Ban Thung Kawaen

Ban Thung Kawaen, a little place on Highway 11 about 16 km (10 mi.) from Lampang in the direction of Chiang Mai, is notable for the daily snake market held in its center. The snakes, some of them poisonous, are caught by children in the surrounding countryside; their sale is, strictly speaking, forbidden. Snakemeat, which has no particular flavor of its own and is therefore usually cooked in chicken broth, is mostly eaten by the Chinese Thais, who consider it something of a delicacy.