Thai Food Pet Peeves

[F K Thornbury]

OP.

Take a Thai cooking class.

Yes. I did.

You don't peel Thai garlic.

You leave the herbs in soup.

Maybe you just don't like Thai food.

Next ...

lol

how old are you?

Irrelevant.

what-difference-does-it-makes.jpg

Don't ask again.

Twice is more than enough.

Market research. Wondering if you're very young and thus can't understand the point of the thread, or of the overtly smug, disagreeable, cynical demographic so prevalent in these forums. I'm going with the latter.

[Jingthing]

You smash the Thai garlic and shallots.

You do not peel them.

That's the trick of it.

I would complain if they were not SMASHED.

[F K Thornbury]

You smash the Thai garlic and shallots.

You do not peel them.

That's the trick of it.

I would complain if they were not SMASHED.

Yes, you can smash them. The next step in most cooking is to separate the goodness from the unpalatable skin.

I have a feeling you'd complain about many things. What year were you born?

[SoiBiker]

You smash the Thai garlic and shallots.

You do not peel them.

That's the trick of it.

I would complain if they were not SMASHED.

Yep, chuck them in the pestle and mortar and give them a good pounding I say. Skins and all.

I get the impression not many here know their way around the kitchen.

Edited April 23, 2015 by SoiBiker

[Jingthing]

You smash the Thai garlic and shallots.

You do not peel them.

That's the trick of it.

I would complain if they were not SMASHED.

Yes, you can smash them. The next step in most cooking is to separate the goodness from the unpalatable skin.

I have a feeling you'd complain about many things. What year were you born?

OK. That's enough. Welcome to my ignore list.

Though I do like the idea in general of Thai food pet peeves.

[northernphil]

Got it now ! Thai food pet peeves. I thought it was about my cat and what Thai food she likes or not likes. Took me 2 pages to ...........sorry I will go out soon and have a Sangsom or two.

[attrayant]

Sugar, sugar, sugar, I thought the UK/Usa was bad but here it's added to literally everything.

Finally everything cooked in pools of oil.

But you know what's funny (in a sad sort of way) is how much time I spend in some western-centric forums debating the Food Babe, Natural News and Mercola followers who claim that the USA uses too much sugar and that they should follow the "healthy" ways of the Asian countries where everything is stir-fried using practically no oil and where sugar is almost unheard of.

[Craig krup]

1) Was that curry roasting hot when it was scooped into this thin plastic bag, and (if so) do you actually want me to get moobs?

2) Give me mucho, mucho rice. Yai. Very, very yai. Don't make me buy a curry here and walk around the corner for khao sip baht. Just give me the f'kin rice. Imagine the amount of rice a hungry farm worker, who had a particular fondness for rice, would have after a long day in the fields. Now double it. It's 20 baht a kg, the rice cooker is highly efficient, I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

[F K Thornbury]

You smash the Thai garlic and shallots.

You do not peel them.

That's the trick of it.

I would complain if they were not SMASHED.

Yep, chuck them in the pestle and mortar and give them a good pounding I say. Skins and all.

I get the impression not many here know their way around the kitchen.

Most cooks lay them on their board and smash them by laying a knife across them and applying a downward slap. Then, normally, you remove the skin and cut out the eye of the clove as well. Again, the way street food cooks do it here is fine, doesn't stop me from eating their food daily. Just a peeve.

The next time you're in an Italian restaurant and order aglio e olio, or any dish for that matter, and it is laden with garlic skins....let me know.

[F K Thornbury]

1) Was that curry roasting hot when it was scooped into this thin plastic bag, and (if so) do you actually want me to get moobs?

2) Give me mucho, mucho rice. Yai. Very, very yai. Don't make me buy a curry here and walk around the corner for khao sip baht. Just give me the f'kin rice. Imagine the amount of rice a hungry farm worker, who had a particular fondness for rice, would have after a long day in the fields. Now double it. It's 20 baht a kg, the rice cooker is highly efficient, I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

along those lines: when moo ping guy, or som tam gal, or fried chicken dude has no sticky rice!

