What is Thai Food ?

       Over the years people comment on the food here in Thailand. People from other countries say " I love Thai food" or "I hate Thai food". This to me is very strange comment to make after all what is Thai food??

Thailand is a large country that runs North to South. The people are so varied too as they as have many nations been mixed with others over the centuries and so the has the food. Thai food ranges from Chinese styles very similar to what we know all around the world. Noodles, fried rice, sweet and sour. 

          We have what westerners think as very spicy is the food from Esan,  Isaan or several other spellings. this is Thailand largest region which is  in the north east on boarder. with Cambodia and Laos. This food is what some people may have tried and said no way. The food is very spicy but with huge amounts of flavor. its not like Indian hot curry which takes away all the other flavors. The Issan food is just large amounts of all flavor. Papaya salad freshly mage on the streets is just one example. When ordering this just say not spicy or even NO spice. 

      Then we come to the foods that have traveled overseas. The Thai green, red, yellow curry. These again vary from one chef to another as they are all made locally by people that were taught by their parents, friends who all make it slightly different. They all will be different from what you get in your local resturant  back home. This is because of the lack of Thai ingredients available. Thai food is always very fresh as nothing lasts long in the heat of the day.  What we get in out local Chinese or Indian takeaway is nothing like the food we will get in China or India. The same goes for Thailand. 

Then we have the Pad Thai. This means fried Thai style. This is a stir fry with various noodle types, shrimps and either Chicken, Beef, Pork or seafood. It takes minutes to make and very good cheap non spicy food. 

Thailand is also big on BBQs. Chicken, Pork, Fish, Prawns. This makes sense as Thailand is more suited to BBQ than most other nations. A fire on the beach to cook the fish, a fire on the farm to cook the Chicken or Pork. The BBQ has been around in Thailand longer than in all western countries. Rice, noodles and salad can go with all Thai food. For big celebrations they do the same as we do and can do a pig roast or even spit roast a cow.

  Then in modern times in most holiday resorts now they have western foods too. Pizza, Pasta, Burgers, Mexican, British resturants along with many fast food places. You can get Sunday roasts and there is even places that do a carvery on sundays.

All dive boats, Live aboards and other tours that involve or include breakfast and lunch will have a selection of western and Thai food modified for westerners.  The dive boats these days are known for excellent food and compete to find the best chefs.  So for people to say they dont like Thai food is crazy. It just means they tried one or two things in a certain area and gave up.  How can people not like BBQs, Chinese, Curries, Fish stir fries, salads and soups. There is a Thai style food that can suit all tastes and it will always will be fresh and full of flavor. Here in Phuket being very central we have the full range of foods from all over Thailand along with being a center for tourists which brings a large selection of western places too.