Going Off Thai Food

[Vinny1967]

I used to love Thai food when I was living in Europe.Since I've moved over here,I've become less and less fond of it.I think it's because of all the fat and skin that you get in your meal over here.If my other half makes food for me,then it's made with a fillet of whatever,but when she buys it from the vendors on the street I just can't eat it.Too much fat or bone.It just puts me off.I know I'm a picky so-and-so.Always hated any sort of fat unless it's crispy.Lately if I eat anything bought on the side of the street,I spend most of my time picking all the fat out of it until I lose my appetite and just give up.Is it just me or are there others who share my frustration ?

[smokie36]

You need to learn the Thai words and phrases for meat only or breast of chicken etc...no skin.

Once you do your meals will improve dramatically.

Edit: I am just as picky....but my gf is a great help in this regard with translations.

Edited January 21, 2013 by smokie36

[rgs2001uk]

I used to share your frustration, and learned a long time ago theres a reason these roadside joint charge 30 baht per plate.

I no longer eat at them and the wife no longer buys from them, if we buy food to take home it will be from a regular supermarket such as The Mall Bang Kapi, otherwise the wife cooks herself or we go to a half decent place to eat.

[transam]

OP, l am with you on this one. Now l don't eat Thai/Lao food. UNLESS, it is in a top notch place, then l will scan what is served up to others. .

[Vinny1967]

I honestly thought before I came over that I'd be as happy as a pig in s**t eating endless amounts of thai food but it hasn't worked out that way.I told her that she can't expect me to eat all the skin and bone things that most thai people class as normal.I've find myself craving good old western food which is something that I never expected.I'd really love to be able to eat all the stuff that thais eat but to be honest some of it just turns my stomach.

[tingtongfarang]

I know exactly how the op is thinking but i thought for a while it was just a barrier to cross, I have tried most of the perverse things its possible to find on the side of the street here but the majority i dont need to eat a second time.... just dont enjoy lumps of fat or bone to pick through,

You should try chickens <deleted> on a stick with sticky rice for breakfast

[Sydneycraig]

Chicken on the bone and leg has more flavor so I'm told but I much prefer fat/bone/gristle/skin free meat ... And chickens feet ... <deleted>

[xen]

It is not so much the fat and bone as the other unknowns in the meal. Never ever liked offal such as pig intestine, livers& Kidneys , pigs trotters , brains, dried blood etc all leave me hungry as i refuse to eat.

[Dancealot]

You are not going off Thai food but off european-thai food and in there lies a big difference:

Fat is food. Everyone needs their daily dosage of fat. I have a friend who thinks the same because he was conditioned in the west by this fact.

The OP states he loved european-thai food. So he has grown accustomed to it and after eating real Thai food in Thailand he was in for a big surprise....

I eat fat and i love it. Never try to avoid it and surely never throw it in the bin, like my friend did yesterday..

Edited January 21, 2013 by Dancealot

[MAJIC]

I honestly thought before I came over that I'd be as happy as a pig in s**t eating endless amounts of thai food but it hasn't worked out that way.I told her that she can't expect me to eat all the skin and bone things that most thai people class as normal.I've find myself craving good old western food which is something that I never expected.I'd really love to be able to eat all the stuff that thais eat but to be honest some of it just turns my stomach.

Basically it comes down to two things: poor quality meat ingredients,or cheap cuts,and once in while you just got to get stuck into "Farang" food,regardless of cost.there is no comparison with imported mature Steak,and Thai unhung beef (should be at least 2 weeks in a cool room).The nearest to quality beef I found in Thailand,was the French Thai meat company (they rear their own),in Sakonakon,and one other place,from the same company,and then distribute to other places in Thailand.

I never had a tough piece of Pork,until I went to Thailand,luckily not often.Buying cooked dishes from a market,can be off putting,all those flies and lack of hygiene issues,doesnt exactly encourage ones appetite,when my wife chooses market food late at night,I always wonder? was it cooked early today,or even yesterday? Thats when I give it a good Microwaving to make sure it's safe.

I'm not even going to talk about buying uncooked/unrefridgerated market meat.

[eeeya]

I never eat from the bain marie of death from the market.

Cheap cuts of meat. Too much fat.

