MrWorldwide Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I've seen this twice now - once in Au Bon Pain in BKK and again in Big C Extra - ogling the patisserie delights and out strolls a Westerner dressed in a baker's uniform, gives one of the staff instructions in Thai then disappears back from whence he came. I also seem to recall - and I could be wrong here - that the Cajun food at Bourbon Street (when it was still in Wa Sq in BKK) was cooked by an American, Arent they supposed to pass their skills on to the locals in exchange for a work permit or whatever visa they need ? Someone also made the point that the normal rules dont seem to apply to Turks and others from the Middle East selling kebabs in Walking St - what gives with that ? If a Farang bar owner is caught serving a single drink without a work permit he can find himself in serious trouble, but as always I guess knowing the right people helps. I rarely get an English breakfast done properly here in Pattaya - when it's done right, its expensive - and its one of very few areas where I wish I was back in Sydney. Happy to hear your feedback on this - its making me hungry just thinking about the food I could tear into right now given half a chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolsti Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Big C employ Head Bakers who are foreigners. But do you really think that he makes every one of the huge selection of breads and cakes that they make? No.. of course not. There are Thai bakers as well. The foreigner is there to make sure that the standards are kept and new lines are created, taught and brought to market. At Au Bon Pain they don't generally have a full kitchen so it is a case of popping ready prepared items into the oven to either reheat or bake. Hotel kitchens may have a foreign head chef and he/she will cook some items but most are cooked by the sous-chefs and the brigade under his supervision. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 (edited) Big C employ Head Bakers who are foreigners. But do you really think that he makes every one of the huge selection of breads and cakes that they make? No.. of course not. There are Thai bakers as well. The foreigner is there to make sure that the standards are kept and new lines are created, taught and brought to market. At Au Bon Pain they don't generally have a full kitchen so it is a case of popping ready prepared items into the oven to either reheat or bake. Hotel kitchens may have a foreign head chef and he/she will cook some items but most are cooked by the sous-chefs and the brigade under his supervision. So effectively, the Thai staff that are content to work for Thai wages just dont rise to the level needed to be head chef (or whatever the bakery equivalent is) here in Thailand ? I'm guessing David Thompson used Bangkok to do his 'apprenticeship' then got straight on a plane to London - smart move. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Thompson_(chef) Nahm opened in 2001 in The Halkin hotel in London,[2] and received a Michelin star[3] within six months.[4] It was the first Thai restaurant to gain this award. Edited April 21, 2015 by MrWorldwide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooo Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Moved to Expat Life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topt Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 OP please explain what exactly you mean by "I rarely get an English breakfast done properly here in Pattaya -........"Too many threads about breakfasts in the Pattaya forums so I am curious as to your definition of "properly" - especially when you consider the variability in England itself..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post landtrout Posted April 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... There are somewhere between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Cajuns living in Southwestern Louisiana, and another 400,000 across the border in East Texas. Their vibrant culture and unique cuisine has spread far beyond the southern United States however, and there are excellent Cajun/Creole restaurants in every respectable American city, as well as countless others in every corner of the world (including Bangkok and Chiang Mai, by the way....). If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. Are you sure that it's not an entirely different ethnic group whose culture and cuisine you meant to impugn? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyboogie Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... There are somewhere between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Cajuns living in Southwestern Louisiana, and another 400,000 across the border in East Texas. Their vibrant culture and unique cuisine has spread far beyond the southern United States however, and there are excellent Cajun/Creole restaurants in every respectable American city, as well as countless others in every corner of the world (including Bangkok and Chiang Mai, by the way....). If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. Are you sure that it's not an entirely different ethnic group whose culture and cuisine you meant to impugn? pgrahamm, Cajun/Creole food is delicious. I can't speak Hindi but I love me some mutton roganjosh. I can't speak Mandarin but I'll tear up some orange chicken. My Spanish is elementary level but I'll go to town on a Cuban sandwich. I do speak Indonesian and you know what, it doesn't make nasi goreng khusus taste any better or worse. You called me stupid for liking jumbalaya so we can no longer be friends. You sir are a goober. landtrout, u alright podna 