Thai food the best in the world?

[Grateful farang]

@deepcell

Fish and chips in newspaper

I remember getting chips with words printed on them because of the newspaper

Very dirty and unhygenic

But all of that newspaper fiasco stopped in the early 1980's

Now health and safety is ridiculous

Any excuse to shut your business down and stop someone making any progress in their lives

[Crazy chef 1]

if you like plenty sugar,"fermented" stuff,MSG and deep frying is your prefered cooking method than you are right.

sorry forgot to add that if you like everything over powered by extreme spicy bird eye chiliis that you don't even know what are you eating and mixed with lime juice and fish sauce and the deep frying oil hsn't been changed since a few days THAN you are absolutely right here.

me thinks that sums it up-my concusion bout Thai food(in general).

[Crazy chef 1]

Good gawd what kind of a savage are you? New York pizzeria food! Preferably pizza, extra pepperoni / extra cheese.

t-boy,have a look at my avatar name the word CHEF should give you a hint about my profession.BTW i am not a Thai basher at all i love this country just no the food becuse of the above (and now later as well) replies.did you ever asked yourself if ther could be the posibilty between food related health problems and Thai food and the main cause of death in LOS....

just read a little bit an extend your IQ

[sirineou]

what makes you think america is the most ethnically diverse country in the world?

What makes you think that it's not

lots of studies. but of course it depends on what kind of diversity is being discussed. google's your friend

I Thought this was a thread about Thai food, and if it is the best in the world. As if any ethnic variety food can be the Best.

So I assume that the diversity discussed would be ethnic variety, as such the US by virtue of the fact that it is a nation of Immigrants, is a desired destination of immigrants, and has a large population, spread over a vast geographic area, can arguably be described as the most ethnically diverse country. There other Ethically diverse countries, such as Australia, Canada, etc. But the US by virtue of the facts that I mentioned above, can safely be described as the most.

Of course I could be wrong, I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that. If you could provide me with any links it would be much appreciated.

Having said all that , I think it is impossible to use subjective terms to come to an objective conclusion as to what is the best ethnic cuisine in the world. One cold arguably say that a particular cuisine is the healthiest, or most spicy,etc

but certainly not which is the Best. Best being a subjective term, subject to what each one of as prefers over an other.

Cooking is an art, could anyone say, which is the best art in the world?

Edited June 22, 2014 by sirineou

[shadmo63]

This is a bit like asking which country has the best women in the world. You can't say until you've tried them all and even then it comes down to which particular dishes you had and your own personal taste.

According to the UN (as a result of worldwide opinion not their official's 5 star restaurant expense accounts) the top two cuisines in the world are French and Japanese. The most popular also include Chinese, Italian and Thai with English having been omitted in error I guess?

Of the oriental cuisines I like Thai the best but I like others too and of course Thais don't do deserts. And if you like a decent 'pud' from time to time then nothing beats a traditional English sherry trifle in the summertime.

Bon appetit tout le monde!

Whaddya mean Thais don't do desserts? Ex-wife Thai chef told me desserts are the highest art of Thai cooking. But too sweet for me.

http://migrationology.com/2010/09/thai-desserts-khanom-wan-thai-the-ultimate-thailand-sweets-guide/

[Ulysses G.]

Thai desserts are crap, but mango with sticky rice is OK for a fairly healthy snack - not a real dessert in my book..

[rajyindee]

I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that.

I visited the US last year and couldn't find haggis pakoras anywhere. Ethnically diverse my ass!

Edited June 22, 2014 by rajyindee

[bonobo]

what makes you think america is the most ethnically diverse country in the world?

What makes you think that it's not

lots of studies. but of course it depends on what kind of diversity is being discussed. google's your friend

I Thought this was a thread about Thai food, and if it is the best in the world. As if any ethnic variety food can be the Best.

So I assume that the diversity discussed would be ethnic variety, as such the US by virtue of the fact that it is a nation of Immigrants, is a desired destination of immigrants, and has a large population, spread over a vast geographic area, can arguably be described as the most ethnically diverse country. There other Ethically diverse countries, such as Australia, Canada, etc. But the US by virtue of the facts that I mentioned above, can safely be described as the most.

Of course I could be wrong, I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that. If you could provide me with any links it would be much appreciated.

Having said all that , I think it is impossible to use subjective terms to come to an objective conclusion as to what is the best ethnic cuisine in the world. One cold arguably say that a particular cuisine is the healthiest, or most spicy,etc

but certainly not which is the Best. Best being a subjective term, subject to what each one of as prefers over an other.

Cooking is an art, could anyone say, which is the best art in the world?

