Why Bangkok street food sucks: Opinion

[watcharacters]

He is right I think.

The street food here is overrated. I too think Thai food dine right is a beautiful thing, but can only think of one street food vendor that really works magic for me. There are more really good small, open air restaurants I feel. Many bad ones too of course.

The thing he didn't mention that I thought he should have: if you go into a truly good street food country like mexico, it does not matter how many people are waiting - you order 3 tacos and the guy starts cutting your beef and a woman behind him is chopping some more fresh onions and cilantro. He makes exactly what you order, no more, no less.

In bangkok, they cook once and it all just sits there, all day, and maybe into the next. They use vegetables that have really gone past the point of no return, and it is just generally annoying the way they look at cleanliness vs profit. If it is no good, throw it out for F--- sake. At the very least it is very unnerving. There are exceptions of course, but the general rule here is food sitting there in the heat all day. The best street food is made eloquent by counteracting the "street" with a fresh preparation.

I am a huge street food fan in general, and Thailand has got it no doubt, but I am becoming less and less of a fan. It really just isn't that good at all.

.

What doesn't sell today is fresh for tomorrow? 555

"In bangkok, they cook once and it all just sits there, all day, and maybe into the next. They use vegetables that have really gone past the point of no return, and it is just generally annoying the way they look at cleanliness vs profit. If it is no good, throw it out for F--- sake. At the very least it is very unnerving. There are exceptions of course, but the general rule here is food sitting there in the heat all day. The best street food is made eloquent by counteracting the "street" with a fresh preparation.

I am a huge street food fan in general, and Thailand has got it no doubt, but I am becoming less and less of a fan. It really just isn't that good at all."

[Somchai Mao]

The ever present rats, unhygienic utensils, dirty washing up water and lack of personal hygiene by some of the cooks are enough to put me off Bangkok street food but after a dozen Changs I have no problem with some barbecued chicken.

[brummiebob]

Actually around office area like Silom or Asok, the vendors seem to organize themselves into small foodcourts with electricity for fridges and running water, but obviously they'll need to pay rent on such place.

If the things are freshly cooked it's probably fine. It's the 'Khao Gaeng' dishes that is served with rice that seems to be cooked since 4AM and has been sitting there all morning that I can't get my head around, how could you eat something like that?

As for issue with the oils, sometime the health department does spot checks on frying oil.

[Blackfox]

I live in Phahonyotin area. Tom yum at Centara Grand was the least delicious and very expensive. By contrast, Tom yum at Lad Phrao Soi 15 is inexpensive and the best my gf and I have had in BKK. It is of great quality and our yardstick when having the dish elsewhere.

Another thread about schooling, just because you pay more in a better environment does not translate to it being better.

[Curt1591]

In that area, across from Central Ladphrao, there is a little cook-to-order shop about 20 meters down this trok: http://goo.gl/maps/2wNGQ

It was recommended to us by a worker at World Camera. The lady puts out some real tasty dishes.

Funny thing, the guy with the moto-cart is still there, two years after this Google photo was taken!

[millwall_fan]

The street food is not made for you guys and if you cant see that you really haven't been here very long. This food at 30-40 baht a plate is all that most Thais can afford. Most don't have cooking facilities in their apartments or can't afford the overloaded electric charges that most unscrupulous Bangkok landlords charge. Street food is a necessity for millions of Bangkokians.its not for the wealthy and if it crowds the sidewalk too bad for you, if they invented hawkers centres a la Singapore, some rich Chinese Thai would coin it in charge the vendors and the prices would go up and then the poor couldn't afford to eat again. or wags would have to rise and more inflation.

Most Thais know its not organic and the MSG is the only thing that makes it edible and that rats are in teh area but thats all they can afford. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

In point of fact most street food is perfectly clean and edible. Thais have very good basic hygiene standards, even in the grubbiest environments.

[Bikkii]

I lived in Singapore for 2 yrs. Does that make me know better than most..lol. I can assure you that most hawker market food there was filled with MSG especially the Chinese food. And some of the rats I saw running around my Lorong coffee shop were equal to anything in BKK. Food was delicious though and so was the MSG.

[davetrout]

i cannot eat when everything around you smeels so bad

[Curt1591]

Find a better location.

[davetrout]

you should try india

[bangon04]

i cannot eat when everything around you smeels so bad

Why do street vendors often set up next to a stinking khlong? Is it just because of the washing plates, or do Thais prefer the mixed aromas to enjoy the food?

I suppose the answer must be to eat street food inside - in the food courts of the millions of shopping malls in Bangkok... not much more expensive and just as "authentic" as anything else...

[Curt1591]

i cannot eat when everything around you smeels so bad

Why do street vendors often set up next to a stinking khlong? Is it just because of the washing plates, or do Thais prefer the mixed aromas to enjoy the food?

