Why Almost Every Town in America has a Thai Restaurant

[Dcheech]

11 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

All of which is faux Asian fare modified to fit the backward American [and other Anglophone cultures] palate. 

Barstool BS-ers are up early. Thai food was 'popularized' by California yuppies back in the mid 1980's. It's true. Not by Euros, Brits or Antipodean expats. They had not arrived in numbers yet so cross cultural transmission was in its infancy. Thailand was for the most part uninhabitable for them back then; upcountry air con unreliable, phone calls had a nasty lag time, little or no cable footie and high airfares. Expat colonization would have to wait another decade until technology caught up, then and only then would Thai restaurants sprout back in home countries. .

Time for anther Leo?! 

[amexpat]

11 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Not authentic, as they're using local products of inferior quality [not local Asian quality] and many real items in Asian cuisines cannot be found nor imported. 

 

Like yourself, too many are fooled. 

Shouldn't surprise.

Didn't  you mean superior quality ingredients?  Ever looked at a Thai cow, chicken, vegetables?
And authentic isn't necessarily better.  I had great Mexican in Bali and the best pizza ever was in Chiang Mai, and horrible Chinese food in China. 

[SiSePuede419]

11 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

All of which is faux Asian fare modified to fit the backward American [and other Anglophone cultures] palate. 

You ever try to eat authentic non-sushi Japanese food in Thailand?

 

How about Korean Bibimbap?

 

Or Middle Eastern food like Falafel?

 

Greek gyros?

 

How about modern cuisine with foams, etc in Thailand?

 

All of those hard to find. ????

[Damrongsak]

1 hour ago, Dcheech said:

Barstool BS-ers are up early. Thai food was 'popularized' by California yuppies back in the mid 1980's. It's true. Not by Euros, Brits or Antipodean expats. They had not arrived in numbers yet so cross cultural transmission was in its infancy. Thailand was for the most part uninhabitable for them back then; upcountry air con unreliable, phone calls had a nasty lag time, little or no cable footie and high airfares. Expat colonization would have to wait another decade until technology caught up, then and only then would Thai restaurants sprout back in home countries. .

Time for anther Leo?! 

Upcountry aircon?  Phone calls?  I had to go to the telephone 0ffice in Loei  and call a half a dozen times to get through to my folks in the USA. Like when I told them I was getting married in a couple weeks.  But that was 1978. I had a nice little wood house with a few light bulbs, no glass windows or screens.  Cold running water, sometimes.  Cost maybe 500 Baht a month all in, and that was when it was 20 Baht to the dollar.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, amexpat said:

and horrible Chinese food in China. 

Agree, almost everything in China was inedible.

I loved Chinese food in the UK, but it didn't exist in China.

[Caldera]

When I went to college in California, I was very happy about having a number of Asian fast food restaurants (including a Thai one run by a Lao family) nearby campus, as the cafeteria food was pretty much inedible.

[1FinickyOne]

20 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Why almost every town in America has many or several Chinese restaurants ?

Every place has a Thai restaurant to offer an alternative from the ten Chinese places... 

[1FinickyOne]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Agree, almost everything in China was inedible.

I loved Chinese food in the UK, but it didn't exist in China.

Same with USA - great Chinese/American food... one of the few things I missed from back in USA but now there are a couple of Brit run Chinese places here in CM. 

[Stefanix]

Not sure what we should believe of this sensational clip. Thai food is very important to Thais. I don't think they would adapt their taste and chose their favorite dish by government demand. Further on they said local preferences would be identified. This contravenes to having authentic food. Lastly this e-delicious robot seems to have been really developed, but I could not find any proof that it is has been really used in the field. Ergo: waste of time watching this video!

[Jingthing]

8 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

You ever try to eat authentic non-sushi Japanese food in Thailand?

 

How about Korean Bibimbap?

 

Or Middle Eastern food like Falafel?

 

Greek gyros?

 

How about modern cuisine with foams, etc in Thailand?

 

All of those hard to find. ????

Authentic Japanese?

Yes.

Korean bibimbap?

Yes.

Falafel?

Yes.

Greek gyros?

Yes 

Foams?

No but haven't looked.

 

You live in the sticks?

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Stefanix said:

Not sure what we should believe of this sensational clip. Thai food is very important to Thais. I don't think they would adapt their taste and chose their favorite dish by government demand. Further on they said local preferences would be identified. This contravenes to having authentic food. Lastly this e-delicious robot seems to have been really developed, but I could not find any proof that it is has been really used in the field. Ergo: waste of time watching this video!

Pad Thai was definitely promoted by the hyper nationalist government at that time. 

[Albert Zweistein]

31 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Every place has a Thai restaurant to offer an alternative from the ten Chinese places... 

Not every place has a Thai Restaurant....................... and there are many other alternatives like French, Italian and Greek cuisine. Far better than the Thai with it's excessive use of salt and sugar. Not to mention the Indonesian kitchen.

