tesco-lotus food court in the on nut store (pronounced: on-nuch)

all over asia the phenomenon of food courts has preceded the trend in america by decades. they have honed and perfected this venue for foodies of all price ranges and classes, the ones at tesco-lotus, like so many others, are for the average joe who is shopping, gets hungry, and just wants something basic to eat. like all others, you go to a centralized cashier, get a tesco-lotus debit card (it used to be in-store monopoly money), and just cruise the line until you see something you like. the place where i had the duck noodles in paragon is the same, just a very high end one. the portions tend to be very small at the tesco-lotus court so i figured i would have a combination of 2 dishes. chinese roast duck fried rice "kao-phaat ped-yang" ข้าวผัดเป็ดย่าง with a side order of braised pork knuckle with out the accompanying rice "khao kaa moo" ข้าวขาหมู.



i also got myself an iced coffee form the drink dispensing counter. that is my debit card on the tray next to the plate. the whole meal cost me 90 baht, or just under $3.00 usd.

the sauce that the pork leg is cooked in is seasoned with star anise and it is quite aromatic and tasty. both the pork and the duck are very tender and falling of the bone. not a bad deal if you ask me.

here is a picture of the rig they use for people to get their utensils from.


notice the hot water bath in the upper left corner. this is there (i think) to lull people into thinking that if they dip their fork and spoon into it, it will be cleaner. why would they not just do a better job in the back where they wash the stuff is what comes to my mind. and the fact is, they did. but, some folks think it is necessary. go figure.

i always laugh to myself when i see folks rubbing the spoon and fork with a piece of tissue before they eat, like that will help. all they did was just move whatever bacteria may be on the utensil around on it, they surely did not remove it.