Holidays And Food

[snowflake]

When I talk about holidays I think first and foremost of the good food that I can eat with loads of excuses.

This morning when I was on my run in the park I thought about the holidays coming now for us westerners living here in LOS. What food can we get, what will we miss, who will we celebrate Christmas with and other holiday thoughts.

This year I am going to make a Turkey at my friends house, not for a party but just for my friend and her children/husband/family and myself. She cannot cook a turkey with stuffing and I have on previous occasions proven my skills with the Gobble Gobble animal. (My mouth is watering down now as it does with Homer Simpson when he thinks of Donuts).

Then it struck me as a bolt of lightning… Here in Thailand they do not have festive holidays like we do. Sure they have their days off work, Songkran, Loy Krathong, Buddhist Lent and all of those, but what food do they eat then? There is really nothing special about those days. Spend it with your extended family and be happy. Splash some water on everyone and get a good laugh… But what is on the table??? Rice, chicken, fish, curry, and duck are just some of the things that you can find, but can’t you really find them on the table every day?

The most important thing for me is the special smell of the food you can only have during the festive season November and December. Turkey, Christmas pudding, Lutefisk, or whatever you have. Back home you do not eat these dishes that often and you certainly know by the smell what time of the year it is.

Does anyone else feel like me? Are Thais missing out on lots of good food? Is a holiday without special food, really a holiday? What will you miss this Christmas?

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

[bkkjames]

When I talk about holidays I think first and foremost of the good food that I can eat with loads of excuses.

This morning when I was on my run in the park I thought about the holidays coming now for us westerners living here in LOS. What food can we get, what will we miss, who will we celebrate Christmas with and other holiday thoughts.

This year I am going to make a Turkey at my friends house, not for a party but just for my friend and her children/husband/family and myself. She cannot cook a turkey with stuffing and I have on previous occasions proven my skills with the Gobble Gobble animal. (My mouth is watering down now as it does with Homer Simpson when he thinks of Donuts).

Then it struck me as a bolt of lightning… Here in Thailand they do not have festive holidays like we do. Sure they have their days off work, Songkran, Loy Krathong, Buddhist Lent and all of those, but what food do they eat then? There is really nothing special about those days. Spend it with your extended family and be happy. Splash some water on everyone and get a good laugh… But what is on the table??? Rice, chicken, fish, curry, and duck are just some of the things that you can find, but can’t you really find them on the table every day?

The most important thing for me is the special smell of the food you can only have during the festive season November and December. Turkey, Christmas pudding, Lutefisk, or whatever you have. Back home you do not eat these dishes that often and you certainly know by the smell what time of the year it is.

Does anyone else feel like me? Are Thais missing out on lots of good food? Is a holiday without special food, really a holiday? What will you miss this Christmas?

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Chinese new year comes to mind, so does the recent Veg festival. Just because you don't recognise them, doesn't mean they don't exist.

Bah humbug

[aussiechick]

I will miss my Mum's trifle the most. Being Oz we have a cold buffet for all the family and friends. Mind you I have not been home for Christmas since I moved here!!

[teacup]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

[bkkjames]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

[teacup]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

[Jingthing]

I do miss the traditional Christmas foods of my home country, such as Kung Pao Chicken.

[bkkjames]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

[teacup]

I do miss the traditional Christmas foods of my home country, such as Kung Pao Chicken.

LOOOOOve......Kung Pao Chicken......esp, diced one ....YUM YUM

[sbk]

In the South of Thailand there is a special holiday, called DaiYai (grandfather, grandmother day) where all the local families gather together and go to the Wat. Everybody makes loads of special sweets which they then hand out to the various enumerable relatives. A sweet exchange, as it were. Everybody also cooks all sorts of special dishes, not unique to the holiday but ones rarely made, nonetheless. And then the great big extended families all sit down and eat together, passing around their specialty dishes. Its a great holiday and my mother-in-law always makes my favorite dish, salted fish curry.

[teacup]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

Err..like some TURKEY from the land of “The People's Republic of Canuckistan”... is better than the yanks.

Edited November 17, 2008 by teacup

[bkkjames]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

Err..like some TURKEY from the land of “The People's Republic of Canuckistan”... is better than the yanks.

Well, at least where I come from, we teach our girl's the proper meaning of Gobble Gobble.

[popmybubble]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I'm still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don't like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

Err..like some TURKEY from the land of "The People's Republic of Canuckistan"... is better than the yanks.