[SoiBiker]

Most cooks lay them on their board and smash them by laying a knife across them and applying a downward slap. Then, normally, you remove the skin and cut out the eye of the clove as well. Again, the way street food cooks do it here is fine, doesn't stop me from eating their food daily. Just a peeve.

The next time you're in an Italian restaurant and order aglio e olio, or any dish for that matter, and it is laden with garlic skins....let me know.

This is Thailand, not Italy.

[SoiBiker]

I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

Seriously?

That about how much I'd cook for three people.

[Jingthing]

This is Thailand, not Italy.

Even more on point. It's about the Thai garlic vs. the garlic used in Italian cooking. If making Thai food in Italy with THAI garlic that also should not be peeled but should be smashed. If making a garlic Italian pasta in Thailand with western style garlic (here we get that from China) than those cloves should be (and would be) peeled and likely minced.

They are both called garlic but they are very different foods with different properties.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Jingthing

[SoiBiker]

Also, if you want Thai food done a certain way, why not cook it yourself?

[F K Thornbury]

This is Thailand, not Italy.

Even more on point. It's about the Thai garlic vs. the garlic used in Italian cooking. If making Thai food in Italy with THAI garlic that also should not be peeled but should be smashed. If making a garlic Italian pasta in Thailand with western style garlic (here we get that from China) than those cloves should be (and would be) peeled and likely minced.

They are both called garlic but they are very different foods with different properties.

the relevant property from the diner's perspective is that garlic skin in the mouth is not pleasant or delicious.

go to a thai restaurant in Thonglor, which is in Thailand, with a Thai chef, cooking Thai food.... s/he'll have removed the skins.

[attrayant]

Also, if you want Thai food done a certain way, why not cook it yourself?

Yeah, and if you want a car with different features than the base model, why not just build it yourself!

Edited April 23, 2015 by attrayant

[F K Thornbury]

Also, if you want Thai food done a certain way, why not cook it yourself?

genius

[SoiBiker]

Also, if you want Thai food done a certain way, why not cook it yourself?

Yeah, and if you want a car with different features than the base model, why not just build it yourself!

Because my apartment has a kitchen, but oddly, doesn't feature a automobile production facility.

[Jingthing]

OK, here are most of my Thai food pet peeves, some the same as others:

Brown rice not offered on menus as an option (with rare exceptions)

Palm oil and too much palm oil

Fried foods cooked in old palm oil

Too much sugar!

Too salty (I love high spice and high chili but often if you ask for that also get too much salt)

Dodgy meat, usually beef but sometimes pork

Fake processed chicken served at both street and middle level restaurants

Communication issues with spice levels. Like I said I like very hot and spicy.

First time in a Thai place they usually don't believe me.

Over time, I can "train" a place to do that but then I get another problem.

I will order one dish hot and spicy and not another dish that is not suitable for that treatment because of the nature of the dish.

Quite commonly they will make EVERYTHING I order super hot and spicy, basically ruining any dishes that shouldn't be that way.

Another issue, often they will kick up the CHILI but not the OTHER spices, basically messing up the balance of the dish.

For example a green curry with plenty of chili but way too little CURRY PASTE ... really awful.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Jingthing

[SoiBiker]

Yeah, i don't like it when they tone down the chili, but I get that some people can't take it too hot. I've learnt which places will give me the good stuff.

[Jingthing]

I used to cook my own Thai food (and very well to my tastes and liking) back in the U.S. but it seems silly and a waste to me to cook it myself here. In Thailand. Even with the annoyances and there are many it is STILL Thai food cooked by Thais in Thailand, and not expensive, it's hard to pass on that. If I ever repatriate I think I will regret not eating Thai food even MORE OFTEN here. As it is I don't have it every day ... perhaps every two or three days.

