Thai people and meals to road

With all of this abundance of cheap food on every street corner it is not surprising many Thai people either eat out or get “take-away” on their way home from work. A basic meal costs from 20 baht and 5 baht more will give you an extra helping. Just ask for “piset” which means “special”. It is not that difficult to order and all of the vendors around here are very friendly. I obviously have my favourite meals but I don’t want to let any of the vendors think that I am avoiding them intentionally. So, I have this rotation worked out.

Although I do like eating Thai food, it is also nice to have Western food. Since moving into my own house and rediscovering the kitchen I often cook at home. Most of these meals are Western (like meat and three veg) though I do experiment with Thai ingredients sometimes. I think that if I want to eat Western food then I should cook myself. There are some restaurants around Paknam that have Western menus but it can work out very expensive.

Most of the Thai people I know don’t really like Western meals. They are not so keen on steak and they would rather not have extra cheese on the pizza. If they eat a hamburger they would much prefer to eat the meat and then just peck at the bread. They do have milk but it is mainly seen as a children’s drink. So, they wouldn’t have cereals. They like bacon but again it is not traditional to have egg and bacon like we do.

For myself, I prefer a good breakfast of egg and bacon on toast or some cereals with a cup of coffee. Go to a restaurant and that kind of meal would set you back 100 baht at least. On the other hand, Thai people would have a jok rice porridge for just 20 baht or so. Other Thai people I know would eat food left over from the meal the night before. Although I like curries very much, I just cannot bring myself to eating anything hot and spicy so early in the morning!

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The Thai people and meals

I think one of the first phrases I learned when I arrived in Thailand was “gin khao reu yung?” This is a phrase that asks if you have eaten yet but is really more of a greeting than an inquiry. They are not really interested in when you had your last meal. If you dissect that phrase a bit more you will find a clue to as what is the main component of their meals. In Thai, “khao” means “rice”. So, what they are really asking is, “have you eaten rice yet?”

A second thing I noticed was that Thai people seem to eat all the time and they don’t really have the regular mealtimes like we do in the West. I would go as far as saying that for many people, eating is like a hobby. They have a phrase which says “gin len” or “play eating”. This is a bit like our snacking. I see some people eat all the time and they never seem to get fat. However, some do and I will talk more about that another time.

Wherever you go in the streets you will always find food stalls. From dawn to dusk and in some areas, all night. By far the majority are mobile. At the end of their day they wheel their carts back home. Some are pushed and others have bicycles or motorcycles attached. However, an increasing number just leave their cart on the sidewalk and maybe just pull a sheet over it.

Around the corner from where we live there must be at least a dozen of these stalls. For breakfast you can go and eat jok which is a kind of rice porridge with bits of pork and an egg. There are also little rice and coconut puddings called khanom krok. More substantial meals include pad thai (lightly fried noodles), ba mee (egg noodle soup), kao mun gai (Chinese chicken), hoi tod (oyster omlette), som tam (papaya salad) and many more. Then there are the snacks on a stick. Both seafood and meat.

One of my favourites is the fried chicken cooked by the Muslim guy (a.k.a. the “chicken man”). His secret recipe is so much better, and of course cheaper, than KFC. I don’t think his sales were affected much by the bird flu scare. In fact, everyone I know were a bit upset when he disappeared for a week or so. We later found out it was the Muslim new year so I guess he deserved a holiday. The “chicken man” starts the ball rolling mid-afternoon and then his wife takes over late afternoon. By about 7 p.m. all of the best pieces of chicken have long gone.

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Fat Kids in Thailand

I talked before about the eating habits of Thai people (see Thai People and Meals). I mentioned that they seemed to snack all day and still remain quite slender. However, this is not saying that there are no obese people in Thailand. Far from it. There are quite a few very chubby students at my school. I would go and take a picture of them now but my Western sense of decency would forbid it. However, if I asked one of my Thai computer teachers to take a picture, they would go and do it. Not only that, they would also tell the student and everyone within hearing distance exactly why I needed the picture! (see picture above)

To Thai people there is nothing wrong about this. After all, some people have nicknames from birth until adulthood that mean “fatty” or “piggy”. If you are fat then they will tell you without any malice. In fact, I had quite a few teachers last year point at me and say “fat” and “big big” and gestured with their hands which parts. (I had put on quite a bit of weight over the last year or so and the teachers were only too happy to point this out to me.)

I do believe that the reason why some people can snack all day and not get fat and others do is a lot to do with their diet. Many of the children today are snacking on Western junk food. Take a look at the canteen in our school for starters. Everything is deep fried. Then there is the toast which is covered in sugar and cream. I think that if the Thai people stick to Thai food only, then they would stay thin.

Newspapers are now reporting that 14% of Thai children are obese. They are mainly blaming Western fast food, like McDonalds. However, they also note that the new generation spends too much time watching t.v. and playing video games. They are not going out to play as much as they did in the past. I think all of these are contributing factors. At our school they are now trying to promote a healthy lifestyle by having a big aerobics session every Friday after assembly. What they probably need to do next is sort out the snack shop menu.