I suppose the answer must be to eat street food inside - in the food courts of the millions of shopping malls in Bangkok... not much more expensive and just as "authentic" as anything else...

Although there are some good stalls, at some food courts, often, many of the stalls are owned buy the malls themselves. This means that the operator is simply someone who was looking for a job and bags a couple hundred baht/day for their efforts.

Most carts and small shops are started and run buy people who cook what they like to cook, and usually do it well.

As far as dining-in-the-stink goes, we often eat from street food carts and shops. But, if the place stinks, we find another. I mean really, smell is a big part of taste.

We also don't eat food that stinks, looks like it has sat around, or simply looks awful. We like to call it common sense ...

[Bikkii]

I love street food, always have, always will. and yes never have been sick sampling many different places around Thailand. Ate 2 fried eggs and toast with a coffee at a halal restaurant last week, had the runs and stomach cramps ever since???

[millwall_fan]

i cannot eat when everything around you smeels so bad

Why do street vendors often set up next to a stinking khlong? Is it just because of the washing plates, or do Thais prefer the mixed aromas to enjoy the food?

I suppose the answer must be to eat street food inside - in the food courts of the millions of shopping malls in Bangkok... not much more expensive and just as "authentic" as anything else...

It's because those are often the only locations where some Mr. Big hasn't bought the rights to the sidewalk or some mafia type doesn't extract a fee for setting up a stall.

[toybits]

Behold! The Messiah (named Terence Wang) has arrived!!! He who knows more than most has suggested (rather lame for a Messiah) the Singaporization of Thai Street Food vendors! Heed this call in order to be saved. Get your last 30 baht noodles before the price increases. Where is the Thai Lee Kwan Yu???

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

Due to most people's financial situation here, many such as laborers cannot afford to sit inside of a new, air conditioned supermarket every meal, c'mon. Most need a quick meal and don't have time anyway due to Bangkok's horrendous traffic and other things.

Street food and the spontaneous feel of Bangkok is what makes it special.

I don't see the need for moaning. If you're fussy, have a high budget & think you're so great, then go to greyhound, sit down & shut up, especially a spoiled little kid who has been here all of 2.5 years!

Ah greyhound, the epitome of fine dining.

you sure know how to do it up right.

[davetrout]

just get drunk before you eat

[thechineseguy]

due to limited budget (means i am poor), and i'm chinese, i ate all kinds of sh!ts my whole life, so i eat street food occasionally, but still, when i eat street food, i try to avoid any salad or any thing fresh, even egg i like to have it well xxxxxxx done， this is one of the most useful things i learned from china.

sure street food exist for reasons, like letting poor dude like me can actully afford a meal.
but for those street food lovers, especially ` song-dum '（thai salad）, how about getting a parasites test?

Edited October 22, 2013 by metisdead
Profanity

[nzvic]

I LOVE the street food and look forward to particularly good rice noodles and fishballs just along from my son's home (not salty or msg added). It costs 8x that price for the same meal in Ak. Still miss the disappeared vendor whose kowl mun gai had the perfect steamed chicken, soup and sauce, despite trying lots of great restaurants with very interesting Thai dishes...yum, can't wait until November for three-monthly Thai fix!

[Bikkii]

I LOVE the street food and look forward to particularly good rice noodles and fishballs just along from my son's home (not salty or msg added). It costs 8x that price for the same meal in Ak. Still miss the disappeared vendor whose kowl mun gai had the perfect steamed chicken, soup and sauce, despite trying lots of great restaurants with very interesting Thai dishes...yum, can't wait until November for three-monthly Thai fix!

I'm with you on that. Half the fun for me eating street food is seeing what condiments I will be served to add to my meal at each place. Some will serve coriander, spring onion, chilli, others garlic cloves, chilli, Thai basil etc. A rich part of Thailand's culture would dissapear if we sterilised street food and commercialised it in giant food courts.its all anout choice OP, you can go to a shopping centre and eat at a food court, I prefer to be on the road, eating from a place that looks like s@@t but tastes delicious.

[chaiyapoon]

Been eating street food for years often twice a day.

I can say the only time I have had problems is in restaurants.

You can at least see whats being cooked and how at a stall.

Who knows what is going on in a kitchen out the back?

Stick to busy places where they turn over a decent amount of food.

[MAJIC]

Thing is you can see what street vendors are doing to the food. Just because you pay more in a restaurant, doesn't mean they aren't doing the same, or perhaps much worse. Better the devil you know. I'd love for Gordon Ramsey to do a "Kitchen Nightmares" here.

"Don't you know the first rule of food preparation. Never put cooked meat next to uncooked meat. That's it. I'm closing the place down"

I doubt many BKK eateries (streetside or restaurant) would survive ;-)

But yeah, I've lived here 20 years and never had food poisoning. Last time I get food poisoning was Loughborough University food centre!!

