The sight of a green papaya salad takes me to two places. In one, I’m sporting black cotton fisherman’s trousers I was certain were a good purchase at the time. I have sunburn on my shoulders and I’m overlooking the turquoise waters of Kata Noi beach. In the second, I’ve been pregnant and bloated for 283 days, and am once again wearing those same trousers (this time it’s a choice determined by ease, not misguided elegance). Yet there’s no reason to reserve the tingling enzymes of green papaya for Phuket, or the very end of pregnancy (green papaya being an ingredient rumoured to help bring on labour). The brilliant thing about these slender strands of unripe fruit, muddled with Thai basil, chilli and your choice of protein (I like trout, but prawns, chicken and duck are also great) is how light you’ll feel after you’ve eaten them. Which means there’s really no reason, bar comfort, to be swathing myself in loose, low-slung cotton trousers, is there?