As I mentioned before, last year I became overweight and so I decided I should do something about it. I was getting too many jibes from the other teachers about it. I will tell you tomorrow which diet I went on and how I managed to lose 15 kilos in less than three months.

INTERESTING FACTS: According to the Kasikorn Research Centre, the country's quick-service restaurant industry is now worth about 12 billion baht a year. Of the total, chicken menus account for about 6.2 billion baht, 2.9 billion for burgers and another 2.9 billion baht for pizza. A survey in 2004 by market researcher ACNielsen showed that KFC was the leader in the chicken market with a 72% share, followed by McDonald's with 15% and Chester's Grill at 11%. In the burger market, however, McDonald's is the leader with a 72% share, followed by KFC with 24% and the rest shared among other brands.

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Top 10 Food in thailand

I spent most of the day at the Book Fair at Queen Sirikit Convention Hall. The big fairs are usually during the school holidays in April and October. I used to comment that Thai people don’t like reading much (apart from cartoon books), but every year more and more people go to these book fairs. Today was packed and I could hardly move. I bought quite a few books that I will share with you later, but first I want to show you this book which is all about the Top 10 of Thai Food! Obviously one of my favourite subjects. As you can see, the book is in Thai. I think I already have the best of the cookery books in English. Most of them are quite limited and repeat themselves a lot. So, that is why today I was browsing through the cook books written by Thai people. A better selection for sure. I bought half a dozen cook books which will help me a lot identifying the ingredients of street food that I have already photographed. I could blog about Thai food every day, I am just lacking the information sometimes.

Anyway, according to this book, the following is the Top 10 list of Thai Food:

1. Hot and sour soup with shrimp
2. Green curry with chicken
3. Fried Noodles
4. Pork fried in basil
5. Red curry with roast duck
6. Coconut soup with chicken
7. Thai style salad with beef
8. Satay pork
9. Fried chicken with cashew
10. Panang curry

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Sup No Mai (ฃุบหน่อไม้-Bamboo Shoot Yum)

Soop naw mai is a Northeastern traditional dish. It is less popular than som tum (green papaya salad) among people in Bangkok, but tastes great. I personally like it better than som tum. One thing that you should know is that when you add the fish sauce, the dish may develop a strong smell. Don't worry. The smell does not reflect the taste at all. 2 tablespoons toasted rice ½ lime 1 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper 2 green onion, sliced 1 teaspoon fish sauce ½ bottle bamboo shoots The bamboo shoots for this dish come is a bottle or jar that indicates bamboo shoots in/with bai yanang leaves. The shoots are partially shredded. But you will need to shred it all the way through to produce independent strands. Boil the shredded bamboo shoots in water or its juice. Remove from heat after boiled. Add sliced green onion, fish sauce, ground dried chili pepper, lime juice and half of ground toasted rice. Mix well and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle the rest of the ground toasted rice. Add more chili pepper, if you like it hot. If you find that you overseason the dish, add more ground toasted rice to tone down the seasonings. Serve with sticky rice. Downlaod | Download 01 | Download 02 |

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Poo ja (ปูจ๋า)

(ปูจ๋า) Thai Recipe Ingredients * 350 grams crabmeat * 100 grams minced pork * 100 grams onion, chopped * 2 eggs, beaten and mix together * 1/2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped * 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped * 1/2 teaspoon pepper * 2 tablespoons fish sauce * 1/2 tablespoon sugar * 100 grams chili sauce * 6 crab shells * red chili, sliced (for garnishing) * coriander leaves (for garnishing) Thai Food Preparations 1. In a medium bowl, add chopped garlic, coriander, pepper and mix together. Then add pork, crabmeat, onion, fish sauce and sugar. Stir until all ingredients mixed well. 2. Fill the mixture into each of six crab shells and steam for about 15 minutes until cooked. 3. Dip the steamed crab in beaten eggs. 4. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Then deep fry by facing down the crabmeat side into the hot oil until yellow. Remove and drain. 5. Garnish with sliced fresh red chili and coriander leaves. Serve with chili sauce. Downlaod | Download 01 | Download 02 |

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Pla meuk pad kai kem

(ปลาหมึกผัดไข่เค็ม) Thai Recipe Ingredients * 350 gram squid, cleaned and cut into well pieces * 3 egg yolks of salted egg, coarsely chopped and mix with 1/4 cup of water, stir until mixed well [egg yolk sauce] * 1 spring onion, cut into 1" length * 1 red chili, cut diagnally * 5 garlic cloves, minced * 2 tablespoons oyster sauce * 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce * 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce * 1 teaspoon sugar * 1 tablespoon roasted chili paste * 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder * cooking oil Thai Food Preparations 1. Heat water in a pot unitl boiling, then add squid and wait until nearly cooked. Remove and drain. 2. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add garlic and stir fry until golden. Then add spring onions and squid. 3. Stir fry for 30 seconds and add oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, roasted chill paste, pepper powder and egg yolk sauce. 4. Stir fry until all ingredients mixed well, then add half of sliced red chili and stir for another 10 seconds. 5. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with sliced red chili and serve immediately with hot steamed rice.