By most scientific studies, the US is not the most culturally diverse nation in the world. It hovers around the middle. The reason for this is that most immigrants get "Americanized," shifting to English and the median American culture, whatever that is. There are about 337 languages spoken in the US, of which 176 are indigenous. On the other hand, In Papua New Guinea, there are over 500 separate languages spoken.

However, there are probably more trappings of diverse cultures in the US than in other nations. Papua New Guinea is often cited as the most diverse nation in the world, but I would hazard that they don't have any Peruvian, Nepalese, or Somali restaurants, there, for example. As this thread is based on cuisines, I can accept that the US has a more varied food availability than about anyplace else.

[sirineou]

I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that.

I visited the US last year and couldn't find haggis pakoras anywhere. Ethnically diverse my ass!

Thank you for bring this to everyone attention

It is a shameful chapter in our history,and one we don't like to advertise, as it will surely bring our tourist industry to a halt.

but could we interest you in some delicious Greek Kokorecci? sheep stomach entrails wrapped around liver, fat and kidney chunks, slowly roasted over an open fire. Ummm umm good.

of course it's no haggis pakoras .....

Edited June 22, 2014 by sirineou

[smokie36]

Good gawd what kind of a savage are you? New York pizzeria food! Preferably pizza, extra pepperoni / extra cheese.

t-boy,have a look at my avatar name the word CHEF should give you a hint about my profession.BTW i am not a Thai basher at all i love this country just no the food becuse of the above (and now later as well) replies.did you ever asked yourself if ther could be the posibilty between food related health problems and Thai food and the main cause of death in LOS....

just read a little bit an extend your IQ

I too love pepperoni pizza...but I would eat Krapow ten times as often as pizza....probably because each place I ate it will have a different flavour to it.

Pizza is always very similar....unless its really bad of course....

[smokie36]

Good Thai food is in my top three....but good Japanese food beats it hands down I have to say.

[harrry]

I knew you would get immediate smart a*se replies to this question.

Thai at heat is right....very little red meat or oven cooking. Some is very nice mind you. Again very little dairy products either.

My favorite is Indian food all the way. Greek is fine too.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes the Turks did teach the Greeks to cook didn't they

Seriously Greek and Turkish foods would be my favourite followed by Italian. Some Thai food is exceptional but if you look at what is eaten by everyday people there are few standouts.

[Grateful farang]

@harrry

Thanks for your reply

Dairy produce

Some races dont like it like european people

I remember back when the ethiopeans had that famine back in 1980's

Europe sent them butter and cheese surplus

But they couldnt digest it or something

Indian cuisine is exquisite

[Grindting]

Try authentic Sri Lankan food. Could never find any in LOS though. Its much spicier than Indian and has a multitude of flavours.

Can't believe I forgot about Sri Lankan !

When I worked in the Middle East I befriended a group of Sri Lankan construction middle management in my office. They were so refreshing to hang out with, Christians and Buddhists but still liked to have a beer. Made a change from the usual western arrogant big mouth expats I'm meant to hang with. They invited me round for dinner a couple of times, they were so humble and loved to have a western friend I was treated to a lavish banquet every time; the most incredible food, lots of fish and everything with coconut in it some how. And always had a pack lunch box made up before I left. I really do miss those days. Still have them on facebook

Sri Lankan food if you can find it, absolutely spot on !

[robertthebruce]

I miss European bread and cakes, Thai desserts are too sweet, when you do find some healthy Thai food, it's lovely, but these type of restaurants are few and far between, fortunately in Phuket we have a few choices...

I am strict Vegetarian so Japanese and French food is a nightmare for me...

Happy eating

[AYJAYDEE]

what makes you think america is the most ethnically diverse country in the world?

What makes you think that it's not

lots of studies. but of course it depends on what kind of diversity is being discussed. google's your friend

I Thought this was a thread about Thai food, and if it is the best in the world. As if any ethnic variety food can be the Best.

So I assume that the diversity discussed would be ethnic variety, as such the US by virtue of the fact that it is a nation of Immigrants, is a desired destination of immigrants, and has a large population, spread over a vast geographic area, can arguably be described as the most ethnically diverse country. There other Ethically diverse countries, such as Australia, Canada, etc. But the US by virtue of the facts that I mentioned above, can safely be described as the most.

Of course I could be wrong, I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that. If you could provide me with any links it would be much appreciated.

Having said all that , I think it is impossible to use subjective terms to come to an objective conclusion as to what is the best ethnic cuisine in the world. One cold arguably say that a particular cuisine is the healthiest, or most spicy,etc

but certainly not which is the Best. Best being a subjective term, subject to what each one of as prefers over an other.

