Of the three countries I have visited so far on this trip - India, Thailand and Cambodia - Thailand has had the best food, hands down. Thai is arguably the best of Chinese cuisine combined with the best of Indian spices. I'm not sure how much I agree with the Indian spice part, though. India has some pretty pungent and offensive spices, plus they overdo the spices in everything... possibly to compensate for rancidity. Another differing factor between India and Thailand is how the food looks. As Woodson has said numerous times, Indians don't concern themselves with presentation - most dishes look like they could have come from a used diaper. Thailand is the exact opposite and the food has been fantastic.
There are four basic types of food in Thailand: soups, curries, noodles and stir fry. Thai soups typically are with a clear broth and a lot of noodles. There are a few creamier soups too, but given the torrid climate, I haven't sampled too many. The curries are simply delicious. The key differentiator from India here, I think, is coconut milk. I'm not a fan of coconut, but only the richness, not the flavor, is brought out in the curries. I've only had a few, but Woodson got me to try the red curry, which has been one of my favorites in Thailand.
There are a number of different types of stir fry. Thais use all types of meat and combine them with an assortment of vegetables. They have been very good as well. Finally, noodles. There are oodles of noodles. Okay, that was a terrible sentence. But, nonetheless, my favorite type - which I typically order at home - is a combination of fried wide rice noodles with chicken and bok choy in a light, sweet and spicy sauce. Sometimes they add baby corn, carrots or broccoli. There are all types of noodles, thick or thin, fried or boiled, bland or spicy.
Most people worry about the spiciness of Thai food. Most of my food has been fairly bland and then I have added spice. When asking for spicy, Thais know better than to give white boys too much. In the photo above, Woodson dared me to eat a spoonful of hot peppers for 200 baht. While I was more concerned with pride, I dutifully downed the peppers only to receive a painful morning and about six U.S. dollars. In all, I think one of the things I'll miss most about Thailand is the cuisine. Oh, and the Chang beer.
Spicy Pork Salad and Beef Curry
There are four basic types of food in Thailand: soups, curries, noodles and stir fry. Thai soups typically are with a clear broth and a lot of noodles. There are a few creamier soups too, but given the torrid climate, I haven't sampled too many. The curries are simply delicious. The key differentiator from India here, I think, is coconut milk. I'm not a fan of coconut, but only the richness, not the flavor, is brought out in the curries. I've only had a few, but Woodson got me to try the red curry, which has been one of my favorites in Thailand.
Thai Soup
There are a number of different types of stir fry. Thais use all types of meat and combine them with an assortment of vegetables. They have been very good as well. Finally, noodles. There are oodles of noodles. Okay, that was a terrible sentence. But, nonetheless, my favorite type - which I typically order at home - is a combination of fried wide rice noodles with chicken and bok choy in a light, sweet and spicy sauce. Sometimes they add baby corn, carrots or broccoli. There are all types of noodles, thick or thin, fried or boiled, bland or spicy.
Spice-Eating Dare
Most people worry about the spiciness of Thai food. Most of my food has been fairly bland and then I have added spice. When asking for spicy, Thais know better than to give white boys too much. In the photo above, Woodson dared me to eat a spoonful of hot peppers for 200 baht. While I was more concerned with pride, I dutifully downed the peppers only to receive a painful morning and about six U.S. dollars. In all, I think one of the things I'll miss most about Thailand is the cuisine. Oh, and the Chang beer.
I'm jealous Eric....Love theose Thai noodle soups! But wait until you hit Vietnam and can pork out on Pho and Bun bo Hue! The ULTIMATE in soups of the world!!
ReplyDeleteHey skinny kid, time to launder that tee shirt.
ReplyDeleteThe most important lesson I have learned concerning spicy foods is that it burns going in and it burns coming out.
ReplyDelete