One Of The Benefits Of Living In Thailand

[Tejas]

Thai food (what you find outside of the fancy restaurants that cater to tourists) is one step away from horrible.

Chinese food is 1 million times better and far more interesting (Thai food is almost totally boring to me).

On an international food scale, 100 top and 1 bottom, I would put Thai food at about 5 and Chinese food at 95.

I concur, but I am talking about Singapore, Hongkong, San Francisco type Chinese food as i have never visited mainland China.

We actually agree? A miracle has happened!

I have lived for several years in China--both north and south.

The southern food, to me, is better than the northern food.

I love American-style Chinese food...........so I like both real Chinese food and American style.

Both are much better than Thai food...........Chinese food is comprised of far more dishes, flavors, etc.

I just had a big laugh when one poster used the word "limitless" to describe Thai food

Thailand has the most narrow, boring food culture I have ever experienced..........maybe Cambodian food is worse.

The two dishes many Westerners like (sweet and sour this and that/pad preo wan; chicken and cashew nuts/gai pad met mamuang) are distorted (not good) versions of two wonderful Chinese dishes.

I feel sorry for Thais..........they have no idea what they are missing in terms of excellent food.

I am still waiting for one person to open an American style Chinese food place in Thailand.......they will make huge money.

[rubin]

a favourite Thai food? ''STEAM LIE'' (if you know what i mean)

[Samuian]

I just had a big laugh when one poster used the word "limitless" to describe Thai food :D

Thailand has the most narrow, boring food culture I have ever experienced..........maybe Cambodian food is worse.

The two dishes many Westerners like (sweet and sour this and that/pad preo wan; chicken and cashew nuts/gai pad met mamuang) are distorted (not good) versions of two wonderful Chinese dishes.

I feel sorry for Thais.........

...I conclude You never really been in Thailand, not to mention your "knowledge"about Thai Cuisine...!

"American Chinese Cousine" is the same what is NY "Pizza" to the real thing... there is only one "Schwarzwaelder Kirschkuchen" or "Sacher Torte" no "Black Forest Cherry Pie".... as there is NO "Budweiser" by Anheuser & Busch!

[doggie888888]

I love those little green worms in a coconut based sweet broth. I think it's called Lot Chong and it's lovely with shaved ice, especially on very hot days.

[Jingthing]

I love Thai food. There is a good amount of variety of flavors in it. Obviously, other nationality cuisines have lesser or greater variety. For example, I find Korean (which I also love) to be much more limited in variety of flavor than Thai. Chinese including of course the many regions is clearly among the top cuisines in the world. That doesn't make Thai food bad, its just acknowledging the reality of the supremacy of Chinese food.

[eurasianthai]

At the end, what is important for most people is the ratio quality/price.

And on that, Thailand is sure in the top ten.

Chinese food is nice, in Hong Kong or Shanghai or any big city, for a price.

For most Chinese, Chinese food is just a mix of pork or chicken or rice, not talking about the exotic foods. And it is just tasteless.

Same for Indian food, I had a tandoori chicken in the Sheraton in Delhi that I still miss to this day.

But had my worst food experience ever traveling to remote places in India, and not so remote places actually...

And well, no need to start about French food, you get a diversity few countries can match, again for a price, and a hefty one usually.

So, in conclusion, the OP is right

[Jingthing]

For most Chinese, Chinese food is just a mix of pork or chicken or rice, not talking about the exotic foods

That's hilarious. Then most haven't really experienced Chinese food then ...

Edited May 8, 2010 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

Two or three Thai foods are okay. The Chinese are excellent in West Houston.

[eurasianthai]

For most Chinese, Chinese food is just a mix of pork or chicken or rice, not talking about the exotic foods

That's hilarious. Then most haven't really experienced Chinese food then ...

Well go to a village in China, i.e. 90% of the country, and tell us about your experience.

[Jingthing]

For most Chinese, Chinese food is just a mix of pork or chicken or rice, not talking about the exotic foods

That's hilarious. Then most haven't really experienced Chinese food then ...

Well go to a village in China, i.e. 90% of the country, and tell us about your experience.

