai restaurant, but as is often the case, the dishes are likely to have been modified to suit the local palate.

So what better excuse is there for visiting the Land of Smiles than the desire to taste Thai cuisine?

Thai food is street food. Every street, lane and alleyway in Bangkok has a food vendor of some sort. Smoke from frying pans billows up wherever you walk, from the crowded markets of Chinatown to the streets outside the skyscraping offices and shopping malls.