[sqwakvfr]

I have been to Thai restaurants in California that are operated by Filipinos, Laotians and Cambodians.  Most of them were not very good.  The Thai food at these locations were about as authenic as the "Chinese" Food at Panda Express.  

[Jingthing]

9 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have been to Thai restaurants in California that are operated by Filipinos, Laotians and Cambodians.  Most of them were not very good.  The Thai food at these locations were about as authenic as the "Chinese" Food at Panda Express.  

California is a VERY big state.

Have you eaten in the large Thaitown in LA?

[wwest5829]

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Chinese in California fleeing persecution and deportation.

Hmmm, Chinese have been there from the 1800s in numbers. They built the western section of the Transcontinental Railroad … the given Chinese name for the USA was  “Beautiful Country”

[fulhamster]

21 hours ago, Tarteso said:

Why American burger in every corner of the world ????

Have you ever tried a Big Mac in Thailand  ??

would put you off burgers for life  ????????

[Bangkok Barry]

22 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Why almost every town in America has many or several Chinese restaurants ?

Same in the UK, but when I went to Beijing I found the food there was totally different to what I'd grown up to enjoy. I certainly didn't expect that.

[mikebike]

10 hours ago, Dcheech said:

Barstool BS-ers are up early. Thai food was 'popularized' by California yuppies back in the mid 1980's. It's true. Not by Euros, Brits or Antipodean expats. They had not arrived in numbers yet so cross cultural transmission was in its infancy. Thailand was for the most part uninhabitable for them back then; upcountry air con unreliable, phone calls had a nasty lag time, little or no cable footie and high airfares. Expat colonization would have to wait another decade until technology caught up, then and only then would Thai restaurants sprout back in home countries. .

Time for anther Leo?! 

Somehow you forgot about the hundreds of thousands of  G.I.s here during the war... think that may have had something to do with California in the 80s... ????

[mikebike]

10 hours ago, amexpat said:

Didn't  you mean superior quality ingredients?  Ever looked at a Thai cow, chicken, vegetables?
And authentic isn't necessarily better.  I had great Mexican in Bali and the best pizza ever was in Chiang Mai, and horrible Chinese food in China. 

Yes and terrible burgers in the USA... The point in not just authentic. It must be met with equal quality. Which is abundant in home countries and less abundant but available in other countries.

[Albert Zweistein]

9 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Same in the UK, but when I went to Beijing I found the food there was totally different to what I'd grown up to enjoy. I certainly didn't expect that.

I know, I had the same experience in Shanghai.

[mikebike]

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

When I went to college in California, I was very happy about having a number of Asian fast food restaurants (including a Thai one run by a Lao family) nearby campus, as the cafeteria food was pretty much inedible.

Very similar experience. Went to an engineering-centric university with many Asian students in the 80s. Best Sichuan food i have ever eaten.

[Tropposurfer]

Thank the gods, small oases of calm and decency ... and decent food 

[tgw]

50 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

Have you ever tried a Big Mac in Thailand  ??

would put you off burgers for life  ????????

if you think Big Macs are bad in Thailand, I'm curious what you would say about the same in France.

[JackGats]

22 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

All of which is faux Asian fare modified to fit the backward American [and other Anglophone cultures] palate. 

Not always the case. I was surprised to get a Thai duck curry in Frankfurt (Germany) that was not different in taste to what I got in Thailand, except in Frankfurt I got twice as much meat (for the same price as in Pattaya).

[connda]

Because when you can charge $15 bucks for a 30 THB plate of food - Come On Big Money!!!

[PETERTHEEATER]

21 hours ago, Tarteso said:

Aha! Like Coca~Cola

People like Coca-Cola?

[pgrahmm]

Back in the 80's the thing to find out, or know about, was which Thai operated restaurant owned & farmed their own garden and spices (brought from TH)... This was usually the ones that Thais sought out & would drive a long way for - passing many pseudo "Thai" restaurants along the way....

If you had a way of getting that info, you had a "go to" place ......

Still holds pretty true today....The Thais in the US are quick to point out the good - and bad ones....

[zzaa09]

Appear that mass illusion has taken over...

Oh well.

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

California is a VERY big state.

Have you eaten in the large Thaitown in LA?

Yes.  Grew up in Los Angeles County.  Presently I would not go to Hollywood(Thai Town is adjacent to Hollywood).  The Thai markets and restaurants in Thai Town are very good and authentic but once you roam throughout Los Angeles County and throughout California you do not know what you will get once you in step into a Thai Restaurant. Stepped into a questionable Thai restaurant in Porterville, CA(this town 60 miles north of Bakersfield).  The employees sounded like they were speaking Tagalog? 

Edited December 26, 2021 by sqwakvfr

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Hmmm, Chinese have been there from the 1800s in numbers. They built the western section of the Transcontinental Railroad … the given Chinese name for the USA was  “Beautiful Country”

In Korean America is “mi-gook” This is also mean “Beautiful” country.