Not interested in continuing this discussion really. I trust my taste buds more than your innuendo. Cheers.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Jingthing

[eurasianthai]

Was not a critic at all, Chinese have the best food, and so have the French, the Italians, the Indians and quite a few other countries.

And not the Thais.

But as far as cheap good food is concerned, I'm sure Thailand is in the top three.

Edited May 8, 2010 by eurasianthai

[Ulysses G.]

"American Chinese Cousine" is the same what is NY "Pizza" to the real thing...

If you use NYC pizza as an example, you must mean BETTER than the "real" thing!

Edited May 8, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[chantaal]

mango sticky rice with coconut milk and sugar!

I am going through one of my "phases"- eating it every day, sometimes more than once. My friends go through similar times.

It all just started a month or so ago though, when a friend got me hooked because he was eating it every day for breakfast. Then later on in the day again. Then, I joined in, and then we would eat it a couple times a day, and just be like, "We can eat this all day! We don't need anything else!"

and we'd be saying things like "heaven!" and "Ah,yes!" and he'd say "Sticky rice is man's best invention"

[johntou]

I enjoy Thai food very much. Our home-cooked Thai food is delicious, in my opinion.

I like the food in restaurants, but only when my wife is given a pad and pen, and writes our own menu, or the person taking the order writes it clearly on her pad. Then my wife can say nit-noy chem, (less salt), less sugar, no msg, fresh oil, and suchlike. (I can try saying this, but the potential for misunderstandings is great). In obliging restaurants, this works, and we get what we want. Can you imagine what would happen if you tried this in a western restaurant..?

Almost every time we eat Thai food straight from their menu, it is either too salty, sweet etc, and/or gives me a raging thirst and/or bad headaches.

I think it's very nice, the veg is usually served al dente, the fish is second to none for freshness if you pick the restaurant carefully, and i have always been a fan of rice and noodles.

The only western food I have is baked spuds, cheese and bread. I don't miss any other western food at all. For me, the food is definetely one of the benefits of living in Thailand.

[Chaimai]

I think thai food would taste better if it was well, not thai food !!!!!

Nobody's forcing it down your throat, mate.

Edzacary, I love me farang food !!!

I imagine that your main reason for coming to Thailand (if indeed you come to Thailand) is not to eat Farang food ?

[Chaimai]

So much really delicious fresh seafood here nicely prepared indeed, homog talee, plah ob glua, puh pat bon garee etc etc.

Apart from that and all the delicious classic Thai food you can mix it with Western food. Paneng Gai with mashed potatoes for instance, moo tod gra tiam prik Thai with creme spinach, goong joot paeng tod with tomato/potato salad... It's very delicious and ideas are boundless.

Penang Gai with mashed potato - that sounds an interesting fusion.

I quite like fried somtam. I also enjoy somtam with mussels.

[anonymouse]

I like Thai food for its huge variety, My wife is a decent cook and with David Thompsons excellent and huge book 'Thai Cooking' there is a wealth of forgotten and neglected Thai dishes to try out. I can also monitor what she is adding to the dish is the way of oil, salt, sugar etc

I enjoy most other forms of cuisine, variety is the spice of life and all that.

[lujanit]

There is a place near where we live (Talingchan) that does the most gorgeous 'jungle curry'. It's from the north, around Chaing Mai. Sorry don't know the thai name. It is very hot (spicy) and it makes my eyes and nose water. Wonderful stuff and so cheap. I have found the best thai food is where the thai's eat. The menu is always in Thai and I am often the only farang in the place.

[Indonews]

Somtam, padthai seafood, yamunsen seafood, khao. the other can go in the trash.

Edited June 21, 2010 by Indonews

[kikoman]

I love Thai food, there are no restaurants in our village and the Thai food is cooked at home by my wife!

Once I went to a company meeting in New York and they took us to a Hi So French restaurant, what a waste of money and the food to me was horrible, and the food was priced to high. The company paid for the meal, It still was a waste of Money.

Give me Thai food any day, it is my 2ND favorite food.