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverSure Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cajun food is delicious. It is what's called peasant food in that it's made from what locals can grow, catch in the swamps or in the woods or fish for in the river or the Gulf of Mexico. Landtrout is right, it was developed by French immigrants. They knew how to cook and then used what they had to create their dishes. The French Quarter in New Orleans is obviously of French design, and would be a great place to find Cajun food. I never go anywhere near S. Louisiana or SW Texas without making sure I find some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NeverSure Posted April 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... You have no, zero, nada idea what you are talking about. Cheers 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post slipperylobster Posted April 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted April 21, 2015 (edited) Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... awwwww...go to MacDonalds and get your happy meal. Let true gourmets be. Actually, Cajun food is served in many fine restaurants, and Several Cajun Chefs are International quality... Prudhomme....Emeril...among others. and you are unwise and uncouth saying only stupid people would want Cajun Food. New Orleans is full of good cooking and Cajun food..... It is an international city, not quite the Bayou anymore. Many 5 star restaurants will offer Cajun style....steaks and seafood. get off your butt and go see the world beautiful.................Bam !!! Edited April 21, 2015 by slipperylobster 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... There are somewhere between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Cajuns living in Southwestern Louisiana, and another 400,000 across the border in East Texas. Their vibrant culture and unique cuisine has spread far beyond the southern United States however, and there are excellent Cajun/Creole restaurants in every respectable American city, as well as countless others in every corner of the world (including Bangkok and Chiang Mai, by the way....). If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. Are you sure that it's not an entirely different ethnic group whose culture and cuisine you meant to impugn? Being raised in a French family and attending/hosting French folks and traditions I know the sound of the French language.....The true Cajuns do not speak French and originally spoke the Colonial Louisiana French Choctaw Patois dialect....there are not many left that still do and they tend to live in small enclaves in Louisiana and bordering areas - when you are around these people the language is not understandable even if familiar with the French language.... Even if there are 2 million "Cajun" in the world by birth place (not really qualifying them as "Cajun") think that in a world approaching 8 BILLION people it's a big stretch to think that well prepared Cajun food should be readily available and suitably prepared with the correct ingredients in Thailand..... I did not mean to infer that anyone was stupid or they were not good folks..... Edited April 22, 2015 by pgrahmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Loptr Posted April 22, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) Cajun food????......in the entire planet how many people (I think) want to smell - let alone EAT that s**t.....and be stupid enough to want/demand it in Thailand....Can you speak Cajun??? If you can you might understand maybe 5,000-10,000 people on this planet that can....yet you want food 1/2 way around the world? Ever try to listen to two Cajuns speaking? Might as well be on Mars......Or further out... There are somewhere between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Cajuns living in Southwestern Louisiana, and another 400,000 across the border in East Texas. Their vibrant culture and unique cuisine has spread far beyond the southern United States however, and there are excellent Cajun/Creole restaurants in every respectable American city, as well as countless others in every corner of the world (including Bangkok and Chiang Mai, by the way....). If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. Are you sure that it's not an entirely different ethnic group whose culture and cuisine you meant to impugn? Being raised in a French family and attending/hosting French folks and traditions I know the sound of the French language..... The true Cajuns do not speak French and originally spoke the Colonial Louisiana French Choctaw Patois dialect....there are not many left that still do and they tend to live in small enclaves in Louisiana and bordering areas - when you are around these people the language is not understandable even if familiar with the French language.... As someone that lived in NOLA for years and still miss the food and the culture, I have to say you are waaayyyy out of line... Let's leave it at that before this post gets removed and I am handed another suspension... Edited April 22, 2015 by Loptr 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy chef 1 Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 OP please explain what exactly you mean by "I rarely get an English breakfast done properly here in Pattaya -........" Too many threads about breakfasts in the Pattaya forums so I am curious as to your definition of "properly" - especially when you consider the variability in England itself..... 99 Baht brekkie I think he looking for.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 You know - in re-reading my initial post from last night it was way too strongly/poorly worded with regard to the Cajun food.... I Was out of line..