Well, at least where I come from, we teach our girl's the proper meaning of Gobble Gobble.

Can you two get a room?

I don't think it's so much the food that makes the holiday, it's more the company...

[teacup]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

Err..like some TURKEY from the land of “The People's Republic of Canuckistan”... is better than the yanks.

Well, at least where I come from, we teach our girl's the proper meaning of Gobble Gobble.

If it was that truly enjoyable, you would have stayed back home then.

The gobble gobble experience, that is

[bkkjames]

Do you think that the holidays would be different if you did not have something special to eat?

Well whenever I think of holidays - the first thing comes to my mind is….SLEEP and more SLEEP, coz I’m still ratracing that is.

Yea I know what you mean about the holiday foods…..esp the smell of STUFFINGS, and baked hams, during gobble gobble month…..don’t like turkey much tho

Happy turkey month to YOU

Definately a Thai commonality.

May be ….to escape the reality of misery?

Hey, don't blame me the only Turkey your Yankie BF is gonna serve up comes from Applebee's. Nobody forced you to swallow - that 'take you to land of the free' dumb.

Err..like some TURKEY from the land of “The People's Republic of Canuckistan”... is better than the yanks.

Well, at least where I come from, we teach our girl's the proper meaning of Gobble Gobble.

If it was that truly enjoyable, you would have stayed back home then.

The gobble gobble experience, that is

You are a good gobbler then? Now I know what he sees in you.

Back on topic, Thais also use food with their holidays - Songkran its beer, peanuts and whiskey. Then again, that's every last Friday night of the month.

[TEFLMike]

The lovely aroma of Mince Pies and Brandy Butter

[bina]

There is really nothing special about those days

.really??? then explain why my husband insisted that we all sit around making kratongs for about three hours, flowers and all, and floating them on a small spring pool in the orchards in the middle of the nite (more or less to coincide with his family loying their kratongs in thailand, after a heavy cold rain, and we all had to tromp thru the mud, to do it for 15 inutes, and then home... after working a full shift each of us.

first of all, duck, pork, beef and seafood are NOT an everyday commodity for most; and really only on special occasions can they be afforded like weddings, funerals and yes, holidays. any party that thais have usually includes things that they dont normally make, are more time consuming or more expensive.

second of all, holidays dont mean food. food is a by product of holidays. the food is only important if u dont bother with the rest of the holiday, like not going to church or synygogue (jewish holidays become food holidays more so if u are secular then even if u are religious as that is the only thing practically that reminds u of the holiday, except for yom kippur for instance where it is the lack of food that makes the holiday.) and some of the foods have had in the past religious significance: like boiled eggs, or whatever (forgot my examples). i'm sure among the thai groups (issan, northern, southern) there are special foods or sweets that are served, just u havent been exposed to them... but i could be wrong.

on the other hand, how many fast days are there in thailand. here, there is a fast day, major or minor practically every other month. muslems have ramadan even christians have sort of fast days... in thailand it seems that any day that is remotely a holiday they will have food that is more complex or stuff that most will only buy in the market.

that is the whole point. family getting together and having a good time, catching up, meeting future mates... i just think we are programmed to feel certain feelings around 'holiday' time from being conditioned at an early age to want to eat these things and feel these things when we know the dates for the holidays. i've completely forgotten about thanksgiving day as it never was a big day for my parents, just a good sales week. christmas obvously wasnt in the repetoire either. and here, chanuka is different than the way all of us celebrated back home.

maybe im just a grumpy scrooge about this whole holiday stuff.

bina

israel

[snowflake]

I did not think that this many people would comment on this thread...

Well first of all, I know that there are holidays here in Thailand where the whole family gets together but that is not what I am talking about... I talk about the FOOD... you CAN get pork/chicken/fermented Fish everyday here if you want to... Can you get turkey everyday back home? Just pop down to the butcher and he will whip up something for you??? Well maybe he can, but we use food to make the holidays more special... Not in a religous way, it's just that I think we tend to have more special food during those days. I just miss it here...

Imagine that you could only get Tom Yang Kung for songkhran, would it not taste better then? Would it not make it more special when it comes on the table? Would you not feel a bit exited if it came on then? (for Thais)

The point I am trying to make here is the food. Back home you do not buy turkey or christmas pudding or goose or whatever any day of the year. Special occations demand special food? yes or no?

For me, the smell of stuffing and turkey in the oven makes the holiday better, no question about that. What about you?

[Captain Haddock]

I reckon food helps celebrate the fest too. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the mint spies and excess meat dishes, Crimbo pudidng and so on.