Cheers:

Edited August 7, 2010 by kikoman

[sambai]

Thai food is "ok". Nutritional value has to be watched carefully. Typical Thai diet does not have an adequate carbohydrate level, the rice being usually the ubiquitous white rice and consequently therefore a refined carb. Restaurants are still rarely providing Kao Glong rice, which is an unrefined carb. Because of the low carb and high protein, we guys need to watch our testosterone level doesn't drop.

Sugar is used a lot (an understatement perhaps). World Health Organisation noted that Thais consume an average of ten teaspoons of sugar per day. The recommended amount (if at all) is three.

MSG, or Mono Sodium Glutamate is used in many dishes, possibly because of lack of education. If you ask for no MSG when ordering Som Tam, watch them often ignore your request and scoop it in anyway.

Thai food is nice when you're here on holiday, pigging out. The choice of sea food at reasonable prices is incomparable. But watch the diet at all times. Remember you are what you eat. And look at the Thais over forty years old, or twenty-five years old for that matter!

[NamKAheng]

Don't forget to stray out of the mainstream Thai food in Thailand.

-You can find fabulous sausage in Thailand, the 2 I like the most are Chiang Mai side uer prick gaeng (red curry sausage) and side grog Isan (Isan sour sausage).

-Sweet potatoes soup and sweet potatoes fried balls.

-In the south the gaeng matsaman curry is to die for, this dish is mainstream but you have to taste the southern version.

-Pla Dook Foo (catfish with green mango salad)

-Gaeng Pate Pet Yang (red curry duck)

-Jok het horm (mushrooms rice porridge a great Thai breakfast, so many kind of mushrooms in Thailand)

-Jaew hon jeap joom (Isan suky)

-Sa la pao sie kem (steamed pork & mushroom dumplings, I know, I know that is a Chinese dish but they make it very good in Thailand)

-Pla nueng kin dong (ginger fish)

-Pla mook yut sai mu nueng manao (stuff squid, only is the south because they know how to cook squid so it is not tender like car tires)

And so many more.

Last March I was at a wedding in Udon Thani and one of the many dishes we were serve was fragrant duck, I don't know the Thai name but the duck was cook in a black sauce and it was very very good (someone know about that duck?). Everywhere we ate Thai food in Udon Thani that week was very, very good, it was a mix of restaurant (mostly hole in the wall) and home cooking but I must say that we were with family local guide and they knew where to find the good Thai food.

So don't be afraid to stray out of the mainstream Thai food!

[Spee]

Don't forget to stray out of the mainstream Thai food in Thailand.

-You can find fabulous sausage in Thailand, the 2 I like the most are Chiang Mai side uer prick gaeng (red curry sausage) and side grog Isan (Isan sour sausage).

I agree. Thai sausages are very tasty. Same for gaeng pa (jungle curry). Also didn't see yam mamueang (mango salad) on the list. I really like som tum Thai, but would rather have yam mamueang if available. Also like fish with red curry sauce (pla choo chee).

I don't know if I would still enjoy Thai food as much if I had to eat the same things every day. But being in the states with the nearest Thai restaurant being a 90-minute drive away (and even those don't have a lot of the fresh ingredients), it's like living in drought conditions.

[Godolphin]

Thai food is "ok". Nutritional value has to be watched carefully. Typical Thai diet does not have an adequate carbohydrate level ...

What about the carbs from vegetables and fruit?

[Ulysses G.]

Thai food is mostly carbs - not sure what he is talking about.

[Spee]

Thai food is mostly carbs - not sure what he is talking about.

Yeah UG, I hear you.

I also don't get the bit about watching the nutritional value. A top Olympic swimmer was eating 10,000 calories per day in high training, including pizza, pasta, eggs, etc. Nutrition is relative to lifestyle and many other factors.

Although cooked with a lot of sugar, salt and oil, I feel as I generally eat much healthier in Thailand than elsewhere. There is much more fruit in the diet. The food is almost always fresh with relatively few preservatives and other chemicals.

[DangerousDavies]

Som-O is my favorite fruit tom yam gong my favorite Thai food.