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champers Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Get them banjos out chaps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champers Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 You know - in re-reading my initial post from last night it was way too strongly/poorly worded with regard to the Cajun food.... I Was out of line..... Banjoed? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko kok prong Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Another post from Mr worldwide about Pattaya,from an obvious intelligent and educated chap.i can only wonder why he chooses to spend so much time there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 OP please explain what exactly you mean by "I rarely get an English breakfast done properly here in Pattaya -........" Too many threads about breakfasts in the Pattaya forums so I am curious as to your definition of "properly" - especially when you consider the variability in England itself..... 99 Baht brekkie I think he looking for.... Nice stereotyping, Mr Crazy. I pay a lot more than 90 baht for breakfast at either of the faux Brit pubs on Soi 7 and I still dont get what I want, so let me lay it out for you. I used the term 'English breakfast' but what I should have said was 'bacon and eggs' : simple fare but somehow many Thai cooks seem to ruin it. I dont want bacon fried to a crisp and I definitely dont want watery eggs, but since a picture tells a thousand words allow me to show you exactly what I do want: That's two eggs on some Turkish bread - you can scramble or poach them or just fry them sunny side up per the photo - and rashers of bacon that look like bacon : is that so much to ask for ? I dont give a damn about the baked beans or the little sausages or any of that other hooey that seems to find its way into an 'English breakfast' - give me what you see in that photo properly cooked with a decent flat white and I'll happily pay ~300 baht. I do occasionally make my own scrambled eggs but the bacon I've had from Big C extra is woeful but its a decent flat white coffee that I really miss. That combination will set me up for an entire day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 If I can return to what I thought the topic was when I actually started this thread, it's not about food - its about what constitutes 'special skills' within the context of a work permit application. As that topic seems to be about as popular as bubonic plague, I guess we might as well focus on the food - cant stop thinking about bacon and eggs now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Another post from Mr worldwide about Pattaya,from an obvious intelligent and educated chap.i can only wonder why he chooses to spend so much time there. Au Bon Pain in Bangkok and Big C Extra in Pattaya, but the thread was never intended to be about Pattaya. And I'm moving to Cambodia in early May, so I guess you wont have to endure my rants for much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Grumpy Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) but since a picture tells a thousand words allow me to show you exactly what I do want: bacon and eggs.jpg What's stopping you from showing that photo to the staff when you order? Or learn the basic Thai for bacon not too crispy, eggs not too watery. Some people make life too difficult for themselves. Edited April 22, 2015 by Happy Grumpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 but since a picture tells a thousand words allow me to show you exactly what I do want: bacon and eggs.jpg What's stopping you from showing that photo to the staff when you order? Or learn the basic Thai for bacon not too crispy, eggs not too watery. Some people make life too difficult for themselves. Not difficult at all - I'm just not prepared to carry a color photo of bacon and eggs around simply to get what I want. The staff in both the aforementioned 'British' pubs deal almost exclusively with foreigners in a tourist town, and you're asking me to lean the Thai for 'not too crispy' and 'not too watery' - how many cooks do you think would like to be told that their eggs are 'watery' in any language ? You and I could have this to-and-fro till the board's server crashes, but it's a moot point - Cambodia presents a set of challenges that go way beyond breakfast, and as I said earlier this thread was never intended to be about food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aforek Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. I am French, and , by curiosity, I have listened young cajun speaking : it's French, indisputably, they say themself that they speak French an I understand very well what they say ( they pronounce " r " like " l " but for the rest , not very different ) Edit : I am surprised by what pgrahmm says above : I have listened this video and I understand everything Edited April 22, 2015 by Aforek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landtrout Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 If you'd ever had occasion to listen to two Cajuns speaking, that language that you figure "might as well be on Mars......Or further out..." is actually.....French. A regional dialect, but completely understandable to anyone with a couple years of high school instruction. I am French, and , by curiosity, I have listened young cajun speaking : it's French, indisputably, they say themself that they speak French an I understand very well what they say ( they pronounce " r " like " l " but for the rest , not very different ) Edit : I am surprised by what pgrahmm says above : I have listened this video and I understand everything The ancestors of the Louisiana Cajuns emigrated from Western France to (then French