I think the issue is your choice - you are eating formal Thai cuisine - green curry and Tom yum isn't necessary over hot - try more local places, places that serve southern dishes.

 

fish innards curry / wild boar dry curry down our way tears the top of your head off.

On 1/5/2017 at 3:04 PM, BudRight said:

On 1/4/2017 at 7:13 PM, balo said:

Tell them u want spicy in Thai , how hard can it be ? 

 

Don't you think I've tried that? It's dangerous - I want normal food, not hot-by-Thai-standards food. I actually used to do this and it backfired. I got so many chilies I don't think an Isaan farmer could have eaten it.

 

Besides, I don't want to have to give an intricate description of how many chilies to add to the sauce in crispy morning glory salad or remind them to use the them at all (the dried ones) in the chicken with cashew nuts, three times a day.

How are they supposed to know how spicy you want your food?  

That is why there are usually fresh chilies, dried chilies, fish sauce with chilies plus sugar and other condiments all available for the customer to adjust the temperature and flavour of each dish.

Otherwise learn how to say 'only 4 chilies' or whatever number you can take.   Of course chilies vary in intensity so that doesn't always work.

 

On 1/4/2017 at 5:44 PM, grollies said:

Dunno, never experienced this. Occasionally the cook or waiter will ask 'gin pet mai?' or something like that. 'chai, gin pet' reply. My Thai is pretty poor at the moment but talk to the waiter and explain.

 

I live right out in the sticks, farming country on Chon Buri/Chachengsao border. Only 1 or 2 others farangs for miles and miles but can't see this being a problem unless loads of farang about. Get the missus to explain to them.

 

Yes, sometimes I've been asked if I want it dumbed down, but if you say no, you'll get the real thing. If you become a regular at a certain restaurant, they'll know that you don't want it blandified. Or order  several dishes with a Thai friend and eat a bit from each dish. Should only really be a problem in touristy places.

 

Quote

 the restaurant only has menus in Thai,

If you're able to manage  a menu written only in Thai then you should be able to specify that you don't want the food served modified.

 

The waiter has probably seen the typical farang turn beet red with most Thai dishes and was only trying to be nice to you. Don't take it as a loss of face issue for you.

 

i am not a farang and i really hate farang food!!!  i walked into the mountains and found a funny little village near Burma (easier to type) and they all spoke Chinese!!!  so then i went to Issan on a tuk-tuk and it was some lao mix of foods, so down to grungtep or whatever the farangs say, bangkok or something, and the grease in the street food had me sick for 10 months.  i'm at starbucks eating a BigMac, which is a Thai company i think, and looking at some joker eat rice with an egg on top!!!  LOL.  and now he's asking if i want to be petted?  pet, mai?  i said no way!!!  i really just like tom yam with fish, and then i go to 711 and get 100 small little snacks to call it a meal.  

I understand your problem, it just doesn't bother me as much as you. Recently I was around Thanyaburi for a week and I asked a made to order seller for her Khuar Kling. My missus told her that I eat spicy food but the seller still wouldn't make it as spicy as it should be  until the third day that I was there; she was worried that I wouldn't be able to eat it. I didn't mind going back because she was a nice lady and I prefer to support local when possible.

 

Heresy moment:

 

I don't really like Kaeng khiao wan, I prefer Kaeng phet.

On 1/5/2017 at 1:47 PM, grollies said:

Regarding eating like a Thai - I never realised I'd been peeling bananas the wrong way round till I started living here 55555

 

Me too. The Thai way is the best way. Now, how rare is it to write that! 

Could try saying "phet tamada" (hot usual). Thai food in the South is usually fair bit hotter than the north. Crossing into Thailand from Malaysia back in 84, the old slow fan trains with rough kitchen car, I ordered shrimps Thai style, phet tamada.... I imagine they thought "Oh goody, let's mess with him!" Hiccups on first bite, so hot (and I like hot food). My stubborn side said "No complaints, take away their fun" and I ate them all up. After initial napalm strike, buds are senseless so kept calm and carried on.

