Do You Like Hot,spicy Food?

[Jai Dee]

I also like a bit of "ped" when eating Thai food, and usually if ordering at a streetside shop, the food will come "mai ped" for the falung.

I prefer it this way, so I can flavour it myself to my taste.

My teeruk sometimes suffers from Thai food withdrawal... cooking at home she likes to present falung food for me. Consequently she will go without street Thai food for a coupla days at a time.

Doesn't last much longer than that though... gotta get a fix of papaya bok-bok or something equally eye-watering to keep her happy.

[p_brownstone]

Although I have been in Thailand for over 30 years I have always loved hot and spicy food here.

In the early '70's when I was regularly travelling and working upcountry, I spent a lot of time searching in the North of Thailand for the legendary "Prik Chang", which was said to be so potent that just briefly immersing it in the soup or curry would flavour the dish to a level which even liberal dashes of Prik Kee Noo could not achieve.

Alas I never found this Grail of the Chilli World!

Patrick

[tutsiwarrior]

I like chile too!!!

but in hand as a masturbatory experience and not in my food....

[kreon]

if it is hot and spicy it taste like nothing

take the spices out it taste like sh1t

nothing beats good ol' french cuisine

ps another pet hate, why do the waitresses always forget thecorrect orders, or do they suppose to serve in the back

au revoir

[sua yai]

Whilst back in the UK briefly last year, I was interested to read an article on chillies in a daily newspaper - a serious article, by the way.

I can't really remember the details, but there's a scientific way of measuring the hotness of chillies. One variety from Mexico always won first prize.

However, after sucessful cross breeding, a chilli is now being grown in Assam - NE India - that is 30 times more potent than the Mexican one.

Can anyone imagine that!!!!! Heaven knows what their market will be. Suicidal people I would think.

[tutsiwarrior]

you know...there are about 30+ varieties of chile in Mexico. The national dish pavo en mole (turkey in chocolate sauce) uses about 5 types in it's preparation...

[Jai Dee]

ps another pet hate, why do the waitresses always forget thecorrect orders, or do they suppose to serve in the back

Slightly off topic I know... but it always happens to me too!

But back to the spicy topic, I do agree... Thai food is a little bland without the spices.

[Erwin1011]

I never thought of "hot" as a flavor.  For me, it adds to the experience of eating the food, but does not actualy add to the flavor. In fact, it detracts from the flavor.

What I wonder is what was Thai food like before chili pepper's were brought from the Americas. It could not have been nearly as spicy 500 years ago as it is now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The closer you come to the equator, the spicier food tends to become.

Hot spices tend to cut off the nastier tastes of food turned "off".

It is one of the tricks in every Kitchen in Every country. The heavy sauces in French cuisine were developed for that reason.

Hot is not a flavor. some spices tend to accentuate certain flavors, when used with modesty. The real "Chef" is the one that masters this accentuation. It is extremely difficult and requires well developed taste buts( not blurred by alcohol and tabacco)

[Jai Dee]

Hot is not a flavor. some spices tend to accentuate certain flavors, when used with modesty. The real "Chef" is the one that masters this accentuation. It is extremely difficult and requires well developed taste buts( not blurred by alcohol and tabacco)

I'm not sure about having a "well developed taste but"

but you are very correct re the trick of disguising the flavour of food that is not fresh.

And... have you noticed...

When you're out with Thai friends at a reastaurant where many dishes are ordered, the food is rarely eaten hot (as in temperature)? Chilli or some chilli-based sauce is usually added to provide heat.

Alloy mak mak!

[aaaaaa]

I am going to my local restaurant for lunch today. I have lived in my house for 8 months, visiting this place regularly. I still can't get my "prik gaeng gai" right.

The first time, there was no bloody "prik" in it. I am not joking   Then I tried to explain to the woman that I have lived in Thailand, "lai bpee laew"(many years now), and "chin laew" (accustomed to it now).

After several visits, she knows me quite well now. There is still the surprise and laugh when I order my food done normally. Always someone else in the restaurant inquiring about the farang who can eat spicy, hot food. When my wife ordered the same the other week, mine was ridiculously hot, almost uneatable - hers was perfect. She just doesn't understand, or is she taking the piss?. I tried to explain that people from my country generally like hot food as there are many Indian restarants, and some other stuff. Don't bother! Simple, uneducated,Thai people do not care about the reason why. They do not care about my country's culture. I will, as with countless other things, simple accept it, and try to laugh.