Cooking is an art, could anyone say, which is the best art in the world?

america doesnt come near in any study

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_ranked_by_ethnic_and_cultural_diversity_level

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-revealing-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-ethnically-diverse-countries/

https://web.stanford.edu/group/fearon-research/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ethnic-and-Cultural-Diversity-by-Country.pdf

[seajae]

@seajae

Thanks for your reply

What kind of dishes do aussies create?

well considering we have some of the best tasting seafood in the world(unlike here it is from CLEAN water) and some of the best farming country in the world, some pretty bloody good ones. I love great food, every country has great dishes but it all depends on the quality of the ingredients, if the ingredients are below standard the dish may be nice but can be a whole lot better in another country with better ingredients, thai over seas can be a whole lot better than thai in Thailand, same with all the other countries dishes.

[Grateful farang]

@grindting

I will try and get me some sri lankan food

Coconut has medicinal properties, maybe thats why they put it in everything

I baked a coconut cake this week; it didnt last 3 days.

I will also make chicken tomorrow with coconut gravy

I'm actually trying to immitate indian cuisine

[Grateful farang]

@robertthebruce

Thanks for your reply

Strict vegatarian

So what kind of meals do you eat?

[Grateful farang]

@ayjaydee

America most etnically diverse

Well I say this because historically everyone wanted to go there

"the land of opportunity"

Swedish, polish, irish, english, russians, italians, jewish, spanish, mexicans, puerto ricans, dominicans, haitians, jamaicans, all caribbeans, south americans, central americans, indians, pakistanis, sri lankans, koreans, japanese, chinese, philipinoes, africans,

I could include 50 more countries.

Everyone wants to be there.

A lady recently asked me if I wanted to go to america

When I said no, she looked at me as though I were mad!

We started talking about food and jumped into something else.

Its ok as we havent broken any laws, lol!

[sirineou]

What makes you think that it's not

lots of studies. but of course it depends on what kind of diversity is being discussed. google's your friend

I Thought this was a thread about Thai food, and if it is the best in the world. As if any ethnic variety food can be the Best.

So I assume that the diversity discussed would be ethnic variety, as such the US by virtue of the fact that it is a nation of Immigrants, is a desired destination of immigrants, and has a large population, spread over a vast geographic area, can arguably be described as the most ethnically diverse country. There other Ethically diverse countries, such as Australia, Canada, etc. But the US by virtue of the facts that I mentioned above, can safely be described as the most.

Of course I could be wrong, I looked for studies which indicate that the US is not the most ethnically diverse and could not find any that indicated that. If you could provide me with any links it would be much appreciated.

Having said all that , I think it is impossible to use subjective terms to come to an objective conclusion as to what is the best ethnic cuisine in the world. One cold arguably say that a particular cuisine is the healthiest, or most spicy,etc

but certainly not which is the Best. Best being a subjective term, subject to what each one of as prefers over an other.

Cooking is an art, could anyone say, which is the best art in the world?

america doesnt come near in any study

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_ranked_by_ethnic_and_cultural_diversity_level

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-revealing-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-ethnically-diverse-countries/

https://web.stanford.edu/group/fearon-research/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ethnic-and-Cultural-Diversity-by-Country.pdf

Yes you are right, last lime I was in Tanzania(second in the list) I was amazed by the ethnic diversity there, walking through all the ethnic neighborhoods and dining on their restaurants was a delight . Europeans, Asians Africans, North South, and Central Americans, Australians, all living in harmony and benefiting from each others cultures.

[robertthebruce]

@robertthebruce

Thanks for your reply

Strict vegatarian

So what kind of meals do you eat?

For the last 35 years or more, I have not eaten Chicken Fish Meat Lamb Pork, I also won't eat anything with a Beef stock or Chicken stock or Fish stock...

To be honest I don't struggle much here, as it love the great variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.... Salads I am happy with..

Previous to,living here in Thailand , France was a nightmare for me, as they are still in the dark ages regarding healthy eating and Vegetarians... But I survived.

Indian food is excellent for me as there is an excellent choice of vegetarian food, but unfortunately it's fattening , so I have to be careful what I eat.....

Anyway, happy eating whatever takes your fancy.

[sirineou]

Ayjaydee I am afraid you are missing the point, This thread is about world food and Thai food's place in the world.

I dont know how we got to ethnic diversity, but I am sure it has to be related to food and as such any diversity would have to be actual diversity as it pertains to the subject rather than than technical diversity as used by census organisations .Surely you must agree that there are a lot more nationalities represented in the US as there are , let's say in Tanzania.

