If You Just Can't Eat Thai Food...

[PeaceBlondie]

I cannot eat Thai food. Impossible; don't argue.

So, I spend too much time at Burger King, KFC, pizza places that are too expensive or don't have Italian sausage, etc. I eat way too many chocolates.

I avoid Thai restaurants like the plague they are; please don't suggest that I go in and order "nam prik" or "mai pet." But in Hua Hin, like it was in Chiang Mai, there are plenty of European restaurants. I've had beef filet, spagheti bolonese, cordon bleu chicken, club sandwich at S&P, "American breakfast", etc.

Any more suggestions?

[Soph]

Go home? Sorry, just joking. No suggestions though. Fried rice maybe. I always find the spag bol in Thai/Western restaurants to be very cheap.

[suegha]

I cannot eat Thai food.  Impossible; don't argue.

So, I spend too much time at Burger King, KFC, pizza places that are too expensive or don't have Italian sausage, etc.  I eat way too many chocolates.

I avoid Thai restaurants like the plague they are; please don't suggest that I go in and order "nam prik" or "mai pet."  But in Hua Hin, like it was in Chiang Mai, there are plenty of European restaurants.  I've had beef filet, spagheti bolonese, cordon bleu chicken, club sandwich at S&P, "American breakfast", etc. 

Any more suggestions?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is it you dislike? I presume the spices, if this is the case a lot of dishes can be prepared without spices. Also on Samui most thai restaurants will have what thay call western food. Usually an omlettte and chips or something like that - not interesting but something to eat...

[tutsiwarrior]

ground beef (mince) is an ingredient in many western recipies (spag bog, meat loaf, chilli con carne, etc). Buy yourself a meat grinder and the potential for preparing your own western food at home becomes exponential (sausages as well). I haven't seen ground beef anywhere in supermarkets in Thailand. Last time I went last month I bought one here in Bahrain and carried it to LOS on the plane. The difference it made to my diet there was incalculable.

[Tywais]

Any more suggestions?

Sorry to state the obvious but can you cook? I prepare all my western style food myself and indulge only occasionaly on takeout. Or hire a cook to prepare what you want, maybe come in 3-4 times a week - may not be too expensive.

[Merlin]

you need to find a girl like my wife. She can cook anything, after seeing it done once. Steak and chips [french fries] to perfection, pancakes, Spaghetti Bolognaise <or carbonara>, irish style stew, club sandwiches, anything.

[phuketsiam]

3 choices, learn to cook, go home or move to phuket, loads of cheap western food in phuket, its good too

[gisele]

ground beef (mince) is an ingredient in many western recipies (spag bog, meat loaf, chilli con carne, etc). Buy yourself a meat grinder and the potential for preparing your own western food at home becomes exponential (sausages as well). I haven't seen ground beef anywhere in supermarkets in Thailand. Last time I went last month I bought one here in Bahrain and carried it to LOS on the plane. The difference it made to my diet there was incalculable.

Sometimes Lotus had some ground beef or were nice enough to mince a kilo or 2 once in a while but now we have a Carrefour, and they have it all the time.

I don't like spicy Thai food at all or curry dishes, but I do love Prawns or fish with garlic, the vegetable dishes especially with baby corn, the omellettes, the fried rice. A lovely fresh fish dish is always great. Those little prawn cakes, Tot man kung are quite good with a sweet sauce.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, so far. No, I'm not going home. No, I don't cook. No, I divorced my wife after she proved for 20 years that she couldn't cook well. My live-in Thai boyfriend was amazed that I was totally intolerant to chiles, and stopped trying to cook more than steamed rice and veggies.

Sweet suegha wrote, "What is it you dislike? I presume the spices, if this is the case a lot of dishes can be prepared without spices." Sorry, suegha, but the Thai waitresses and cooks I've run into don't speak "mai pet." They are incapable of leaving out the chiles, sooner or later, usually sooner. I've given up trying.

So, I guess I'll keep eating at Western tourist restaurants.

P.S.: food isn't important to me. I only eat to stay alive. My mother also was a very plain cook. Mai bpen rai. To me, Thais are obsessed with food.

Edited December 9, 2005 by PeaceBlondie

[Merlin]

good grief. If you think Thais are "obsessed with food", I don't think you'd last more than a couple of days in Japan. Thais just throw a few ingredients together and cook em quickly then dump them on a plate. Hours of meticulous preparation and presentation go into a Japanese meal...

oh, and wasabe is as hot as any tom yum anyday...

