Thai Sausages @ Thai Festival Sanuk Night Fukuoka 2022.

Summer is usually the main time when festivals come alive. And even when they are not traditionally linked to the local culture. One such exotic event is the Thai Festival Sanuk Night, making its return to Fukuoka. It was a long while since this has been held, the pandemic being the obvious reason.  But it is now time for a comeback. 

What an atmosphere!

The event will host various Thai stalls selling goods, wares, and of course, amazing food. One such food item that attracted a lot of fanfare is the classic grilled Thai sausage. More specifically, sai krok isan. The smell of the tasty morsels could be sniffed miles away, and it was this indirect advertising which lead to a very long line. 

Here we go....

Initially undeterred, I was thinking that if the line is that long, then it must be pretty good. After all, good things come to those who wait. Then again I was pretty unsure how long the wait time was and eventually found myself in an almost zero-sum game. How long? How about a 45-minute wait? Despite that, the smell of the charcoal-grilled treats kept me pushing forward, as I visualize a future whereby they will be happily chomped down. That may be an exaggeration but I was seriously looking forward to having a chow down as it has been a long time since I had proper Thai sausages. If my memory serves me correctly, it would have been back in 2017, way before the blog was born. So in comparison, if I can wait for almost 5 years, another 45 minutes seem like nothing.

So close now, I can smell it.... Literally!

 In the end, it felt like the wait was totally worth it when I was able to get my hands on them. One stick was only 300 yen but a 2 stick combo stood only for a measly 500 yen. I bought a Chang beer to compliment the meal and I doubled up the orders as I was with a friend on that Friday night. And once I chewed down one sausage, I felt like I was almost transported to heaven. Not bad for 1000 yen on a Friday night. 

Oh baby!

 The sausage was loaded with a lot of flavour. It had a strong garlicky punch and the meat was very distinct and granular. However, that was not all. It was also loaded with glass noodles, giving it an extra dimension in terms of texture. It also helped cut off some of the intensity of the meat inside. The outer casing of the sausage was also super greasy and felt like an oil slick. But an oil slick that I would definitely take down. And with a beer in tow, this was just perfect. It was a shame that the wait was so long because it means I would not have the chance to pick up other dishes that were in tow, like pad thai noodles and basil chicken, among others. I guess I will wait for next year for that one I guess! 

At least I could still enjoy a concert while waiting in line. 

 It should be noted that food is not the only aspect here, as there are various performances such as live music, a kickboxing exhibition and also bingo to get involved in if you are feeling lucky. So if you are somehow in Fukuoka during the summer and would like to have something more exotic, I strongly recommend the festival. The event was held from 26th to the 28th of August this year. And it seems that this will slowly return to becoming a yearly event. Hopefully, more people can participate the next time it rolls around once the pandemic is properly over. 

Classic automotive icon. 

PS: this Thai festival was not the only one that was going on that weekend as the Irie Summer Fes was also been held not too far away. If you would like to check out my experience for that one, please click here to read all about it.