The lady in the photo is preparing Thai chilli peppers for cooking. Chillies are an important ingredient in Thai cuisine, so much so that you wonder what the Thais would do without them.
This photo was taken in Buriram, the northeastern region of Thailand commonly know as Issan (Isarn). They are known to like their food extra-spicy Issan, it’s also said to be the area of Thailand that produces the most chilli peppers.
Why Thais like their food so spicy might not be just a matter of taste, it’s said there are some benefits to eating spicy food and that it helps to keep the body cool in Thailand’s hot climate.
Under normal conditions it takes 100 to 130 days to grow chilli peppers to their fully mature red-color in Thailand.