[zzap]

Well, if it's just the chillies, order something which doesn't have any and requires you to add your own (or not).

Fried rice, fried noodles (pad seu), various rice and noodle soups qualify, and these are amongst the cheapest dishes you can order, too.

Grilled anything - fish, pork, chicken, you'll get the spicy sauce seperately in a small saucer or plastic bag...

Or boil some potatoes, it's not that difficult, and fry an egg to go with it.

BTW, I found eateries prepare the food exactly as I require, I make a point of ordering directly from the cook and keep ordering the same dishes from the same place, ie. stick to places in your immediate neighbourhod, I even got them to deliver to my doorstep at no extra charge.

Edited December 9, 2005 by zzap

[lomatopo]

Do you have the capability to cook where you live? Do you have the desire to learn? If so, there are dozens of dishes that are easy to prepare.

My local Foodland sells fresh, shrink-wrapped all-in-one meal ingredients. These usually have meat or fish, noodles, veggies, spices that can be prepared in a variety of ways, quickly and easily, usually in a single pan or pot.

Other than chillies do you any problems with other traditional Thai spices like garlic, lemongrass, coriander, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, galangal?

There are lots of Thai dishes that do not have a lot of spices or can certainly be made without spices.

What types of Thai eateries are nearby? In addition to sit-down restaurants and carts, I consider myself very lucky to have a very small, outdoor restaurant nearby. I hesitate to even call it a restaurant as it is under a jury-rigged awning, with two gas-fired cookers, and two tables. The man and woman who run this, open 9 AM – 3 PM only, will cook anything provided they have the ingredients. You can sit and eat or take-away. Most dishes are 25 – 30 baht.

Sometimes I have an omelette, with rice on the side, which started off as Khai Chieo Moo Sap, an egg omelette with ground pork. Now I get it made with additional things that might be on hand like tomatoes, onions, mushrooms. I think there are many, many different kinds of omelettes (Khai Yat Sai, for example).

They also prepare fish, grilled or fried, simply, but then have a spicy sauce that gets added after cooking. You can have it without the sauce.

There are a lot of soups that are mild. Sometimes I have a sort of pork soup with tofu, Gaeng Jood Thao Hoo Moo Sap. I’ve also had some mild chicken soups with noodles. And there are rice soups that are mild. There are a lot of spices on the table which can be added after cooking.

If you cannot cook where you live, try to search out small Thai restaurants where you can establish a relationship with the proprietors. I think you’ll be able to find one or two where they will enjoy preparing food for you, as you like it?

Here is a list of recipes to give you feel for the names and ingredients.

And another brief list for reference.

Good luck.

Edited December 9, 2005 by lomatopo

[zzap]

I somehow suspect it's a psychological issue rather than a practical one.

It's not that hard to get low-priced decent food.

It's up to Blondie to look into the issues involved here, or ask for further feed-back.

[suegha]

It's easy to learn how to cook particularly if you just 'eat to live'. Although I love to cook Thai food as it's very easy to prepare, I cook Italian as well. Simple pasta dishes take 15 mins and are very tasty and good for you. Once you get a bit of confidence you make them up as you go along trying out different ingredients. As long as you have fun cooking everything turns out fine!

It's so easy to impress your friends/loved one too...

Edited December 9, 2005 by suegha

[britmaveric]

Stall food another option - chicken, beef, pork on sticks - mind you skip the peppers in the skewers. (very hot)

[chuchok]

Cooking isn't exactly rocket science.Learn to cook.

[bkkmadness]

At the end of the day you need to pull your finger out and learn how to cook some basic food dishes, thats what I did, because of the cost, the dissapointment in farang dishes in many of the more basic restaurants and because its an enjoyable experience.

You need to get a fair few dried herbs and spices together like your thyme, oregano, parsley etc. at about 100-150 baht a pot but once you have them they last you ages and you build up your stock as you go along.

After that for some basic dishes the cost is minimal as all you need to do is buy the meat and veg which is well priced here.

Ok, quick example of costs of a couple of dishes I do.

2 Chicken Kiev and mash potatoes.

Chicken Breasts - 35 baht

Small amount of dried herb - well 100 baht a pot so maybe 1 bahts worth.

Garlic - maybe using again 1-2 bahts worth.

Black pepper, less than a 1 bahts worth.

