After All
Figure 13. The End of Endless Food Stands
Don't be blue when the party's through. Phuket town has at least two year-round shops, serving jay (Thai-style Chinese Buddhist vegetarian) meals exclusively. Each has a unique style, so it worthwhile to visit both.
Down the street from the local bus depot, walking westward (away from the traffic circle), at 215 Ranong Rd is Reumjai Vegetarian Shop. There is an English sign on the street. You can select from the trays (like the one shown in Figure 15) or select dishes, from their English menu, that are cooked to order. Tables are graced with a salad tray, as in Figure 14. The meal, "fish", soup, salad, and drink shown in Figure 16 cost less than $US 3.
A worker there told me that the shop was started in the late 1980's, after a visit from a leader of one of Taiwan's many vegetarian religious groups.
Another spot to treat your tastebuds to is Peunseekeao Shop. At the time of my last visit it was located south of the traffic circle near the bus depot, with no English sign, but with the su character and a Quan Yin statue beckoning any knowledgeable seeker. But the owner said the shop would move to a new location opposite the temple (just continue west from the bus depot and turn left at the first street) in September 2000. I enjoy the soup (shown in Figure 17), but the real discovery was their steamed buns. Made fresh daily in the shop, my tastebuds judged them to be superior to anything sampled in the Chinese restaurants of Malaysia, Singapore, or Hong Kong.
