Coming to Chiang Mai, there is one thing that you should not miss if you look forward to feeling the authentic touch of this slow-paced city. If you just guess Doi Suthep, you just got it wrong because Doi Suthep temple is supposed to be your number-one place to go in Chiang Mai. It’s not the nightclubs on Loikroh Road or the Pang Chang elephant show either. It is a dinner but not just a regular dinner – it’s a special Khan Toke dinner.
It is often misunderstood that Khan Toke was invented for tourists’ amusement. Khan Toke meal is however a traditional dining native only to Thai people in the North of Thailand where Lanna culture is still practiced. Khon Toke originated in the reign of Lanna Kingdom which existed during 18th-20th B.E. prior to the Kingdom of Thailand. Unlike the West, Northern Thai people, while dining Khan Toke style, seat themselves on the floor and eat their munchies that are placed in a Khan Toke, not on a dining table.
Khan Toke is a pedestal tray differing in size and height. Typical Khan Toke looks like a low round table with several legs connected to the tray top. Wood, bamboo, rattan and coconut shell are used as raw materials for making the food tray. Traditionally, five different dishes are served on the Khan Toke. These dishes are popular in Chiang Mai and its vicinity but less known by people of other regions. The Khan Toke dishes are eaten with steamed sticky rice. The follow pictures show the five dishes along with sticky rice:
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