Foreigners who order spicy dishes but modify them to be not spicy.

[Everyman]

I don’t get it. Why order pad grapow “not spicy?” Why not order something that is normally not spicy, like gang jeut, or fried rice or pad thai or sweet and sour pork or an omelet? Do they like food that tastes like <deleted>? Because when i go to a new restaurant i often see lots of delicious food around me being eaten by Thais but i am served some “farangitized” garbage i wouldn’t feed to a soi dog. Then when i protest they act like “well of course you want crap food mr. farang, that’s what your species eats.” so instead i have to have a conversation ahead of time where i beg them not to ruin my food and often STILL won’t make it properly. It’s not just leaving out chilis - it’s leaving out anything resembling a flavor. I don’t even recognize the crap i see most foreigners eating.

 

Aside from me always ordering Grab, which seems to solve the problem of getting “farangitized” food (since they can’t see my white face) why can’t foreigners just order dishes that are normally not spicy? Why ruin my dinner by teaching Thais that all foreigners  have chili-phobia? Can TAT hand out pamphlets or something?

 

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

[1FinickyOne]

10 minutes ago, Everyman said:

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

nope - when I order Thai food, I get Thai food... usually the sauce is already made and cannot be un-spiced... 

[PJ71]

17 minutes ago, Everyman said:

I don’t get it. Why order pad grapow “not spicy?” Why not order something that is normally not spicy, like gang jeut, or fried rice or pad thai or sweet and sour pork or an omelet? Do they like food that tastes like <deleted>? Because when i go to a new restaurant i often see lots of delicious food around me being eaten by Thais but i am served some “farangitized” garbage i wouldn’t feed to a soi dog. Then when i protest they act like “well of course you want crap food mr. farang, that’s what your species eats.” so instead i have to have a conversation ahead of time where i beg them not to ruin my food and often STILL won’t make it properly. It’s not just leaving out chilis - it’s leaving out anything resembling a flavor. I don’t even recognize the crap i see most foreigners eating.

 

Aside from me always ordering Grab, which seems to solve the problem of getting “farangitized” food (since they can’t see my white face) why can’t foreigners just order dishes that are normally not spicy? Why ruin my dinner by teaching Thais that all foreigners  have chili-phobia? Can TAT hand out pamphlets or something?

 

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

I would suggest that some Thai food is very tastey but so spicy you cannot enjoy the flavour,

 

Some restaraunts will also ask about how spicy you would like your dish which is a good idea.

[QuantumQuandry]

33 minutes ago, Everyman said:

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

 

Totally, I am tired of farangs pretending they aren't farangs and eating spicy <deleted> that I am not made for and causing every Thai person to think I want everything 'native', instead of being appropriate for a farang :)

 

Ok, tongue in cheek but there is a point here about not getting upset when not everyone wants to do 'Thailand' the way you do Thailand.

 

I think pineapple on pizza, mayonnaise on fries and ketchup on steak is disgusting but hey, if that's how people want to eat it, I am not going to let it bug me.

Edited December 9, 2023 by QuantumQuandry

[tgw]

35 minutes ago, Everyman said:

I don’t get it. Why order pad grapow “not spicy?” Why not order something that is normally not spicy, like gang jeut, or fried rice or pad thai or sweet and sour pork or an omelet? Do they like food that tastes like <deleted>? Because when i go to a new restaurant i often see lots of delicious food around me being eaten by Thais but i am served some “farangitized” garbage i wouldn’t feed to a soi dog. Then when i protest they act like “well of course you want crap food mr. farang, that’s what your species eats.” so instead i have to have a conversation ahead of time where i beg them not to ruin my food and often STILL won’t make it properly. It’s not just leaving out chilis - it’s leaving out anything resembling a flavor. I don’t even recognize the crap i see most foreigners eating.

 

Aside from me always ordering Grab, which seems to solve the problem of getting “farangitized” food (since they can’t see my white face) why can’t foreigners just order dishes that are normally not spicy? Why ruin my dinner by teaching Thais that all foreigners  have chili-phobia? Can TAT hand out pamphlets or something?

 

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

 

just order your food in Thai and get what you want

[ezzra]

I myself eat hot/spicy food but i don't see anything wrong in asking the cook to go easy on the chilli as some of the cooks enjoy  and have fun seeing you burn and drink gallon of water...

Edited December 9, 2023 by ezzra

[BritManToo]

Thai food is horrible, I never eat it.

[richard_smith237]

48 minutes ago, Everyman said:

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

 

Not in the slightest..   one of the daftest things to get frustrated about in the book of 'daft S#it to get frustrated about'.....

 

15 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Ok, tongue in cheek but there is a point here about not getting upset when not everyone wants to do 'Thailand' the way you do Thailand.

 

Nailed it... exactly this. 

 

Next we'll have the Op complaining because people aren't wai-ing the right way... or Talking Thai with the right Thai accent that he uses... 