controlled...) Nova Scotia and the Canadian Maritime Provinces in the early 17th century. They referred to those settlements as "Acadia", and their reach extended deep into the British colonies in New England, especially around the present day Maine/Nova Scotian border. They were essentially "deported" by the English in the 1750s, and 1500 or so of them made their way into the (then French controlled...) Louisiana Territory. They settled there in the sparsely populated southwest corner, and called their new adopted homeland "New Acadia". The surnames that are common in SW Louisiana today (Soileau, Fontenot, Thibodeaux, Joubert, Abshire, Hebert, Broussard, Breaux etc......) are the same names you'll find scattered around Grand Pre, Nova Scotia and Presque Isle, Maine. They speak French because..... they are French! I speak French very poorly (three years of secondary instruction in the States, a long, long time ago...), but I've spent a good deal of time in Southwest Louisiana over the past few decades. Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, Grand Mamou, Bayou Teche, New Iberia, Grosse Tete, Jeanerette, Abbeville, Opelousas, Evangeline, Grand Couteau, etc.... Despite the idiosyncrasies of the dialect, I've never had any problem understanding or being understood by any native speaker of Cajun French. If you're French and have never been exposed to Cajun/Creole cuisine, I suggest that you do yourself a favor and seek some out! The processes will be familiar to you, but the ingredients will be different from those used in classic French cuisine. Contrary to what you may have read earlier in this thread, Cajun/Creole recipes are very easily adapted to what you'll find in a typical Thai market, and there are very few unavailable ingredients that can't be easily substituted for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Creole_cuisine Bon appetit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipi Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I can't find Isaan food in Abergavenny either. Unbelievable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wooloomooloo Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 I can't find Isaan food in Abergavenny either. Unbelievable. I've met at least two dozen locals that speak fluent Colonial Louisiana French Choctaw Patois dialect. They're everywhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) I can't find Isaan food in Abergavenny either. Unbelievable. 1. This thread isnt about food per se, but since I seem to be fighting a losing battle on that front, see 2 and 3 2. If you wanted Isaan food badly enough, you'd be on a train to London the first chance you got. At least I know I would, and I'd be going home with a suitcase full of goodies from the Asian supermarkets. One of my neighbours in Oz - a man with no apparent interest in anything from Asia - grew chillis that would lift your head off, although I accept that the Welsh climate may limit the number of ingredients you could grow yourself. Still, if you want it badly enough .... 3. I assume you're referring to this thread's singular obsession with Cajun food - I threw that out there as a single example of a specialised culinary skill which I suspect can be taught to Thai people but it would appear hasnt been. That said, I'll go out on a limb here and guesstimate that the percentage of the total UK population interested in Isaan food is at least 20 times the percentage of the population of Thailand with any specific interest in Cajun food. Talking to a Thai lady who had recently returned from 6 months with her BF in Sweden last night, she kept banging on about how much she missed Thai food when she was there. The obvious solution is to make your own and that's exactly how I'm approaching my desire for bacon and eggs this morning : Cajun/Creole food would be considerably tougher, but if the Japanese can master French cuisine to the point where they run Michelin star restaurants in Paris, I'm confident that a suitably motivated Thai can be taught to cook Cajun food without ever once setting foot in the Louisiana bayou. Whether it will be considered 'authentic' is a tougher question, but I'm sure there are a few experts here who could tell you very quickly if the end result was something they were willing to pay good money for. Personally, nothing I sampled at the old Bourbon St address made me want to dash into the kitchen and embrace the chef but I have very proletarian tastebuds - others may see their menu and start drooling all over the front of their shirt - it's all good. http://www.bourbonstbkk.com/bourbon_st_dinner_menu.pdf Edited April 23, 2015 by MrWorldwide 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBill Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Why would you ever think they could? They eat Thai food! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWorldwide Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 Why would you ever think they could? They eat Thai food! And Chinese food and pizza and kebabs and hamburgers and ice-cream and Korean BBQ and Japanese food : we're talking about people who will happily chow down on grasshoppers here. OK - not all Thais eat insects but it's accepted here. The only roadblock I'm aware of is if something 'smell bad' - personally I think Indian food smells fantastic but it usually gets wrinkled noses and 'mai aloy !' in rapid succession. No idea how they feel about Cajun, but thats not a given for most Westerners either. The Thais, like everyone else, do get bored with the same-old-same-old day after day and, yes, I've seen Thais buying patisserie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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