 My Thai wife can't eat hot and doesn't like onions. I'll keep her anyway.

I have gotten this as well, but usually the missus sorts it out as she likes to tell them how spicy she likes it (I usually like it more spicy than her by the way ).

it usually happens in the touristy type chain restaurants though - S&P etc

when I am travelling back to work or whatever, and order for myself, "Kor  somtam/pad pak bung fai daeng etc, ... kor prik ha met krap" 

This usually works, I think ordering in Half decent Thai helps as well

 

Choke dee

WOW  another angry farang post,,, i dont seem to have this problem it must be you

I often go out to eat with a Thai family. I let the Thai wife pick what she wants. Often it includes Tom Yam.

I never experienced this... maybe you are just suffering from food envy - other people's food looks more delicious than yours... and how would you know what the difference is between your food and someone else's food?

Just find a Mexican restaurant and get a proper beef nachos with jalapinos & Tabasco.

On 1/5/2017 at 4:44 PM, theguyfromanotherforum said:

Drama queen alert

 

Goldilocks is more like it.  "This somtum is too spicy.  This somtum is too bland.  Now THIS somtum is juuuuuust riiiiiight.  Wait where the "F" is my sticky rice???!!!  I hate this country aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!"

On 1/5/2017 at 3:04 PM, BudRight said:

 

Don't you think I've tried that? It's dangerous - I want normal food, not hot-by-Thai-standards food. I actually used to do this and it backfired. I got so many chilies I don't think an Isaan farmer could have eaten it.

 

Besides, I don't want to have to give an intricate description of how many chilies to add to the sauce in crispy morning glory salad or remind them to use the them at all (the dried ones) in the chicken with cashew nuts, three times a day.

 

Carry some extra chilis around with you in your panties.

On 05/01/2017 at 7:04 PM, BudRight said:

 

Don't you think I've tried that? It's dangerous - I want normal food, not hot-by-Thai-standards food. I actually used to do this and it backfired. I got so many chilies I don't think an Isaan farmer could have eaten it.

 

Besides, I don't want to have to give an intricate description of how many chilies to add to the sauce in crispy morning glory salad or remind them to use the them at all (the dried ones) in the chicken with cashew nuts, three times a day.

 

Two of my favourite dishes when in Phuket, Puk Poung (Morning Glory) pet pet, and chicken with cashew nuts with dried/burnt chilli, although can't find that here in Issan

On 05/01/2017 at 10:31 PM, grollies said:

There's a possible new topic starting here on Thai vs Farang food.

 

I left UK late 2015. Used to suffer from piles (I think - really itchy bottom and occasional blood spots).

 

Since being here no bread, no red meat, very little milk, lots of veg, chillies, garlic, etc all cleared up.

 

Missus very occasionally cooks chips, egg and beans  (with chip butties) - next day, itchy bum.

 

Maybe too much information, sorry :-)

 

All true though.

 

You might be low on vitamins, maybe get a multi vitamin, that and a tiny little cream to cool you down there whenever you become dry, and don't get tempted, can get pretty messy 555 

"I wish people who couldn't eat Thai food would stop trying to order it - it's ruining my dining experience and I'm tired of combing the boonies looking for places that Westerners clearly never eat.  "

 

or quite simply tell the waiter when you order you want the food served to the same ingredients as any Thai would have it quite simple really. NO!!!

I've never had the happen during the time I've been here (close to 10 years).

10 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Two of my favourite dishes when in Phuket, Puk Poung (Morning Glory) pet pet, and chicken with cashew nuts with dried/burnt chilli, although can't find that here in Issan

Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng ( Morning Glory with red chilli, oyster sauce etc.), is one of my favourites and can usually find it up here in Isaan..

 

And it's farangitized. White "green" curies, bland fried rice, tom yam with no chilies and waiter serving it with a beaming smile, satisfied they've accommodated their notions that you can only eat food that tastes like shit.

