In Straight Trippin', OC friends and family share tidbits from their latest travels. This time, Andy Ricker, author and chef of the Pok Pok empire, takes us into northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, which borders Burma. The comprehensive captions are all Andy's, so make sure to stay awhile.
Name: Andy Ricker
Occupation: Chef/Restaurateur
Travel destination: Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Carry-on necessities: Laptop, phone, notebook, iPad, noise-canceling headphones
Reading materials: The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World by Lincoln Paine
Weirdest thing in your suitcase: Nothing weird
Most over-played track on your iPhone this trip: "Rent I Pay" by Spoon
Favorite outfit to travel in: Jeans, Jack Purcells, a button-down shirt
Highlight of your trip: The flight from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai in a tiny, 12-seat propeller plane. The view from that plane was amazing—the mountains of northen Thailand stretch into the distance with remote hilltop farming villages dotting the thick jungle.
Souvenirs you brought back: 1 kilo of phong masala (kaeng hung leh curry powder) made by a second-generation Burmese/Thai family operation
Want more Andy? Check out his OCTV episode, where he teaches us how to make the perfect bowl of sticky rice!
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A gorgeous little valley just on the outskirts of town, where my friend Austin Bush (seen walking behind me) loves to go to visit a Tai Yai trekking guide he made friends with years ago. Photos and captions by Andy Ricker
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Muu Phan Bii with Mantou (“1000 year pork” with steamed buns.) In the town of Ban Rak Thai, high in the mountains near Mae Hong Son, is a tea farming Chinese village occupied by the descendants of the KMT.![]()
Khanom Sen, Khang Phong, Ajat: delicious Tai Yai breakfast of rice vermicelli in sour tomato and pork soup; fried pumpkin fritter with turmeric, lemongrass and chiles; cucumber relish, at Khanom Sen Ba Khon, where a meal for three cost us a princely 50 baht ($1.75).![]()
Mae Sri Bua, owner of a small street-side restaurant talks to me about the naam phrik I am holding, that she makes out of toasted dried fermented soy beans, chiles, and dried fish. Used for making local vegetable salads, I ordered 10 kilos to carry home.
Name: Andy Ricker
Occupation: Chef/Restaurateur
Travel destination: Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Carry-on necessities: Laptop, phone, notebook, iPad, noise-canceling headphones
Reading materials: The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World by Lincoln Paine
Weirdest thing in your suitcase: Nothing weird
Most over-played track on your iPhone this trip: "Rent I Pay" by Spoon
Favorite outfit to travel in: Jeans, Jack Purcells, a button-down shirt
Highlight of your trip: The flight from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai in a tiny, 12-seat propeller plane. The view from that plane was amazing—the mountains of northen Thailand stretch into the distance with remote hilltop farming villages dotting the thick jungle.
Souvenirs you brought back: 1 kilo of phong masala (kaeng hung leh curry powder) made by a second-generation Burmese/Thai family operation
Want more Andy? Check out his OCTV episode, where he teaches us how to make the perfect bowl of sticky rice!
A gorgeous little valley just on the outskirts of town, where my friend Austin Bush (seen walking behind me) loves to go to visit a Tai Yai trekking guide he made friends with years ago. Photos and captions by Andy Ricker 
Muu Phan Bii with Mantou (“1000 year pork” with steamed buns.) In the town of Ban Rak Thai, high in the mountains near Mae Hong Son, is a tea farming Chinese village occupied by the descendants of the KMT.
Khanom Sen, Khang Phong, Ajat: delicious Tai Yai breakfast of rice vermicelli in sour tomato and pork soup; fried pumpkin fritter with turmeric, lemongrass and chiles; cucumber relish, at Khanom Sen Ba Khon, where a meal for three cost us a princely 50 baht ($1.75).
Mae Sri Bua, owner of a small street-side restaurant talks to me about the naam phrik I am holding, that she makes out of toasted dried fermented soy beans, chiles, and dried fish. Used for making local vegetable salads, I ordered 10 kilos to carry home.