[SoiBiker]

I enjoy cooking it. I used to cook Thai food back in the UK, but it was annoying not to be able to get some of the ingredients (or having to pay way too much for them).

[Jingthing]

I enjoy cooking it. I used to cook Thai food back in the UK, but it was annoying not to be able to get some of the ingredients (or having to pay way too much for them).

I understand but that was not my experience. In the places I lived in the U.S. with very large Asian communities I could get pretty much everything, everything but the produce from Thailand, and really not expensive at all! The flavors were as Thai as they could be and I would know after living in Thailand.

[Pla shado]

NickJ wrote:

When the shrimp still have only the tails still on......

Probably my biggest pet peeve, Thai or any other cuisine. I've heard reasons why this is done but none of them make any sense to me. I guess that's about it. I pretty much just go along with Thai food as it is prepared and served. I like and eat most all of it. My wife prepares nearly all of the Thai dishes I eat but we do eat out occasionally or when traveling. At home I don't care much for the smell when my wife is cooking with pla ra or pla tu but my wife doesn't care much the smell of my bleu cheese either so we just deal with it.

I've eaten plenty of Thai food that I didn't particularly like but just tried to avoid it in the future. I really don't have much to complain about.

[nuananddon]

Thai food, as long as there's no maggots in it its all delicious. My wife cooks the most delicious dishes and has been for last 44 years. That's one of the reasons I now tip the scales at 120KGS. Been told to go on a diet my her but she don't stop putting that good tasting food in front me, what is a man to do, I think die happy. Have a great day friends!

[Craig krup]

1) Was that curry roasting hot when it was scooped into this thin plastic bag, and (if so) do you actually want me to get moobs?

2) Give me mucho, mucho rice. Yai. Very, very yai. Don't make me buy a curry here and walk around the corner for khao sip baht. Just give me the f'kin rice. Imagine the amount of rice a hungry farm worker, who had a particular fondness for rice, would have after a long day in the fields. Now double it. It's 20 baht a kg, the rice cooker is highly efficient, I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

along those lines: when moo ping guy, or som tam gal, or fried chicken dude has no sticky rice!

I ate sixteen chicken sticks because we were in a no rice situation. I'd have paid the 80B for five sticks and a s*******d of rice, which would have suited us both.

[Jingthing]

On shrimp I really don't mind the heads on thing, from a culinary POV that's good for taste. However in this case I do think there IS something that should be removed.

The poop!

[Craig krup]

I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

Seriously?

That about how much I'd cook for three people.

Cultures that rely on rice for the bulk of their energy (like India) have 45 minute evening meals. 250g dry weight of rice is only 825 kcals, and you don't even get that many: it isn't perfectly digested. Meat and veg has very little energy, so a Thai meal of rice, meat, veg - if it can be eaten in ten minutes - probably provides very little energy, unless it's swimming in oil.

This unwillingness to just sit down and eat enough starch is why the Thais consume so much energy-dense sugar and fried food, which provides a lot of energy and doesn't fill them up = a diabetes epidemic.

[Sealbash]

If there were no heads on the shrimp, what would my wife eat?

[Jingthing]

I need 250g dry weight cooked, look at the size of me, I'm dying, give me enough rice.

Seriously?

That about how much I'd cook for three people.

Cultures that rely on rice for the bulk of their energy (like India) have 45 minute evening meals. 250g dry weight of rice is only 825 kcals, and you don't even get that many: it isn't perfectly digested. Meat and veg has very little energy, so a Thai meal of rice, meat, veg - if it can be eaten in ten minutes - probably provides very little energy, unless it's swimming in oil.

This unwillingness to just sit down and eat enough starch is why the Thais consume so much energy-dense sugar and fried food, which provides a lot of energy and doesn't fill them up = a diabetes epidemic.

Not really sure what you're on about but the truth is obesity levels are rising sharply in Thailand and India even more.

White rice converts directly into SUGAR in the body.

Think of white rice as SUGAR and you'll be on the right track.

Add that to actual sugar and you've got a health disaster in the making.