Salt - not even a baht.

2-3 of potatoes to mash - 20 baht

Butter - maybe using 4-5 bahts worth

Breadcrumbs - 2 baht?

Egg - 5 baht?

So looking there for that meal which suits me and I'm quite a big lad about 65-70 baht.

And it tastes as good as any resturant, I've mastered it now!

2 Chicken Cordon Bleu and mash potatoes.

Chicken Breasts - 35 baht

Lump of cheese - about 20 bahts worth.

2 slices of ham (doesn't have to be the best stuff coz cooked with the cheese and chicken) - say 30 baht.

Small amount of dried herb - well 100 baht a pot so maybe 1 bahts worth.

Black pepper, less than a 1 bahts worth.

Salt - not even a baht.

2-3 of potatoes to mash - 20 baht

Butter - maybe using 1-2 bahts worth

Breadcrumbs - 2 baht?

Egg - 5 baht?

There you go, 110-115 baht.

The Cordon Bleu is a little more awkward to prepare but after some time you will be able to knock both these meals up quick time.

Spaghetti Bol, Spag and meatballs, home made burgers, all very cheap to make and my Spag and meatballs is famous if I do say so myself.

How did I learn to cook them, well grabbed a few of these little books down the villa market and started learning from there, and the internet is also a great source for recipies.

When I was in the UK I used to just buy frozen food, stick it in the oven for 20-30 minutes and do some spuds. Now I'm proud to say got a fair few dishes under my belt.

You gotta make the effort.

Edited December 9, 2005 by bkkmadness

[samran]

At the end of the day you need to pull your finger out and learn how to cook some basic food dishes, thats what I did, because of the cost, the dissapointment in farang dishes in many of the more basic restaurants and because its an enjoyable experience.

You need to get a fair few dried herbs and spices together like your thyme, oregano, parsley etc. at about 100-150 baht a pot but once you have them they last you ages and you build up your stock as you go along.

  After that for some basic dishes the cost is minimal as all you need to do is buy the meat and veg which is well priced here. 

Ok, quick example of costs of a couple of dishes I do.

2 Chicken Kiev and mash potatoes.

  Chicken Breasts - 35 baht

  Small amount of dried herb - well 100 baht a pot so maybe 1 bahts worth.

  Garlic - maybe using again 1-2 bahts worth.

  Black pepper, less than a 1 bahts worth.

  Salt - not even a baht.

  2-3 of potatoes to mash - 20 baht

  Butter - maybe using 4-5 bahts worth

  Breadcrumbs - 2 baht?

  Egg - 5 baht?

  So looking there for that meal which suits me and I'm quite a big lad about 65-70 baht.

  And it tastes as good as any resturant, I've mastered it now!

2 Chicken Cordon Bleu and mash potatoes.

  Chicken Breasts - 35 baht

  Lump of cheese - about 20 bahts worth.

  2 slices of ham (doesn't have to be the best stuff coz cooked with the cheese    and chicken) - say 30 baht.

  Small amount of dried herb - well 100 baht a pot so maybe 1 bahts worth.

  Black pepper, less than a 1 bahts worth.

  Salt - not even a baht.

  2-3 of potatoes to mash - 20 baht

  Butter - maybe using 1-2 bahts worth

  Breadcrumbs - 2 baht?

  Egg - 5 baht?

There you go, 110-115 baht.

The Cordon Bleu is a little more awkward to prepare but after some time you will be able to knock both these meals up quick time.

Spaghetti Bol, Spag and meatballs, home made burgers, all very cheap to make and my Spag and meatballs is famous if I do say so myself.

How did I learn to cook them, well grabbed a few of these little books down the villa market and started learning from there, and the internet is also a great source for recipies.

When I was in the UK I used to just buy frozen food, stick it in the oven for 20-30 minutes and do some spuds.  Now I'm proud to say got a fair few dishes under my belt.

You gotta make the effort.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

great post. I go through stages where I'm either eating Thai food from food vendors for a month, or I am cooking farang food at home. You can save money if you shop smart. You don't have to head to the local equivalent of a Villa to get all your stuff. The local tesco lotus usually has 80% of what you need to get (at Thai prices). The other 20% of hard to find western stuff, you might have to get from a villa, but at the end of the day, you are still saving tonnes of cash by cooking at home.

PB - cooking is fun mate, I look forward to coming home and preparing a meal. Its a great way to wind down from a day at the office, and it is even better here than in the west as you can hire a maid to come in and do the dishes!!

