Here in rural Isaan, the only places to eat are these roadside cafes.
Most are often built on to the front of the owners house.
The food is usually good and very cheap.
The popular places always have the most customers.
Most serve only noodle soup and simple rice dishes.
However, there are some serious drawbacks that take getting use to.
Flies, which I hate when I eat, are everywhere.
There is never anything done to mitigate the flies.
The road dust.
Huge trucks going by kick up a lot of dust, as well as make a ton of noise.
It sounds strange to foreigners, however, you just get use to these nuisances in rural Isaan because that is all we have for choices where to eat.
The closest indoor restaurant to us is at least 40km away.