Language is not the problem(even got the wife to try and tell her), maybe it it because I am the one of the few farang here.

Who are these farang that don't like hot food, and have given Thais the impression we don't like chillis?  Apart from the old codgers, all my friends like hot food.

Is there another reason why they think we don't like hot food?

Maybe today I will order bloody noodles, or Phad see-ow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

simple , uneducated people are available everywhere in the world.

as for spicy - I think you could go to India or Bangladesh and try eating in some simple eating places for comparison, since you are familiar with their style.

I recall visiting some small village in Bangladesh and being served meal.... we were few of us, only me foreigner. and even those guys, bangladeshis themselves, were amused by the quantity of green chillis in the 'shaak' preparation (made of any sort of leafy green veggies such as spinach or whatever). one of them just for fun started to count.... from the portion which was served to him amount about 2-3 table spoons, he has taken out more then 10 pieces of green chili ! that made alll of us laughing - especialy after we tried to calculated how many chilis was all together used for this dish. we came to conclusion that probably the host used chili as main ingridient for this dish - not the spinach !

I like spicy food. but not dry powdered red chili, which I saw customers of side-road food stalls pour into their dishes in huges amounts.... and the funny thing - WITH SUGAR ! that is too much for me....

yeah, well, those who do have an idea about proper usage of spices it may seem sort of abuse such incidents of too spicy food. but for most asian people without bothering about subtelties of aestetics of coolinarian art - they simply like it. and often it is just a commercial trick - to use an excess of hot and/ or smelly spices (in western cousine it would be garlic or onion) to supress some unpleasant tastes and smells of unfresh or even spoiled ingridients, especially if it contains meat of fish... they need to get profit ! they usually can't afford simply throw away product which started to smell...

but again, here in Thailand I don't have much problems as elsewhere !

I don't think that women you mention did/ does that on purpose.

[aaaaaa]

One of my favorite/least favorite topics about Thailand.

I cannot eat spicy anything.  We're not talking about preference or mere taste, we're talking about INABILITY.  Or pain.  It literally hurts my mouth tissues, burns my mouth.  You wouldn't cause more pain if you inserted rusty blades in my mouth.

Thais (at least upcountry) are absolutely f---ing incapable of comprehending this.  Their Thainess prevents them from understanding that spicy food HURTS.  They think something's 'pet mak' when it's only got five furnaces of ###### inside it, rather than 59.    They do not understand two of the simplest words in their own language: no, and spice.  No spice means no spice, kojai?

I wish more Thais understood like the ones you seem to know - that farang tend to be unable or unwilling to eat VERY spicy.  They are absolutlely moronic about believing that food can be served with absolutely no spice at all.  I eat lunch regularly with Thai teachers with advanced degrees who don't begin to commence to start to understand two basic words of Thai:

PET MAK

Also, lots of Thai food, even when it has no spice, smells nasty and tastes terrible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

might as well learn few other usefull phrases, like:

"pet mai?" - is it spicy?

"mai ao pet" - don't want spicy

"mai sai prik" - without chili

it helps me personally.

I guess others here can offer some more usefull phrases.

[p_brownstone]

I like spicy food. but not dry powdered red chili, which I saw customers of side-road food stalls pour into their dishes in huges amounts.... and the funny thing - WITH SUGAR ! that is too much for me....

It's always amusing to see Farang in Thailand drinking copious amounts of water or Beer in an attempt to counteract the sudden effects of Chillis in their food.

By far the quickest remedy is a small amount of sugar allowed to gently dissolve in the mouth.

I am pretty sure - although I hate the modern "sugar with everything" Thai food so have never actually experimented - that this is why even the broth in the local Noodle Shop is now so pre-sweetened so it's impossible to order anything "mai sai nam dtan".

Patrick

Edited January 31, 2005 by p_brownstone

[PeaceBlondie]

PET MAK

Also, lots of Thai food, even when it has no spice, smells nasty and tastes terrible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ped Mak means very hot.............you sure you've got it right

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I was so excited last night that I typed it wrong. But yes, I know to say "Mai Pet" and they act like they don't understand Thai. So tell me please

Mai means no, and pet means spicy, so mai pet should mean no spice. Somebody else has commented that I should say something else, but I doubt their brain can hear the sounds. How about 'Soon pet' which I think should mean zero spices? But it doesn't matter; Thais are so full of Thainess and spiciness that the absence of spice would be anti-Thai or they might think it's sacriligeous not to have spicy food.