[COBBER]

Do you have the capability to cook where you live? Do you have the desire to learn? If so, there are dozens of dishes that are easy to prepare.

My local Foodland sells fresh, shrink-wrapped all-in-one meal ingredients. These usually have meat or fish, noodles, veggies, spices that can be prepared in a variety of ways, quickly and easily, usually in a single pan or pot.

Other than chillies do you any problems with other traditional Thai spices like garlic, lemongrass, coriander, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, galangal?

There are lots of Thai dishes that do not have a lot of spices or can certainly be made without spices.

What types of Thai eateries are nearby? In addition to sit-down restaurants and carts, I consider myself very lucky to have a very small, outdoor restaurant nearby. I hesitate to even call it a restaurant as it is under a jury-rigged awning, with two gas-fired cookers, and two tables. The man and woman who run this, open 9 AM – 3 PM only, will cook anything provided they have the ingredients. You can sit and eat or take-away. Most dishes are 25 – 30 baht.

Sometimes I have an omelette, with rice on the side, which started off as Khai Chieo Moo Sap, an egg omelette with ground pork. Now I get it made with additional things that might be on hand like tomatoes, onions, mushrooms. I think there are many, many different kinds of omelettes (Khai Yat Sai, for example).

They also prepare fish, grilled or fried, simply, but then have a spicy sauce that gets added after cooking. You can have it without the sauce.

There are a lot of soups that are mild. Sometimes I have a sort of pork soup with tofu, Gaeng Jood Thao Hoo Moo Sap. I’ve also had some mild chicken soups with noodles. And there are rice soups that are mild. There are a lot of spices on the table which can be added after cooking.

If you cannot cook where you live, try to search out small Thai restaurants where you can establish a relationship with the proprietors. I think you’ll be able to find one or two where they will enjoy preparing food for you, as you like it?

Here is a list of recipes to give you feel for the names and ingredients.

And another brief list for reference.

Good luck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Love the Tom Yum Kung Pizza on the link. Reminds me of the Vegemite Pizza back in Oz.

[lopburi3]

Although it may be hard to get the idea across to a waitress you can DIY at MK Suki or BBQPlaza type places. There are huge numbers of Chinese restaurants where you can find food without spice. How about Japanese food? Most of the prepared SP frozen entries are mild or no spice.

[Gary A]

I know exactly how you feel. When I first moved over I was so sick of fried rice that I would as soon just go hungry. As time went on I found food like kao ka moo (pig leg and vegetables plus rice) that I actually enjoyed. Kai yut sai (omelet stuffed with pork) was also quite palatable. the fried pork ribs with garlic is good. I had them cook whatever I ordered with NO peppers. Without a doubt a pepper or two would always slip in. As time went on I started eating the food as cooked and even adding fish sauce and peppers. I went from hating spicy food to craving it. It must be a powerful acquired taste because I now rarely eat farang food even though my wife can cook the farang dishes quite well. Hang in there and you will adapt and begin to enjoy the Thai food.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks again. Bkkmadness and samran's posts were especially helpful. I say with sighs of reluctance, if I've changed so much of my life since divorcing my wife 20 years ago, I guess I could learn to cook. Not yet though; it's six weeks before I'll have a kitchen.

Please, however, read the title of this forum and the original post. No Thai food. No Thai food. Yes, it's become psychological, since I burned my mouth (which is far more sensitive than most farang's) more times than I care to count. I avoid Thai food like that dog bite last week. As I said, please don't suggest it. And yes, what doesn't burn like the fires of Hades smells like a plugged up outhouse or tastes like week-old nose snot. And if you farang don't understand what I'm saying in our native tongue, imagine how deaf the Thai waitresses and cooks are, since I don't speak Thai.

Yes, after I move in to a new place which has a proper kitchen and gas burners, I can prepare fresh veggies, steamed rice, chicken breasts (my neighbor buys his on Saturday at the market across the street), eggs sunny side up, hamburgers with the trimmings, maybe a pork chop or salmon steak.

I forget which I hate more: garlic, coconut milk, or ginger. I almost vomit just smelling them.

Yet again, thanks to everybody who thought to suggest NON THAI FOOD. Just because I live here doesn't mean I have to eat Thai food.

[suegha]

It's true that just because you live in Thailand you don't have to eat Thai!

