A Teacher's Meal

It is a fact that teachers are not included in the “highest paying jobs” list. I recently read from an article online that the base salary of teachers in the Philippines is P18,549 (about $431.08) monthly. This is very discouraging for a lot of individuals in this field, including myself. The good news is that there’s an existing effort to change the situation. A bill was passed to increase teacher’s monthly salary to P33,859 (about $786.88). It’s still in the process of approval from the Senate and I really hope that this goes through.

Anyway, even if this bill goes through or not, I have to be strategic to make my salary last until the end of the month. This means practicing a lot of discipline and sticking to a rigid budget. Working here in Thailand is a good practice. I am adjusting to the demands of the real world and I am learning different strategies to be frugal.

A strategy that ALWAYS works is eating at OTOP.

My associates and I are always on the lookout for cheap meals with great quality. Our favorite place to eat is a marketplace called OTOP. You can find it anywhere in Thailand. The size varies according to its location. Some are bigger than others. The place we go to is a good size with about 30 food stalls to choose from. They serve a variety of meals and one of my favorites is their NOODLES.

One thing that I found interesting about noodles here in Thailand is that one type of dish can have several varieties. You can choose the kind of noodles you want to have. The ones I’m familiar with are:
senmi – thin rice noodles which resemble Angel Hair pasta
senlek – similar to senmi but a little thicker
mama – yellow curly noodles which remind me of the Philippines’ Lucky Me noodles

bamii – egg noodles usually used in Ramen
senyay – thick, flat noodles
There’s a ton more but these are the ones I know from the top of my head.

Guytiaw: 35 Baht ($1.10). This dish is one of my favorites. I could eat it everyday. I usually have it with senmi noodles. The soup is a little spicy. The chicken is so soft it falls off the bones. It is served with some vegetables on the side.

Guayjap: 35 Baht ($1.10). This is another type of dish. They use rice noodles. I love the soup but I'm not so fond of the noodles. It's a little too thick and soggy for my taste. It has chicken, pork, quail eggs, and vegetables.

Aside from noodles, they also serve rice meals. You can order chicken with rice or pork with rice. They also have fried rice, rice in a soup, etc. The options are endless!

Khao Kha Moo: 35-40 Baht ($1.28). This reminds me so much of pork Adobo. The pork is stewed until it becomes soft. It's a little sweet to the taste which is perfect with rice. 

Ubon Ratchathani is also known for its Isaan food. Isaan refers to the northeastern region of Thailand where Ubon is located. Isan is known for their unique dishes which are largely influenced by Laos and Cambodia since it's really close to the border.

Somtum: 35 Baht ($1.10) for the dish alone. If you want to eat it with sticky rice, vegetables, and fried pork it would be about 70 Baht ($2.24) for the whole meal. This is the famous "papaya salad."

My daily food budget is 120 Baht (about $4). Of course there are days when I spend more than I expect, but those are rare. I usually stay within the budget because food here is inexpensive. As a teacher, I love the budget meals at marketplaces.