[Dancealot]

Nobody died from eating fat and eating meat that was lying around all day surrounded by critters.

Why is everyone so paranoid about this?

[uptheos]

Most of these places cater to Thai needs/wants and like it or not, most Thais like fat, skin, bone and gristle. If you look in supermarkets that cater to westerners, you will still find the fat or bony joints more expensive. Most eating places will do their best to oblige if you ask for meat with no fat or skin.

[cooked]

Much of the cooking oil used by street food places is bought cheap from restaurants and recycled (bleach), I posted the reference to this before, can't find it for the moment. I used to think that families sat on the back of their pickup cooking their own food were poor, I now find myself doing the same, the rice cooker plus our own rice, chili, chicken breast in the ice box for a day or two, coffee stuff, all goes with us. Going off for four days now in fact

[Dancealot]

Most of these places cater to Thai needs/wants and like it or not, most Thais like fat, skin, bone and gristle. If you look in supermarkets that cater to westerners, you will still find the fat or bony joints more expensive. Most eating places will do their best to oblige if you ask for meat with no fat or skin.

+1

[Dancealot]

Much of the cooking oil used by street food places is bought cheap from restaurants and recycled (bleach), I posted the reference to this before, can't find it for the moment. I used to think that families sat on the back of their pickup cooking their own food were poor, I now find myself doing the same, the rice cooker plus our own rice, chili, chicken breast in the ice box for a day or two, coffee stuff, all goes with us. Going off for four days now in fact

Share some pictures of that, please.. Mr. Cooked.

[cooked]

Much of the cooking oil used by street food places is bought cheap from restaurants and recycled (bleach), I posted the reference to this before, can't find it for the moment. I used to think that families sat on the back of their pickup cooking their own food were poor, I now find myself doing the same, the rice cooker plus our own rice, chili, chicken breast in the ice box for a day or two, coffee stuff, all goes with us. Going off for four days now in fact

Share some pictures of that, please.. Mr. Cooked.

All you would see is the gas cylinder, everything else is in the ice box /luggage. I'll try to get some when we cook at midday.

[manarak]

You need to learn the Thai words and phrases for meat only or breast of chicken etc...no skin.

Once you do your meals will improve dramatically.

Edit: I am just as picky....but my gf is a great help in this regard with translations.

Kao man gai is so much more tasty with skin!

mmmmmh

[DP25]

It is not so much the fat and bone as the other unknowns in the meal. Never ever liked offal such as pig intestine, livers& Kidneys , pigs trotters , brains, dried blood etc all leave me hungry as i refuse to eat.

You can ask for those things to be left out in most dishes. They are including them because most Thais like them, but if you say to leave them out you can just get the normal meat.

As for bone, I find that most often in curry stalls with chicken dishes. Some better quality stalls won't have much bone, but with stalls you don't know it's safer to just order the pork which won't have bone. With skin and fat you can ask for it not to be included. In some dishes like khao kah moo the skin is a feature that most people like, they are happy to leave it out if you don't want it.

I don't like meat skin or bone, and I don't eat most innards, and I have no problem happily munching down on 30 baht Thai meals all over the country. Just have to know what to order and what to stay away from, and what instructions to give with certain dishes. When all else fails there is always khao man gai as a safe dish you can find in most of the country.

[Vinny1967]

I'm not saying I totally hate dishes with skin and bone.For example I love spare ribs (that's on the bone).When I was working in Germany I was mad about schweinehaxe.Now that's a lump of meat on the bone surrounded by a thick layer of fat/skin,but the meat inside is awesome.You just full back the fat in one go and you're at the meat.I'll eat skin if it's deep fried or a bit crispy but over here they seem to boil everything first.

I know I might come across as a bit of fuddy duddy but it's just the way I've always been with food.I've travelled all over the world and I always try the local cuisine and beer but I have my limits.I have to say though.Thai food ain't as bad as the food in the Philippines .

[Jingthing]

It's also a matter of the overall QUALITY of the meats. Compare a spicy Thai beef salad at a better Thai restaurant in the USA with any such salad using THAI beef in Thailand. No contest. Same ingredients otherwise.

[GarryP]

I used to share your frustration, and learned a long time ago theres a reason these roadside joint charge 30 baht per plate.