Also though, you are listening to your body. If the smell (and taste) of certain things makes you sick it's your system telling you to avoid them, so well done. My wife has an allergy to ginger (although not galangal!) and tried to develop a taste for it but kept on being violently ill - now she just never touches it and has no problems.

Enjoy your food!

[aughie]

What about chinese food? Cantonese is not spicy at all.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Have you got a toasted sandwich machine? They won't require a kitchen, and are really good if you butter up the outside of the sandwich before you toast them.

Lotus are selling an own-make one just now for about 600 baht. All you need is some cheese and a knife!

You can try adding onions, meat and some fruit to the cheese as well!

PS. I have to say it or I'll explode! How can you deny yourself one of the best things about living in Thailand?

[PeaceBlondie]

PS.  I have to say it or I'll explode!  How can you deny yourself one of the best things about living in Thailand?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thai food is not one of the best things about living in Thailand. In fact, in my mind, Thai food is the worst thing about Thailand.

You may rest assured that I am not denying myself the best thing about living in Thailand.

Grant, is a 'toasted sandwich machine' the same household appliance that Americans just call 'toaster'? My Thai boyfriend could not believe that such a cheap appliance would automatically pop up the toast before burning it.

[lopburi3]

It is a grill/hot plate that opens and you place a sandwich inside and close the top cover to cook both sides at the same time. They work great for a grilled ham and cheese or even peanut butter.

You can buy prepared sandwich many places now so that would be another option at reasonable cost. Bread and ham, bologna, cheese and such are easily available and if combined with tomato, cucumber, lettuce could make a reasonable sandwich. French fries are available frozen everywhere and can be fried in a wok or oven.

Easy to boil or fry shirmp and seafood.

[SBACM]

Awesome link thanks!!!

Do you have the capability to cook where you live? Do you have the desire to learn? If so, there are dozens of dishes that are easy to prepare.

My local Foodland sells fresh, shrink-wrapped all-in-one meal ingredients. These usually have meat or fish, noodles, veggies, spices that can be prepared in a variety of ways, quickly and easily, usually in a single pan or pot.

Other than chillies do you any problems with other traditional Thai spices like garlic, lemongrass, coriander, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, galangal?

There are lots of Thai dishes that do not have a lot of spices or can certainly be made without spices.

What types of Thai eateries are nearby? In addition to sit-down restaurants and carts, I consider myself very lucky to have a very small, outdoor restaurant nearby. I hesitate to even call it a restaurant as it is under a jury-rigged awning, with two gas-fired cookers, and two tables. The man and woman who run this, open 9 AM – 3 PM only, will cook anything provided they have the ingredients. You can sit and eat or take-away. Most dishes are 25 – 30 baht.

Sometimes I have an omelette, with rice on the side, which started off as Khai Chieo Moo Sap, an egg omelette with ground pork. Now I get it made with additional things that might be on hand like tomatoes, onions, mushrooms. I think there are many, many different kinds of omelettes (Khai Yat Sai, for example).

They also prepare fish, grilled or fried, simply, but then have a spicy sauce that gets added after cooking. You can have it without the sauce.

There are a lot of soups that are mild. Sometimes I have a sort of pork soup with tofu, Gaeng Jood Thao Hoo Moo Sap. I’ve also had some mild chicken soups with noodles. And there are rice soups that are mild. There are a lot of spices on the table which can be added after cooking.

If you cannot cook where you live, try to search out small Thai restaurants where you can establish a relationship with the proprietors. I think you’ll be able to find one or two where they will enjoy preparing food for you, as you like it?

Here is a list of recipes to give you feel for the names and ingredients.

And another brief list for reference.

Good luck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[gwmss15]

I couldnt agree more Thai food is the worst thing about thailand because of it i have to spend 10000 bhat per month on food and iam not happy and cook at home everyday or eat in western resturants.

PeaceBlondie stated:

Thai food is not one of the best things about living in Thailand. In fact, in my mind, Thai food is the worst thing about Thailand.

I think everyone will find that there are many people who live and work in thailand who canot stand thai food.

more cheap suggestions on where to buy western food and the like espcially in areas like nonthaburi

[Tyree D.]

I ate Thai food every week in L.A. Now I eat it everyday. I've had to explain I love spicy. I say in my best Thai, "Do I look like a white lady from Europe that can't tolerate anything over 0 degrees?" Yeeeeeah. What was the question again?