You call this Thai food? The robotic taster will be the judge

[webfact]

You Call This Thai Food? The Robotic Taster Will Be the Judge
By THOMAS FULLER

BANGKOK — Hopscotching the globe as Thailand’s prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra repeatedly encountered a distressing problem: bad Thai food.

Too often, she found, the meals she sampled at Thai restaurants abroad were unworthy of the name, too bland to be called genuine Thai cooking. The problem bothered her enough to raise it at a cabinet meeting.

Her political party has since been thrown out of office, in a May military coup, but her initiative in culinary diplomacy lives on.

At a gala dinner at a ritzy Bangkok hotel on Tuesday the government will unveil its project to standardize the art of Thai food — with a robot.

Diplomats and dignitaries have been invited to witness the debut of a machine that its promoters say can scientifically evaluate Thai cuisine, telling the difference, for instance, between a properly prepared green curry with just the right mix of Thai basil, curry paste and fresh coconut cream, and a lame imitation.

A boxy contraption filled with sensors and microchips, the so-called e-delicious machine scans food samples to produce a chemical signature, which it measures against a standard deemed to be the authentic version.

Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/world/asia/bad-thai-food-enter-a-robot-taster.html

-- The New York Times 2014-09-29

[lee b]

I found this in England, a local Thai restaurant we visited served up rubbish. The tom yam was a bowl of water, the green curry was like vegetable juice etc and all for a massive 100 times more than what you would pay in Thailand. We later found out that the chefs were from the Phillipines as apparently they were cheaper to hire than Thai chefs !

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

basically an MSG detector

[o2eZy]

yep the same in brisbane australia...thai food was krap....with the exception of Thai we rat in the valley chinatown

my wifie says it was the closest to being back home

[sjjmmi]

I found this in England, a local Thai restaurant we visited served up rubbish. The tom yam was a bowl of water, the green curry was like vegetable juice etc and all for a massive 100 times more than what you would pay in Thailand. We later found out that the chefs were from the Phillipines as apparently they were cheaper to hire than Thai chefs !

[Xonax]

Just as needed in Thai restaurants in Thailand! And what about the most often crappy imitations of western food they serve here in Thailand?

[Rimmer]

A post has been removed, Please do not attempt to Lobby forum members in this manner.

[Eliot Rosewater]

At least in my country we ALLOW Thai people to cook Thai food at restaurants.

In this country an American cannot be a chef at a restaurant (unless its a big hotel or something), and cannot even work in the kitchen without jumping through many ridiculous hoops.

Thai food abroad is SOOOO important to Thai politicians, but they don't give a darn about people from other countries in Thailand.

[WhizBang]

Well, that certainly explains a lot.

Yingluck's top priority while in office (other than siphoning as much money as possible to Dubai), was the taste of Thai food served in restaurants outside Thailand that were catering to foreign pallets, while trying to run a successful business.

As for the robot, words fail me.

[mca]

A second robot was put out of action and is possibly beyond repair after sampling too many Thai " American Breakfasts' consisting of a dodgy hot dog sausage, a slice of processed ham, a fried egg and a solitary piece of toast.

[ABCer]

It all boils down to the price. Do you expect a Chef or a cook? Any Thai restaurant with 100 - 200 bt per dish has no Chef in it.

I have eaten beautiful Thai food at about 1000 bt p/p for a three course dinner. Can't afford it on a daily basis though.

We cook our own. Best ingredients, healthy, tasty and relatively cheap.

[PatOngo]

Well, that certainly explains a lot.

Yingluck's top priority while in office (other than siphoning as much money as possible to Dubai), was the taste of Thai food served in restaurants outside Thailand that were catering to foreign pallets, while trying to run a successful business.

As for the robot, words fail me.

It's not unlike sending monkeys up the tree to pick coconuts............they get the right ones.

[billd766]

Thai food in the west is sort of a dumbed down version of Thai food designed for foreigners.

If you are Thai and regularly eat in a Thai restaurant talk to the Thai chef and you will get genuine Thai food and you will be remembered every time you go back there.

My mates wife in Weisbaden is the best cook in the restaurant and they have a "Thai food" menu for Germans and a "real Thai food" for local Thais.

As for Yingluck disliking Thai food offshore she probably had nothing better to do than complain.

Out of curiousity I wonder if she can cook? My wife certainly can and shee was cooking real Thai food for the family from 9 years old.

[Morakot]

It's always good to hear when people find a suitable role in their life.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

She is probably just going to the wrong restaurants.

Try going to some food shops in "Thai Town" of Los Angeles and prepare to be impressed.

It's east Hollywood area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Town,_Los_Angeles

Well documented on food shows and the food is very affordable and excellent quality.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I'm sure people are going to be buying $18,000 robots like hotcakes.

How is a sensor a freaking robot anyway?

It would be cheaper to buy/rent a long hair Thai girlfriend to travel with.

What is anyone going to do with that 'robot' back in their hotel room?

[kalbo123]

I eat the best Thai food out of Thailand (Europe).. why?

Most products are of better quality, especially beef and vegetables.

And more safe.. less pesticides and other stuff I don't want in my food..

[rickirs]

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Well, that certainly explains a lot.

Yingluck's top priority while in office (other than siphoning as much money as possible to Dubai), was the taste of Thai food served in restaurants outside Thailand that were catering to foreign pallets, while trying to run a successful business.

As for the robot, words fail me.

Well, it's apparently a top priority for the Junta too - reread the article. So what's your point? Personally, when I visit a foreign country I want to try THEIR foods, not my native foods. Nobody makes home dishes like Mama.

[GertrudeL]

So true! Tried thai food in Vietnam... It was thai style good with kim chi (korean) hahaha However, then I found small restaurant with thai girl cooking and it was old taste...so delicious... I have no idea what thais do with food but I can never managed to repeat their dishes Even in thailand only 10-20% of restaurants cook really tasty food (usually far from tourist places and not so nice looking restaurant's interior)

p.s. I eat ONLY thai food and hate European ^^ Can I use that as justification for my next visa apply? I will die from starving in europe... 5555

[Ulic]

Is this machine from the same guy that sold all those bomb sniffers?

[clockman]

A bullshit detector would be good!

[Artisi]

And this crappy news story is news?

[mikebell]

You can't get good Thai food in Thailand; the ingredients are too poor. Best Thai meal I ever had was in Burnley, Lancs. UK. Same for Indian curries too - lots of tasty, cheap take-aways in Burnley. The women, however, were not as pretty as here.