I no longer eat at them and the wife no longer buys from them, if we buy food to take home it will be from a regular supermarket such as The Mall Bang Kapi, otherwise the wife cooks herself or we go to a half decent place to eat.

Sorry I just couldn't resist.

How many times can your wife cook herself, and if she cooks herself a second time, don't you mind being served leftovers?

[wayned]

My wife has a small "restaurant" in the village where I live. Pad kapow gop and nook are the local favorites. The frogs are bopped on the head to kill them, then they are gutted and the "bad" parts removed and then everthing is chopped with a cleaver, feet, eyes, skin et all, to make the mince for the pad kapow. She usually buys nook at the market already dead and defeathered, but its chopped just like the frog. Thais make use of everything that they have been taught is edible and waste very little. I eat both and to be honest there's so much chilli in it I sometimes can't tell what the meat is.

Do you eat shrimp in Thai restaurants? Do you really think that they properly clean and devein all of them? They take the shell off, leave the tail and head and cook them without any further cleaning.

[Jingthing]

...

Do you eat shrimp in Thai restaurants? Do you really think that they properly clean and devein all of them? They take the shell off, leave the tail and head and cook them without any further cleaning.

That's true and that is not good.

[CaitlinHappyMeal]

Mai ow man

Mai ow kadoo

Will go far? Surely your wife knows how to ask for meat only?

Never had a problem myself?

[eeeya]

...

Do you eat shrimp in Thai restaurants? Do you really think that they properly clean and devein all of them? They take the shell off, leave the tail and head and cook them without any further cleaning.

That's true and that is not good.

Eat 'em all. Let god sort it out

[Jingthing]

...

Do you eat shrimp in Thai restaurants? Do you really think that they properly clean and devein all of them? They take the shell off, leave the tail and head and cook them without any further cleaning.

That's true and that is not good.

Eat 'em all. Let god sort it out

I'm OK with the heads and shells but the sheit, it's just lazy cooking not to remove it, and generally Thai cooks in Thailand do not. I'm sorry, that's objectively wrong to serve feces on a plate. Edited January 22, 2013 by Jingthing

[NeverSure]

We have a wonderful Thai restaurant about 5 minutes from me. It has been owned and operated by Thai natives for about 20 years. They have learned that the fat and bone aren't so welcome, and use quality meat. The downside is that the meals average just under $US10.

Speaking of Khao Man Gai, I make it into a burger. I buy the sauce from the Thai restaurant in a pint jar. I mix it generously into lean ground beef and mix cilantro into the mayo. Thais would think I'm crazy, which I probably am, but now it's quick very tasty. I make up a batch, freeze the extra patties after cooking, and I'm 2 minutes in the microwave from a good tasting meal.

With rice on the side with a little of the sauce, I'm missing only the chicken, hahaha.

Yum.

Edited January 22, 2013 by NeverSure

[rgs2001uk]

I used to share your frustration, and learned a long time ago theres a reason these roadside joint charge 30 baht per plate.

I no longer eat at them and the wife no longer buys from them, if we buy food to take home it will be from a regular supermarket such as The Mall Bang Kapi, otherwise the wife cooks herself or we go to a half decent place to eat.

Sorry I just couldn't resist.

How many times can your wife cook herself, and if she cooks herself a second time, don't you mind being served leftovers?

I dont know, what I do know is, she regularly finds herself in hot water, shoots herself in the foot or drops herself in the shit, typical Thai, manages all that without losing face.

[wayned]

We have a wonderful Thai restaurant about 5 minutes from me. It has been owned and operated by Thai natives for about 20 years. They have learned that the fat and bone aren't so welcome, and use quality meat. The downside is that the meals average just under $US10.

Speaking of Khao Man Gai, I make it into a burger. I buy the sauce from the Thai restaurant in a pint jar. I mix it generously into lean ground beef and mix cilantro into the mayo. Thais would think I'm crazy, which I probably am, but now it's quick very tasty. I make up a batch, freeze the extra patties after cooking, and I'm 2 minutes in the microwave from a good tasting meal.

With rice on the side with a little of the sauce, I'm missing only the chicken, hahaha.

Yum.

Not quite sure how you make khao man gai out of ground beef since GAI is chicken. Must wave the magic wand!