Thai cuisine overseas: Strict rules now in place for 'Thai Select' stamp

[poohy]

I have heard there are many Thai ladies at my nearest Thai restaurant on my infrequent visits back to the homeland

However I am pretty sure they are not cooks or waitresses

Don't know if this requires the issue of another "specialist" stamp!?

[Johnny S]

Maybe the thai Hookers in Amsterdam, Hamburg and Copenhagen can get a Quality stamp as well ... ?

[DLock]

...and what are they going to do if a restaurant in another country has "Thai Select" on their website, window, menus, business cards without proper accreditation.

They are fooling themselves that "Thai Select" has any value and that they can do anything about it if a restaurant displays it "illegally" elsewhere.

Dumb.

[h90]

Maybe the thai Hookers in Amsterdam, Hamburg and Copenhagen can get a Quality stamp as well ... ?

Where can I apply as inspector? Of course I expect a high salary.

[Gweiloman]

Oh please, what nonsense. All Thai cuisine varies across the country, each province claiming authenticity. Even the signature dishes change. Take Tom Yum Kung for example. The variances on it alone must be about 20. Clear stock, or coconut added. Fish stock or prawn head stock. Chili oil or no chili oil. What province will claim to be the originator ? Bangkok, no ! Tom Yum goes back to Ayuthaya and Sukhothai days.

And what Thai province will claim Som Tum ? None can ! It is purely a Lao dish, that has been claimed by Thailand as it's own. And there are variances there too. Peanuts or no peanuts. Pla lah or no pla lah. You never saw Som Tum in Bangkok 40 years ago, until migrations came through from Issan.

I would like to see one of these "experts" go into a Sydney Thai restaurant and say they want to inspect for authenticity. They will be walking out trying to extract a boot from you know where.

I think most of the variances are just because the cook has no clue and just mix what he thinks. I could imagine that in Bangkok there are some "semi-official" old books that gives a kind of standard.

By the way Malaysia claims that Tom Yum Kung is Malaysian food. Of course ridiculous...everywhere where it is hot, has beach and people like spicy some kind of spicy fish soup will be available.

Put fish or browns with more or less chili and vegetables in a pot and heat it is hardly a difficult food that is just once developed on this planet....Different to some special Austrian cakes or German bread

I have never heard of Malaysia claiming that TYK is Malaysian food. In fact, the only places that you will find TYK in Malaysia is in Thai restaurants.

[roamer]

The embassy certified all these restaurants all over various countries. Yeah right.

Our local Thai restaurant doesn't even have krapow for gods sake.

Usually because it's hard to get hold of the holy basil due to EU regs on pesticide levels.

[Thai at Heart]

The embassy certified all these restaurants all over various countries. Yeah right.

Our local Thai restaurant doesn't even have krapow for gods sake.

Usually because it's hard to get hold of the holy basil due to EU regs on pesticide levels.

They are just too cheap to get it. A Thai restaurant without krapow or papaya is a fraud

[naboo]

Thai Select restaurants in Thailand.

None in my province. Nor most of the other provinces. Poor Thais, exposed to substandard Thai food on the whole in their own country.

[simondan]

We've owned two Thai restaurants in Australia. Not once did a customer ask whether we had a 'Thai Select' certificate.

Do they actually serve Thai food in Australia? Every Thai restuarant Ive ever eaten at in Australia serves a pale comparison of the Thai food that your average Thai housewife cooks here. What a sad joke!