My point is, that Thais don't understand this; they can't comprehend this in their own language, even if you get the vowel tones right. They wouldn't know non-spicy if they found it. Even well-meaning friends and coworkers have told me time and again, "Oh, that doesn't have any spices" but it does. They are incapable of knowing the absence of spiciness. I don't know if their taste buds work at that level.

Nothing spoils my meal more than pain. Sometimes it ruins my day. Next time, I may just spit it back onto the plate and start drinking everybody's water, whether or not it's effective in putting out the fire.

Edited January 31, 2005 by PeaceBlondie

[INTJ]

"How about 'Soon pet' "

and then :-

"My point is, that Thais don't understand this; they can't comprehend this in their own language, even if you get the vowel tones right"

INTJ

.

[p_brownstone]

PET MAK

Also, lots of Thai food, even when it has no spice, smells nasty and tastes terrible.

Ped Mak means very hot.............you sure you've got it right

Well, I was so excited last night that I typed it wrong. But yes, I know to say "Mai Pet" and they act like they don't understand Thai. So tell me please

Mai means no, and pet means spicy, so mai pet should mean no spice. Somebody else has commented that I should say something else, but I doubt their brain can hear the sounds. How about 'Soon pet' which I think should mean zero spices? But it doesn't matter; Thais are so full of Thainess and spiciness that the absence of spice would be anti-Thai or they might think it's sacriligeous not to have spicy food.

My point is, that Thais don't understand this; they can't comprehend this in their own language, even if you get the vowel tones right. They wouldn't know non-spicy if they found it. Even well-meaning friends and coworkers have told me time and again, "Oh, that doesn't have any spices" but it does. They are incapable of knowing the absence of spiciness. I don't know if their taste buds work at that level.

Nothing spoils my meal more than pain. Sometimes it ruins my day. Next time, I may just spit it back onto the plate and start drinking everybody's water, whether or not it's effective in putting out the fire.

"Mai Pet" actually means "not TOO spicy" (my emphasis), so it's left up to the cook to determine the actual level; and her standards may obviously be much different to yours.

If you want to say "Not Spicy" as in "No chillis" then the phrase is "Mai sai Prik"

Patrick

[Jai Dee]

"soon pet" is not (strictly speaking) grammatically correct, and is likely to confuse the Thais.

If you say "mai pet" whilst waving your hand over your mouth will usually get the message across, but is still up to interpretation by the cook.

As Patrick has pointed out, "mai sai prick" or "mai sai plick" is the most definitive request, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Having said that, the service staff will probably wander off to the cook and promptly forget your special request anyway!!!

Tip.... add some sugar!

[PeaceBlondie]

My thanks to one and all, especially since nobody's flamed me for being flameless. I'll try that 'mai sai prick' even though my American vocabulary hesitates to say 'prick' out loud. An ajarn at my school today suggested that instead of saying "soon pet" it might be more clear to say "pet soon." Maybe I can say, "Mai pet, pet soon, mai sai prik" and hope they get the message.

Seriously - even though chilis are the national food, the Thais should have a way to say "no chilis at all, not as solid peppers, not as a powder, not in the sauce." Until they figure it out, I'll assume Thai cooks are ----*&^^%%$$#บบยนีพะบนยหำลัเบนีรำพัะบีำพบันยรำพบเย่ ๘ NO SWEARING ALLOWED ON Thaivisa.com.

[samran]

nah, 'soon' pet won't work. Nobody will understand the as "zero spicy". won't translate too well. Also, 'soon' can meen a 'centre/institute' as in the "Thai language centre'. So stick to the other recomendations, bit not this.

[Neeranam]

My thanks to one and all, especially since nobody's flamed me for being flameless. I'll try that 'mai sai prick' even though my American vocabulary hesitates to say 'prick' out loud.

PB, It doesn't sound like prick, it is more like "preeeg" with a high tone.

[Tornado]

nah, 'soon' pet won't work. Nobody will understand the as "zero spicy". won't translate too well. Also, 'soon' can meen a 'centre/institute' as in the "Thai language centre'. So stick to the other recomendations, bit not this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I learnt something there Samran.

