Mathew Biadun | Column Writer
In Bristol, my hometown, there is a Thai restaurant called ‘Sabaidee Thai Restaurant’, found right by city hall. Before coming to Thailand, I went there to try and get a sense of what Thai cuisine is like. The only items I recognized from the menu were pad thai, crab rangoon and mango sticky rice, which probably form the holy trinity of what we consider ‘staples’ in Thai food.
It’s not exactly accurate.
I’ve never found pad thai sold anywhere except in touristy areas. Pad thai was, in fact, only initially promoted by the government due to a rice shortage at the time. It originated as ration-food. Crab rangoon originated in America. Mango sticky rice is the most common of all three, not only sold for tourists, but commonly enjoyed in normal Thai eateries.
Now, none of that is meant to discredit any dish. The fact that the Hamburger originated in Hamburg does not make it any less American. Pizza, hamburgers, french fries; these are all distinctly American dishes, no matter where they came from. Most dishes in the world are highly influenced from other countries, with few being truly, completely domestic. However, it does go to show that our understanding of authentic Thai cuisine is quite flawed.
The first thing to truly understand about Thai food is the role of rice. Rice is the staple crop of East Asia, just as wheat is in Europe. This is no less true for Thailand. In Europe, half of all agriculture production amounts to cereals (wheats and grains). In Thailand, half of all farmers grow rice.
Almost every meal has rice. The most common and typical meal here is to have a plate of sliced meat (usually pork or chicken), with a bowl full of rice on the side, often with an egg on top or a bowl of broth on the side. A picture is show below:
This meal is similar in its role here as chicken-and-mashed-potatoes are in America. It is a meal of convenience: cheap, common, and easy to eat. They are often spiced, or mixed with garlic or basil to add more flavor. People here do not use knives. You are only given a spoon and fork, but knives are rarely ever needed, as the meat is cut up for you.
One of the more surprising common foods in Thailand turned out to be fried chicken. Fried chicken stands are extraordinarily common here. They are everywhere. McDonalds sells fried chicken and KFC has businesses here. Small food stands litter parking lots and street sides, frying chicken right then and there.
Food stands in general are very common here. They are always small, ranging from the size of a lemonade stand to a little booth like a garden shed. The smallest ones often have wheels, and are attached to the side of a motorcycle. The vendor can move it around freely, taking it back home at night or to a different location seeking new business. Another common item at these stands is ‘look chin’. These are small meat balls on a stick (usually three or four), glazed with sweet or spicy sauces.
Popular drinks in Thailand include boba tea, which is very common here. A unique flavor is ‘thai tea’, whose flavor is hard to describe, but has elements of vanilla and cinnamon. It’s quite sweet, particularly in a boba form.
Bangkok is a city of international business, and fittingly, there is a lot of foreign cuisine. The most common cuisine is certainly Japanese food. Ramen or sushi restaurants are found everywhere, and Japanese brands are powerful in convenience stores. Korean food, such as Korean barbeque, is also common. American brands also compete freely, in this battleground of international business. McDonalds, KFC, Dairy Queen, and Coca-Cola all have presences here.
If there is one disappointment in regards to Thai cuisine, it is the snack food. God forbid there be any normal flavors here. One can find chips flavored shrimp and prawn and seaweed and lobster, but for any normal salt & vinegar chips, you have to buy far pricier imported goods. Thai snacks are doubtlessly tasty for the Thai themselves, who are used to the flavors. But for me, it’s simply unbelievable to sit down and enjoy a bag of spicy lobster chips.
In short, Thai cuisine is much more complex than we think of in America. Rice is far more prevalent, with common, everyday meals being simple meats-with-rice. International food is present and competitive as well, particularly in Bangkok.
Comments