Red ant nest
If anyone’s been wondering where they get those ant eggs that are used in several Isaan foods, then here you go. This photo is actually from Laos, but these ants are very common all over Southeast Asia. As you can see the red ants live in trees and kind of stick a few leaves together to make their home. You definitely do not want to get caught standing under one of these since the ground is usually swarming with the ants as well. And they bite a lot which can be pretty painful when there’s a dozen of them going at you. Many times I’ve been out on the golf course trying to hit my ball from in the trees only to come running out with red ants attacking me (and my ball in an even worse lie if I managed to hit it). It’s amazing that when people try to collect the nests they just knock them out of the tree with a stick. Brave souls, since they ants are not pleasant when they’re going ballistic.