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Shrimp Casserole 4 Servings Ingredients 3/4 c long-grain rice 1 egg white 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped 3 tb butter 1 garlic clove, minced 2 c fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 c celery, sliced 1/2 c green onion, chopped 1/2 ts dried dillweed 1/2 ts salt 1/2 ts pepper 1 lb raw unpeeled shrimp 3 tb all-purpose flour 1 1/2 c milk 3/4 c gruyre, shredded 2 ts lemon rind, grated 1/4 c fresh bread crumbs Instructions This can be made with any combination of seafood, such as scallops, crab or lobster. Serve with green beans and endive salad. In saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups salted water to boil. Stir in rice; cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in egg white and 1 tb of the parsley. Press mixture into bottom of greased 8-inch square baking dish or other shallow heat proof casserole with same volume; set aside. Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, melt 1 tb of the butter over medium-high heat; cook garlic, mushrooms and celery, stirring, for about 5 minutes or just until vegetables start to brown. Stir in onions, dill and 1/4 ts each of the salt and pepper; cook over high heat for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned. transfer to large bowl. Whip out skillet; pour in 2 cups water and bring to simmer. Cook shrimp for about 1 minute or just until pink. Reserve 1 cup of liquid, rinse shrimp under cold running water. Shell and devein shrimp; arrange over rice in baking dish. In heavy saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, without browning; gradually whisk in reserved liquid and milk. Cook, stirring, for about 20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, lemon rind and remaining salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Stir into vegetable mixture along with remaining parsley; pour over shrimp in baking dish. [Can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.] In small bowl, stir together remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake in 325F 160C oven for 40-50 minutes or until heated through. Broil for about 2 minutes or until top is golden. Let stand for 15 minutes. 4 servings for $17.01CDN [Nov 95] Per Serving: about 480 calories, 32 g protein, 19 g fat, 43 g carbohydrate, excellent source calcium, good source iron Tip: For added colour, substitute 1/4 cup wild rice for long-grain rice. cook wild rice for 30 minutes before adding long-grain rice. Source: Canadian Living magazine, Nov 95 Presented in article "Hearty & Healthy: Casseroles See The Light" Recipe by Canadian Living Test Kitchen. Downlaod | Download 01 | Download 02 |

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Tom yum po-tak ta-lay(ต้มโป๊ะแตกทะเล)

(ต้มโป๊ะแตกทะเล) Thai Recipe Ingredients * 100 grams green mussel, cleaned * 100 grams crab, chopped into small pieces * 80 grams red sea bass , sliced * 80 grams squid, scored and sliced * 80 grams medium-sized shrimps, cleaned, shelled and deviened * 1/4 cup mushrooms, peel black skin and cut in half * 2 tablespoons galangal, sliced * 2 tablespoons fish sauce * 3 tablespoons lime juice * 5-10 chillies, crushed * 2 lemomgrass, sliced 2 inch long and crushed * 3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded * 1/2 cup basil leaves * 2 cup vegetable stock or water * coriander leaves (for garnishing) Thai Food Preparations 1. Heat vegetable stock or water in a big pot. Wait until boiling, add lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves then wait for another 5 minutes. 2. Add green mussel, crab, red sea bass, squid, shrimps and mushrooms in the boiling water for 4 minutes or until all ingredients cooked. 3. Add basil and fish sauce, lime juice, crushed chilies. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately with hot steamed rice. Downlaod | Download 01 | Download 02 |

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Koong rad sauce ma-kam (กุ้งราดซอสมะขาม)

(กุ้งราดซอสมะขาม) Thai Recipe Ingredients * 500 grams shrimps, cleaned, and shelled * 3 tablespoons tapioca flour * 2 tablespoons fried shallot * 1 tablespoon fried garlic * 3 tablespoons fish sauce * 1 tablespoon sugar * 1/2 teaspoon chopped chilli * 1/4 cup tamarind juice * 1 teaspoon vinegar * 3 cups cooking oil for deep frying * coriander leaves (for garnishing) * fresh vegetables (cucumbers, tomato, etc.) Thai Food Preparations 1.Toss the prepared shrimps in the tapioca flour until thoroughly coated. 2. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Then deep fry shrimps until crispy and golden. Remove and drain. Transfer to a serving plate 3. To make the tamarind sauce : Heat a pot over low heat, add the tamarind juice, vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir until the sauce is thickened. Then add chilli, shallot and garlic. Stir until all ingredients mixed well. 4. Pour the tamarind sauce over the fried shrimps. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately with fresh vegetables. Downlaod | Download 01 | Download 02 |

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