 

Are YOU  implying that any food that is not smothered in and or containing red and green and yellow chili peppers is "shit food" or "food that tastes like shit  ..as you have stated above.

Even the Thais that I know do not like their meals loaded with Chili peppers ( certainly not all the time ) while many of them specifically instruct the waiters or cooks to serve the dish with NO chili peppers or just a little bit as in: Kaw Si Plrick Nit Noi,  My Ow Pet Muhk

They commonly ask for the chilies to be served on the side and they can add the chili peppers themselves if they want and most commonly seen in the fermented style of chili peppers in fish sauce ( Nam Plah Plrick ) or they can use the dried chili peppers served on the side or the chili peppers are available in several other ways also and served on the side.

Plus they have bottled hot sauces that are commonly served on the side or you can ask for them and smother your food in hot sauces if that is how you like your food to taste

If the dish is served and it is not spicy enough for your tastes then simply add more chilies yourself...and all you want.

 

Meantime...while you seemingly demand your food to be spicy,  I personally loathe the taste of a meal that is so overwhelmed with the taste of chili peppers that burn your mouth and make your eyes water while your face turns flush red while you can not taste anything else BUT the taste of chili peppers and leaves a lingering after effect in your mouth for hours on end on top of leaving you with really BAD BREATH , as in, really BAD BREATH..... stinking bad breath...the truth be told. 

Sometimes when you get into a taxi cab or get close to some Thai people ( on the sky train for example )  and they previously ate some of those hot, spicy Thai food dishes that they like to eat all the time and you immediately can smell their stinking bad breath...truth be told. 

 

Cheers

Always found it interesting when you order "prik" chillis for your somtam or other dish, they laugh and laugh.
When they tell you there is Blalah in the dish, they laugh and laugh.

 

Hey, I don't laugh at you wearing Western fashion, looking coolio in those NIKE shoes and Levi's, so shut up and let me enjoy my "Mot-Khai" Isaan style soup!

On 1/5/2017 at 8:29 PM, zeichen said:

yes, of course they customize it. But they make it in batches and not individual servings is my point. 

Depends on the type of restaurant.

Curry point at it street places make in batches.

To order places make each order ... to order.

You haven't seen that? 

our neigbors across the street have got a bulk food preparation business and they supply food stalls around the market area...up at 530am every morning with huge cauldrons of stuff ready to go around 12...never seen such hard workin' folks...

 

another neighbor has her own food stall and prepares everything to order, by herself...heads out around 430pm on her motorbike wheeling her kit on wheels behind her to set up at the top of our soi, comes back around 12 wheeling the kit behind...her stuff ain't bad neither...she's nearly 60 y.o...

 

they both been hard at it since before we moved into our place in 2002...I've got a good observation point from the front glass door of my shop house...

 

 

Do you like cooking? Learn to cook your favorites and DIY. I'm usually disappointed eating out as the food isn't as good as wifeys.

 

But, every now and then she needs a break.

 

Breakfast.

On 05/01/2017 at 0:00 PM, BudRight said:

 

The idea that people should be treated differently based on race has a special word in the English language. It starts with an R.

'Right'?

 

Only kidding!

Most Thai food served here is crap. Low quality ingredients, heavy reliance on oil, sugar, msg, and not well seasoned, made by inexperienced teenage cooks from Myanmar.

I can make better Thai food at home from stuff bought at the local market.
A shame to say but as for Thai food in restaurants I have had better in Japan and US.

Do you like cooking? Learn to cook your favorites and DIY. I'm usually disappointed eating out as the food isn't as good as wifeys.
 
But, every now and then she needs a break.
 
Breakfast.

Yard can't beat Fablon tablecloths!!!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

33 minutes ago, roo860 said:

 

 

Yard can't beat Fablon tablecloths!!!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

 

Yep, bought a new one last week.