The obvious one is "Tall" said "soon" with a rising tone

Tall Pet.

[Neeranam]

The obvious one is "Tall" said "soon" with a rising tone 

That one for tall is "soong", longer than the word for centre and with a "ng" as final consonant.

[Neeranam]

"Mai Pet" actually means "not TOO spicy" (my emphasis),

This thread is looking as if it should be in the Thai language section.

If I were to say "not too spicy", I would say "mai pet thao rai". I am no expert in the Thai language though. If I said, "mai koi chawp pet thaorai", it means, "I don't like hot food, very much", different from "not too hot".

Gets confusing.

In the OP, I was trying to say how difficult it is to get it right. I think the best and only sure way is as someone said, taxexile I think, to go to the kitchen with her and watch her cook it. When you start saying things like make it normal, not too hot, a little hot, it is a hit or miss.

Edited February 1, 2005 by Neeranam

[Tornado]

The obvious one is "Tall" said "soon" with a rising tone 

That one for tall is "soong", longer than the word for centre and with a "ng" as final consonant.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your probably right, but Im understood. Then Again Maybe Im Not

[Darknight]

"Mai Pet" actually means "not TOO spicy" (my emphasis),

This thread is looking as if it should be in the Thai language section.

If I were to say "not too spicy", I would say "mai pet thao rai". I am no expert in the Thai language though. If I said, "mai koi chawp pet thaorai", it means, "I don't like hot food, very much", different from "not too hot".

Gets confusing.

In the OP, I was trying to say how difficult it is to get it right. I think the best and only sure way is as someone said, taxexile I think, to go to the kitchen with her and watch her cook it. When you start saying things like make it normal, not too hot, a little hot, it is a hit or miss.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe you should just learn to eat it spicy ?

[Ajarn]

"mai koi chawp pet thaorai"

To keep it clearer, you might want to say something similar to, "mai koi chawb ahaan pet thaori" which I translate as, " I've never really liked hot (pet) food much" Kinda limits the possible confusion with a farang saying 'duck', too, I think

I'm constantly impressed withe ability of many Thais to quickly figure out what the farang REALLY means, vs what the farang REALLY says

[Neeranam]

To keep it clearer, you might want to say something similar to, "mai koi chawb ahaan pet thaori" which I translate as, " I've never really liked hot (pet) food much" Kinda limits the possible confusion with a farang saying 'duck', too, I think 

"mai KOI chawp thaorai" means I don't like it very much. not to be confused with "mai KOEI chawp thaorai" which means I have never liked it very much.

KOI here is a way of softening the negative.

I can't be bother ed adding the Thai script, but could if you want, when I have time.

[Ajarn]

mai KOI chawp thaorai" means I don't like it very much

It ain't my language either, but my understanding of it is a bit different than yours, I guess. If I want to say, "I don't like (it) very much, I say, "mai chawb thaorai"

ไม่ชอบเท่าไร

As long as they undestand, na'?

Edited February 1, 2005 by Ajarn

[Neeranam]

As long as they undestand, na'?

Krab pom, Ajarn.

Keep it simple, seems to work.

I find it annoying however that very well qualified Thai people say "I ever done that " or whatever. This includes many people I have worked with, and they have had a MA in English!

I get what they mean but it shows their lack of exposure to Native speakers.

They are very knowledgeable in all grammatical areas, but I would say they are not fluent.

BTW, 1- mai koi chawp thaorai - ไม่ค่อยชอบเท่าไร 2 - mai keoi chawp thaorai - ไม่เคยชอบเท่าไร

Back to the OP, If I said '2' it would mean I don't like it, and can't eat it. I would probably get NO chilli.

If I said '1', it would mean I don't like it very much but can still eat it. I would probably get it spicy.

Often when learning a bit of Thai , it can be a hinderance rather than a help.

Edited February 2, 2005 by Neeranam

[Ajarn]

BTW, 1- mai koi chawp thaorai - ไม่ค่อยชอบเท่าไร 2 - mai keoi chawp thaorai - ไม่เคยชอบเท่าไร

Okay, I can see your point better now. Thanks for the lesson

[Neeranam]

I went back to that restaurant the other day(first time for a couple of years) and ordered "Grapao gai mai pet thoraai" and guess what? Too bloody spicy - I aint going there again.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Neeranam