Pad "Thainess" on a plate -- the strange political origins of Thailand's national dish

[Jingthing]

Probably most expats already know something about the interesting history of the origin of PAD THAI, but even if you do, this article expands on the topic.

Enjoy!

By releasing a pad Thai recipe and promoting it, Phibun turned one potential take on stir-fried noodles into a national dish. He believed that pad Thai would improve the diet of people who ate mostly rice, and that cooking pad Thai in clean pans would improve national hygiene.

Most of all, Phibun wanted to unify the country by promoting a uniquely Thai dish. Despite its Chinese origins, pad Thai stood out from the wet or dry noodle dishes sold by Chinese vendors. It was, as Penny Van Esterik writes in Materializing Thailand, “part of Phibun’s nation-building strategy to develop ‘Thai-ness’ and impose a ‘Thai Great Tradition.’”

Within several years, vendors selling pad Thai filled Thailand’s streets. Phibun’s son called it “Thailand’s first fast food.”

It may seem strange today that a politician could mandate the country’s most popular dish. But when Phibun decided to promote pad Thai, his efforts looked nothing like Michelle Obama appearing with Sesame Street characters to encourage kids to eat vegetables.

The promotion of pad Thai was the work of a military dictator who survived multiple coups and World War II—and believed that his political future and his country’s future were at stake.

http://priceonomics.com/the-invention-of-pad-thai/

Also, as long we're talking PAD THAI, perhaps people want to discuss how they feel about the dish, and whether that has changed upon visiting or living in Thailand.

Before I moved to Thailand, of course PAD THAI was an important part of how I was introduced to Thai food, and I was lucky to have access to an excellent authentic Thai restaurant in the U.S. that did a great version. It was more of a fancy style than most greasy street food PAD THAI in Thailand, in other words, actually better.

Over time, I became kind of bored with PAD THAI, rarely ordering it either on the street or in restaurants. Visiting the U.S. the idea of paying a lot for a plate of it is not appealing. Then I read about how CALORIC the dish is, and frankly, I haven't had a plate of it for years now!

But that doesn't mean it's a bad dish. It's a great dish. I just got bored with it and also feel it isn't worth the calories.

I suppose after posting this I'm going to have to sample a plate again. There is a local cook to order Thai place that I like a lot so I'm curious to know how their Pad Thai is now.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Jingthing

[tutsiwarrior]

can't eat pad thai...I'm diabetic and the rice plays hell wid de blood sugar...

but, I can whip one up in a pinch if there's nothing else around...stir fry onions, garlic and chiles wid de raw rice then throw in de water and then during last minutes of cooking toss in any veges and meat stir fried on the side...always a hit and even the kids eat it (after removing the vegetables)...

nothing exotic about it as similar versions exist all over the world but with local seasonings...

(tutsi looks at his banana leaf with a mixture of rice and beans with half a tortilla and he hasn't eaten all day in 80s Nicaragua..."well...my reward will come later...")