"Don't you know the first rule of food preparation. Never put cooked meat next to uncooked meat. That's it. I'm closing the place down"

And that's exactly what put me off Korean Barbecues,and as it's a multiple do it yourself effort,nobody would wait for one batch of meat to cook ,before slopping on some uncooked meat,before taking off the already cooked meat!contaminated with partially cooked meat juice.

This is a great business idea,but to my knowledge (and rumoured,true or not ?) Public Health Regulations food hygiene licences,are not available, to open up this kind (Thai style Korean Barbecues ) of Food establishments in the UK,for the lack of hygiene reasons mentioned above! but certainly not a good idea to mix raw and cooked meat!

Edited October 26, 2013 by MAJIC

[MAJIC]

I LOVE the street food and look forward to particularly good rice noodles and fishballs just along from my son's home (not salty or msg added). It costs 8x that price for the same meal in Ak. Still miss the disappeared vendor whose kowl mun gai had the perfect steamed chicken, soup and sauce, despite trying lots of great restaurants with very interesting Thai dishes...yum, can't wait until November for three-monthly Thai fix!

I'm with you on that. Half the fun for me eating street food is seeing what condiments I will be served to add to my meal at each place. Some will serve coriander, spring onion, chilli, others garlic cloves, chilli, Thai basil etc. A rich part of Thailand's culture would dissapear if we sterilised street food and commercialised it in giant food courts.its all anout choice OP, you can go to a shopping centre and eat at a food court, I prefer to be on the road, eating from a place that looks like s@@t but tastes delicious.

The power of MSG!

[davetrout]

50million thais say you are wrong

[davetrout]

Thing is you can see what street vendors are doing to the food. Just because you pay more in a restaurant, doesn't mean they aren't doing the same, or perhaps much worse. Better the devil you know. I'd love for Gordon Ramsey to do a "Kitchen Nightmares" here.

"Don't you know the first rule of food preparation. Never put cooked meat next to uncooked meat. That's it. I'm closing the place down"

I doubt many BKK eateries (streetside or restaurant) would survive ;-)

But yeah, I've lived here 20 years and never had food poisoning. Last time I get food poisoning was Loughborough University food centre!!

"Don't you know the first rule of food preparation. Never put cooked meat next to uncooked meat. That's it. I'm closing the place down"

And that's exactly what put me off Korean Barbecues,and as it's a multiple do it yourself effort,nobody would wait for one batch of meat to cook ,before slopping on some uncooked meat,before taking off the already cooked meat!contaminated with partially cooked meat juice.

This is a great business idea,but to my knowledge (and rumoured,true or not ?) Public Health Regulations food hygiene licences,are not available, to open up this kind (Thai style Korean Barbecues ) of Food establishments in the UK,for the lack of hygiene reasons mentioned above! but certainly not a good idea to mix raw and cooked meat!

here here or hear hear

[planetdweller]

What is it with American-speak, everything

either "sucks" or is "awesome."

Pretty narrow-minded viewpoint. So , all ages , educational levels and virtually every American demographic uses "American-speak ? I get as annoyed as anyone at the lack of originality people use in conversing or writing in the US. But, I will say , if I had a dollar for every time I have heard 'awesome' , I'd be on a beach-front property in some exotic locale.

[davetrout]

What is it with American-speak, everything

either "sucks" or is "awesome."

Pretty narrow-minded viewpoint. So , all ages , educational levels and virtually every American demographic uses "American-speak ? I get as annoyed as anyone at the lack of originality people use in conversing or writing in the US. But, I will say , if I had a dollar for every time I have heard 'awesome' , I'd be on a beach-front property in some exotic locale.

take it easy what about the awwsome foursome thats wicked man

[Curt1591]

What is it with American-speak, everything

either "sucks" or is "awesome."

Pretty narrow-minded viewpoint. So , all ages , educational levels and virtually every American demographic uses "American-speak ? I get as annoyed as anyone at the lack of originality people use in conversing or writing in the US. But, I will say , if I had a dollar for every time I have heard 'awesome' , I'd be on a beach-front property in some exotic locale.

take it easy what about the awwsome foursome thats wicked man

Bloody Hell!

[F4UCorsair]

Oh yes. Please make Bangkok like Singapore. NOT

NO, never make Bangkok like Singapore.

I recall back in the 60/70's when it was decreed, by the government, that Singapore should be 'cleaned up'. It's not nearly the place it was as a result.

Hong Kong was next.

Leave Bangkok just as it is

[nzvic]

MSG aint the magic MAJIC, allergic to the stuff. Chickenstock from boiled bones from the street vendors I buy from.