Appetizer at Basil in Bangkok

Betel leaf served with a bunch of little bowls containing toasted coconut, dried shrimp, peanuts, fresh pieces of chili peppers, lime, ginger and onions, plus a sweet/hot chili sauce. You basically dress and roll your own, down the hatch. The betel leaf is the same one that Indians wrap around areca nut and lime paste or tobacco or sweets, then sort of chew. The areca nut really stains the teeth and causes probably 5-10 billion spits daily of grotesque red saliva all over India and Pakistan. But Thai style if very different, delicious combo, no areca nut, and nobody really spits much (especially not in a place like Basil which was lovely and interestingly seemed to cater to Japanese). Always a good sign, as they are aficionados of clean places and super fresh food.