[deepcell]

I could never call just 1 my favourite, variety is the spice of life.

Ever been to a proper village cheese counter in France and had a few chunks with some crusty bread and a glass of good Bordeaux.

Simple but perfectly prepared pasta in a back street cafe in Milan,

Sashimi from a breakfast bar in tsukiji market in tokyo

Steak and ale pie with thick mash or big cut chips, gravy with a proper pint of cask bitter

Slap up Indian curry

Your mums roast dinner..

Thai food is great but on the whole most of it is junk food, but then again most bites we eat out are not usually the healthiest options. Home cooked balanced thai food with fresh veg and a limit on fried items and salt / sugar / msg certainly can be achieved and is wonderful.

But who wants to eat the same thing every day? We will hear mixed responses from teachers living on a shoe string who have no choice but to eat thai food on a daily basis and claim it to be the be-all-end-all, as well as the shoe string retirees, compared with those not based in Thailand or those expats in LOS with the baht and access to eat a varied and a higher end level of food from fine dining establishments.

But if I had to pick an overall favourite, something I look forward to the most I guess it would have to be a slap up Indian (North Indian curries).

If I had to pick something i would need to stick to for the rest of my life for whatever reason (such as a poor thai person having no choice) it would be one of the Mediterranean regions, for health and taste and balance. Couldn't put my finger on which one though, Turkish, Spanish, Italian, Lebanese ? Can't pick

Thai food takes lot of herbs, it is not junk. Just do not eat street food! Find the right place to eat, it is the same for any cuisine.. I remember me sausages from germany, 2 days in the toilet.. 5 kg loss.. I will never eat again that kind of junk again.. (but of course I ate the wrong sausage at the wrong place - streets! )

p.s. Not everything in the streets are junk, but most of them.

[Grateful farang]

@seajae

Quality ingrediants?

I guess you know better than me being from australia

Which is the same part of the world

But all the foods i've eaten In thailand tasted healthy to me.

I live most of the time in london uk

You have to watch everything you eat and drink here!

No-one drinks tape water because of the sodium flouride thats added to it.

If you come to the uk from a country that doesnt have flouridated water and start drinking uk tape water, you'll need a kidney transplant.

I heard of a few people this happened to

But knew 2 perzonally.

One was a keen runner, drinking lots of water

Next thing you know, kidney failure.

Most soft drinks and chewing gums, sweets, contain aspartame.

Some chocolate bars contain apartame and fructose corn syrup

No damned good

[Grateful farang]

@sirineou

Thanks for the reply

All living in harmony munching eat others food

Good!

[Grateful farang]

@deepcell

Thanks for your reply

Variety is the spice of life

I like spicey food and also like more bland european foods such as: pizza, flans, quiches, pasta and spaghetti dishes

All I enjoy cooking myself

[jaideeguy]

Thai food used to be my favorite, but got burned [by the too much chili] and now my favorite is 'fusion' foods, not limited to any nationality and I now lean towards Mexican, Italian and Jamaican and now find Thai food boring.

[Grateful farang]

@jaideeguy

Hello

Variety is the spice of life

Mexican cuisine is delicious

Jamaica has good food too

[HaleySabai]

Eaten daily it also destroys your palate because the dominant taste is chilli and eventually anything that does not have chilli in it tastes very bland. Which is maybe why Thais don't like western food much on the whole.

....no,western food IS bland.

The refined gustatory perception within Thai food is the essence of its sophistication as a cuisine.In short,its all about the balancing of natural flavors.

This concept won't make any sense to one who's tongue has been tied by the over consumption of processed foods,saturated fats, and artificial flavors, they just simply can't 'taste' and therefore can't appreciate the rich and varied subtleties within the cuisine. In much the same way of learning the Thai-language; the oratory sense is undeveloped making it difficult to hear the nuances in tone....it all sounds the same to them.

I highly recommend the book; Thai-Food by David Thompson, it's an in-depth journey into the history,art and science of a fundamentally healthy cuisine.

It is a fact that modern mainstream Thai-food has become a near abomination to its former origins, this makes the negative points of Thai-food somewhat valid. The corporate push towards the widespread use of seed oils in the market place has unleashed a 'deep-fry' frenzy in the country, thus turning the fast-food industry into a 'same-same but different' version of "slow-death" that totally permeates the North American culinary landscape of today.....not to mention the dreaded but firmly accepted use of MSG in almost every-cooked-thing.

We seldom eat out and since my wife is a professional chef we can and do live by the axom of "the best kitchen is your own kitchen".