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by richard_smith237

[Liverpool Lou]

52 minutes ago, Everyman said:

 

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

Why are you frustrated by what other people order for their own meals when it's none of your concern and doesn't affect you in any way?  How do you know the specifics of other restaurant customers' orders, anyway?

Edited December 9, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Ralf001]

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thai food is horrible, I never eat it.

Agree 100%.

Absolute rancid <deleted>e.

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thai food is horrible, I never eat it.

 

Just Egg n chips then is it, Brit ???

 

You dislike all Thai food ??...   tastes are individual of course, but that sweeping generalisation of 'Thai food is horrible' seems more like a bash than anything else....

 

If you're being sarcastic - at least add an emoji... 

 

That said.. I'd make the generalisation myself that 'IMO Thai deserts are awful'... or, I've never had a Thai desert that I like. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by richard_smith237

[lanng khao]

17 minutes ago, tgw said:

 

just order your food in Thai and get what you want

Mai saai prik Mai saai pla raa mai ow phet, still get it the way they want .

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

That said.. I'd make the generalisation myself that 'IMO Thai deserts are awful'... or, I've never had a Thai desert that I like. 

Ever tried a Thai dessert?   They taste much better than "deserts".

Edited December 9, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Mike Lister]

2 minutes ago, lanng khao said:

Mai saai prik Mai saai pla raa mai ow phet, still get it the way they want .

It's like being a little bit dead, there's no such thing, food is either spicy or it's as bland as a rock.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Just Egg n chips then is it, Brit ???

 

You dislike all Thai food ??...   tastes are individual of course, but that sweeping generalisation of 'Thai food is horrible' seems more like a bash than anything else....

 

If you're being sarcastic - at least add an emoji... 

 

That said.. I'd make the generalisation myself that 'IMO Thai deserts are awful'... or, I've never had a Thai desert that I like. 

Thai food = rotting or poor quality meat with excess spices+ MSG + sugar added to disguise the nasty flavour.

All cooked by people that never wash their hands after taking a dump.

Don't even mention the liver flukes from rotting fish sauce.

 

As for desserts, apple pie or mince pies is about my limit.

Edited December 9, 2023 by BritManToo

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, lanng khao said:

Mai saai prik Mai saai pla raa mai ow phet, still get it the way they want .

That's because you're ordering Thai food in a Thai restaurant in Thailand.   If you don't actually want Thai food, don't order Thai food in a Thai restaurant.

[scottiejohn]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Thai food = rotting or poor quality meat with excess spices added to disguise the nasty flavour.

Don't even mention the liver flukes from rotting fish sauce.

Try making your own (or get the wife/GF) Thai food from scratch with fresh ingredients!

Freshly made Thai food is the only food I eat at home.

[BritManToo]

Just now, scottiejohn said:

Try making your own (or get the wife/GF) Thai food from scratch with fresh ingredients!

Freshly made Thai food is the only food I eat at home.

She can't restrain herself from adding MSG and sugar to everything.

I cook my own food, it's a lot safer.

[novacova]

1 hour ago, Everyman said:

Is anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?

No not at all

 

1 hour ago, Everyman said:

Then when i protest they act like “well of course you want crap food mr. farang, that’s what your species eats.”

Hasn’t it occurred to you that most farangs they serve no like phet?

 

1 hour ago, Everyman said:

so instead i have to have a conversation ahead of time where i beg them not to ruin my food and often STILL won’t make it properly

…next time when ordering krapaomu kaidao don’t  forget to mention phet or phet nitnoy, then all your troubles will vanish.

[richard_smith237]

23 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

28 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

That said.. I'd make the generalisation myself that 'IMO Thai deserts are awful'... or, I've never had a Thai desert that I like. 

Ever tried a Thai dessert?   They taste much better than "deserts".

 

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Been disappointed many times by dishes such as a bland sweet tomatoey no chili Tom Yum. Need to tell them - some dishes I can say 1 chili or 2 chili and while you are at it no MSG no sugar no added salt no other mystery powders thanks. 

[richard_smith237]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thai food = rotting or poor quality meat with excess spices+ MSG + sugar added to disguise the nasty flavour.

All cooked by people that never wash their hands after taking a dump.

Don't even mention the liver flukes from rotting fish sauce.

 

As for desserts, apple pie or mince pies is about my limit.

 

 

Very trollish... 

 

I avoid the cheap s#it-holes on which you may be basing your experience...     Doesn't your missus cook ?...  she's trying to poison you with rotten meat ???     (that would explain a lot...)

 

I do see that they put a lot of MSG and Sugar into the food in some of the rubbish restaurants, perhaps thats a facet of being in butt-f%^k-nowhere without any viable options...   I

 

... in busier areas with plenty of choice the quality is excellent and very very far cry from from rotten overspiced, MSG and sugar laden gunk that you describe. 

 

 

Additionally, the 'hygiene standards' you describe is once again a rather a Thai Bash with no basis on fact... just a bigoted comment. 