As a child I remember my personal celebration (birthday) was the only time I got to eat chocolate cake and special sweet treats. In my experience, Thais don't generally celebrate their kids' birthdays like I did in the west. So they are missing out on certain special foods.

The Thais seem to love a party anytime, and in my southern Thai family we do eat fish, duck, chicken, pig and beef several times throughout the month, and my family is definitely not a rich one! At local weddings and funerals, the food is generally pork and beef curry, with veg on the side.

The only special food I've noticed the Thais eat is seasonal, and so is more exciting and limited. Winged termites and durian come to mind, for example.

Whether it is commercial pressure (chocolate Easter eggs) or traditional (roast turkey, hot cross buns), I'd say that a lot of western festivals need special dishes to be complete.

[Scott]

Now I am really getting hungry!

[bangsaenguy]

We always do turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, the works. My wife's family loves it cos it's different.

[QED]

My girlfriend's family are Akha (from the hills north of Chiang Rai), and every September they have a swing festival - not dancing, but everyone makes a swing in their garden for the kids, and they make one massive one in the middle of the village for the adults.

The last 2 years I have been there her family have bought a live pig, which is tied to a tree for a few days whilst everyone comes to look, and then slaughtered at dawn on the main day to make a fabulous array of food that they would not normally eat, with all the village coming to eat. To me this is alot more enjoyable than Christmas, and some of the stuff they make is amazing.

Not sure why her family seem to be responsible for this each year, they are not well off, but there is a farang boyfriend in the family I suppose! Personally I am glad to be away from the commercialised crap that is now christmas in the west.

[snowflake]

Did I mention that I will have turkey this year??? HAHAHA

I agree with some of the posters that claim western celebrations isn't complete if they have no "special food"...

I wished it was like that here too, but then again, it might have been painful for the people that does not like Thai food... What would they eat for those months???

[stephenslave]

The most important thing for me is the special smell of the food you can only have during the festive season.

[bkkjames]

The most important thing for me is the special smell of the food you can only have during the festive season.

such as?

For me at least, Turkey smell the same at Christmas as it does in July. Must be my old nose.

[MiG16]

there used to be a time in Thailand when different food is served in different seasons/ occasions

for instance - the 'khao-chae' (sp?) is usually eaten only in summer time

(but these days the dish itself is such a rarity, you can only find them in hotels and posh restaurants during summer)

for weddings - certain types of sweets are more preferred (due to the meaning attached to the names of the sweets - those that represent good luck, longevity - for instance 'foi-thong' which is egg yolk with sugar, but made into long threads signify the length at which the marriage would last)

Im sure there are other festivities specific food, but it just doesnt come to mind at this point

PS. ofcourse some of the food that may have in the past traditionally been served on only certain occasions, are also now readily available on any non-event. I suspect it has to do with lifestyle of people having changed. eg. things like weddings in big cities now are far removed from how things used to/continue to be in small villages, or occasions like birth, or someone's son becoming a monk - in the past this had much more importance, as it was for a certain period of time. these days many only go into monkhood for a week or even 3 days! doesnt warranty an elaborate festivity for that length of time does it?

[bina]

For me at least, Turkey smell the same at Christmas as it does in July. Must be my old nos

whats so special about turkey, we eat it a lot (shnitzels, kebab), just not a whole one as it doesnt fit in our ovens...

i think u all are just conditioned. its like jingle bells be ing played over the loudspeaker in a mall, u feel the urge to shop for presents, regardless what the season is....

for instance, latkes remind me of hanuuka in my parents' house, but in israel people eat jelly donuts for chanuka... (they stole it from the german christmas cakes or something) , what does a jelly donut have to do with chanuka?? (oil)... but the holiday still feels holiday like (well less so now with kids less at home).

bina

israel

[ozzieovaseas]

hey aussiegal,im an aussieguy and i was wondering if you could offer any tips about how you managed to moove to Thailand (permamantly?), as i intend to do the same myself...and let us put the word out about the many benefits of living in thailand and the beautiful nature of 99% of its people.

Its just so sad that 99% of aussie females are convinced that EVERY male (no matter of nationality) wants to go to thailand for dodgy purposes and is automatically branded a sleazy pervert...yet its perfectly fine if a female wants to go!

On second thoughts let us say nothing lest the insular,self centred,self obsessed aussie females come and infect the thai women with there insecurity-based bullshit..

with the company of your good self excluded of course!!!