 

As far as liver-flukes...   agreed - but thats hardly all Thai food - again, perhaps your exposer to Thailand really is only on the poorest most down-trodden area's of Isaan where choice is extremely limited. 

 

 

You've selected the worst of the worst just so you have an opportunity to bash and in doing so you a far cry from the daily reality I encounter here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

She can't restrain herself from adding MSG and sugar to everything.

I cook my own food, it's a lot safer.

 

To be fair...  In your shoes, I wouldn't want to be consuming anything my missus put in front of me either !!!  

 

Don't you cook 'safe' Thai food for yourself ???   Or does that also fit into your "All Thai food is disgusting" sweeping generalisation ?

[spidermike007]

I am astonished at the number of expat friends I have and people I know, that do not like spicy at all and refuse to even make an attempt to adopt to spicy food. They order the same dish nearly every time we go out (Chicken with cashews) and they must be bored to tears with their diet.

 

I'm very grateful that I like Thai food, I like it spicy and that is never an issue, hasn't been since I started traveling to Mexico as a teenager. 

[richard_smith237]

40 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

It's like being a little bit dead, there's no such thing, food is either spicy or it's as bland as a rock.

 

Not really.... There are levels of Spice.

 

When the level of spice in some Thai dishes is too light, it tastes somewhat bland. 

The same Thai dish with too much spice is just too hot to be enjoyable. 

 

I find Kapraw to be a lot like that...  There are some restaurants in Bangkok which I've found make it at the 'ideal spice level' for my tastes and there are others that are too spicy, others too mild...  

 

There is one place that I really like that makes Kapraw with decent sized chunks of chicken, no MSG, Sugar or other crap.. just clean ingredients...   its right on the limit of my tolerance for level of spice. 

 

As far as the world 'bland' is concerned for food that isn't spicy, thats subjective and depends on the dish. 

I would call good fish-n-chips bland and I wouldn't want spicy fish-n-chips either.

[Stanton681]

46 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Thai food = cooked by people that never wash their hands after taking a dump.

This is true.

[WhatMeWorry]

It is interesting that most Malls in Thailand have Japanese, Korean, or Western food. You rarely see any Thai restaurants in malls. And these restaurants are packed with Thai people. From what I have witnessed, most Thais do not even like their own national food. They just eat it because it is cheap and filling. As for the spiciness, most Thais add chili because there food is so boring and tasteless.

[richard_smith237]

26 minutes ago, novacova said:

…next time when ordering krapaomu kaidao don’t  forget to mention phet or phet nitnoy, then all your troubles will vanish.

 

It can be a complete 'gamble' trying to second guess and order 'spicy or not spicy'... 

 

It depends on the area... Go to a touristy area and they may make the dish more mild than you are used to, but if you ask in Thai for it spicy, then they may think, ok, he likes it 'nuclear'....   Its a difficult one to gauge.. 

 

In a 'touristy area' (and area's with lots of Western foreigners ) - I'll order in Thai and just say 'normal spicy' if they ask (P̄hĕd ṭhrrmdā')....  the issue, then, in some of these places is the staff don't speak Thai and you have to order in English and then you know its going to be mild as the restaurant has adapted to complete 'farangatisation'. 

 

In a less touristy place I'll just order and eat it as it comes and its usually fine.. (but that could be a facet of being here for a while and getting used to spicy food).

 

Generally, outside of tourist areas I find any second guessing and asking for a dish to be  'not too spicy' or 'spicy' ends up with it arriving at either end of the 'spicy spectrum'...    

 

[NextG]

58 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Just Egg n chips then is it, Brit ???

 

You dislike all Thai food ??...   tastes are individual of course, but that sweeping generalisation of 'Thai food is horrible' seems more like a bash than anything else....

 

If you're being sarcastic - at least add an emoji... 

 

That said.. I'd make the generalisation myself that 'IMO Thai deserts are awful'... or, I've never had a Thai desert that I like. 

I knew there was something not quite right with you. Anyone who doesn’t like a good Khao Niew Ma Muang is quite possibly a rum sort..😊

 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, WhatMeWorry said:

It is interesting that most Malls in Thailand have Japanese, Korean, or Western food. You rarely see any Thai restaurants in malls. And these restaurants are packed with Thai people. From what I have witnessed, most Thais do not even like their own national food. They just eat it because it is cheap and filling. As for the spiciness, most Thais add chili because there food is so boring and tasteless.

 

I think thats more to do with 'how much' Thai's are willing to spend on Thai food...   

I don't think they eat Thai food 'because' its cheap and filling...    they eat it because they like it.

 

With Thai food in Thailand there is of course a great deal of competition, so of course its cheaper than international cuisine.

 

The shopping malls charge high-rent for their food... People will pay 250 baht for a Pork Tonkatsu... but they wont pay 250 baht for a Paad Kapraw.