When In Thailand do you Eat Thai or Falang Food?

[Neal]

Anonone posted an interesting question on the breakfast thread but it can get too lengthy so I separated it.
So here is Anonone's question:

I am curious.
For those that live in Thailand...or maybe are on extended visits....what percentage of the time do you eat local versus falang food / tastes of home?

[francois]

For me, 70% Farang vs 30% Thai. Usually because my farang friends prefer Western food and so does the boyfriend.

[Neal]

I tend to eat more falang food only because the Thai's do not seem to understand the words "pet nit noy!" :tongue3:

[adman5000]

It depends on where I am in Thailand. When outside of BKK/Pattaya I eat Thai food and enjoy trying the various different regional specialities such as the BBQ sausages in Issan, or Khao Soy in Chiang Mai or Shrimp with frest Thai peppercorns when near the sea. When in BKK/Pattaya I eat mostly Falang (but International Food). including Indian, Greek, Italian, Japanese, etc. I almost never eat at any of the major fast food restaurants or chains.

So I would estimate 50/50. But I have gone for as long as a month eating only Thai food but I had to eat egg over rice for breakfast as I could not stomach fish for breakfast. My last trip I had Thai food for solid two weeks while at a resort and I actually got used to eating soup with breakfast. But I watched the chef pick the ingredients used in making the soup and it was made fresh for that meal. I loved it.

When I return home, I crave something with lots of tomato sauce and a high quality thick burger!

I'd say 80% Thai, but I've never been able to stomach rice or noodles for breakfast.

[Manforallseasons]

I live here and I will only eat fried rice with eggs, or some Penang shrimp or chicken, local seafood is good but he carefull of hepititas from shell fish, when in Chiang Mai I will eat the local food so I guess it's 97% farang food for me.

[Oliver]

Eat local; that's good advice in most of the countries I visit....though one or two places in West Africa are exceptions due to the poverty of the inhabitants.
In the case of Thailand, we have one of the world's great cuisines at our disposal and even the most basic places in the tourist areas provide Thai food that is half as expensive and twice as tasty as Thai restaurants here in London.

I'm surprised to hear that Pattaya restaurants don't understand "mai paet"... this isn't my experience. Thais complain that the food is too modified to our tastes. The only exception to this comes when sometimes my squid salad is too spicy for me. I put that down not to a misunderstanding of my lamentable Thai (according to my boyfriend) but to national pride- in much the same ways as a Parisien waiter would refuse to find a bottle of HP sauce for a Briton to put on his steak au poivre.

For me, the anticipation of Thai food is one of the great pleasures as my next trip approaches. And the best moment is that first dinner in Bangkok soon after my plane arrives. I can taste that squid salad (mai paet) already....

[Narakmak]

I have the opposite problem. I love phet phet. In Pattaya, because so many of you pussies, they see a white face and tone the food down (and add more sugar) based on racial stereotypes. I can solve this problem at regular places when they get to know me and know I am serious. Yes, I happen to like Thai food even more spicy than most Thais. Living here of course Thai food all the time gets very boring. So you need to mix it up. Thankfully, restaurants like Pao: My Kitchen exist to fill the need for world class non-Thai food!

The longer I live in Thailand, the less Thai food I eat. Generally, daily I eat brekkie at home, cook one meal at home (Asian fusion mostly using Chinese and Thai ingredients), and eat one meal out. The meal out is Thai about two times a week, three at the most.

I do think tourists should stick to Thai food for most of their food here though that is if they like Thai food, and no reason not to like it, there is plenty of variety. Being here for a limited time, they would be foolish to not take advantage of it while they can.

[gaymandenmark]

The only farang food I eat in Thailand, on both long and short stays, is breakfast, everything else is thai food.

I can understand, if you are living as an expact, that you like the taste of your homecountry sometimes, but I am sure when I retire nothing will change for me. Maybe I will then even eat thai breakfast.
So I will say 20% farang food and 80% thai food.

I will say, that just after the boys, thaifood is one of the biggest attractions of Thailand, so I don't understand those people who almost only eat western food.

[cdnmatt]

I don't eat as much Thai food as I used to. I never touch Issan food, then got bored with the same Thai dishes all the time.

Eat farang food maybe once a week, such as spaghetti, or a nice italian pasta, or fajitas, or whatever. Rest of the time I cook other food that isn't Thai, but I know Kim will like. Spicy pork goulash, almond chicken stir fry, chinese beef & broccoli, a nice indian curry, teriyaki salmon filets, and things like that.

I like cooking. It's my wind down time from work. :)

[ceejay]

Probably 70-30 Thai food for me. I have pretty simple tastes: two of the things I most look forward too are rice soup with pork for breakfast which is a sort of signature for the start of my stay in Thailand on the first morning, and barbecue chicken with sticky rice at any roadside place outside the cities. It's easy to find good Thai food at the cheaper end of the market. You just look for the restaurants full of Thais and the street stalls with Thais queuing at them. Food courts are reliable wherever you find them, too.

[Narakmak]

Deleted quote. absolutely unnecessary DaBoss
That's what everyone says before they've lived here for years. :blob7: I find it funny though that you think there are two major food choices: Thai and Swedish. There are hundreds of countries on earth, most have some good food, and a lot of them are represented in urban Thailand, in restaurants or you can cook yourself.

[gaymandenmark]

Narakmakmak I am not sure what is the point with your post, or are you just trying to be funny, with no success.

To your surprise we also have a lot of ethnic restaurants in Denmark: Mongolian, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Thai, Chinese, you name it.
But why should i eat Scandinavian food, when I am away from my country.
In Spain I eat Spanish, in Italy Italian, in Thailand Thai food.

I could live on Thai food every day, and I think it is some of the best food in the world.
So I eat it whenever I have the opportunity.

[Narakmak]

Deleted Quote. Unnecessary use of quote feature DaBoss
If you move to Thailand, your life won't be what you think it will be like now, I can guarantee you that.

[christianpfc]

I eat about 90% Thai food when I am in Thailand, mostly on the street or at food stalls. It's the cheapest and easiest way, and I like Thai food. When I am with a Thai friend, I occasionally have a splurge (that would be 500-1000 Baht in a restaurant for both of us). About once per week farang food (pizza or pasta).

[lukylok]

Apart from most breakfast, I only eat thai food. I never find it boring and much much better than what is called farang food.
I don't see why I'd go to Thailand to eat german, british, dutch, etc food, I'd never eat in Europe. Same same applies to the fast bad food like hamburger or pizzas. (An italian wouldn't recognize those nor the spaghetti served here).
One can find good farang food, but then it is very expensive while thai is good and cheap. And I like very spicy too.

I only stay about 3 months a year and can understand the expats wanting now and then to find the tastes of their country of origin.

[Narakmak]

Pattaya has some good Italian pizza. I see Italians there regularly and they seem very happy! It's called La Bocca and has a wood fired oven and Sicilian chef. I also had their eggplant parm on special; it was decadently good (very richly oiled). Personally I much prefer their calzone (ask to substitute ricotta for the cheese though). If you're talking about Thai style pizza, yes that is horrible. I also like the ponzones (like calzones) from New York Pizza House, more American style of course.

http://pattayatoday.net/wining-dining/d ... /la-bocca/ (http://pattayatoday.net/wining-dining/dining-out/la-bocca/)

[anonone]

Some great replies..and interesting.

I see a lot of folks go with a Western breakfast, but then Thai for the rest of the meals. I can see where this would be easier for visitors, as we tend to stay in guesthouses that would offer a western breakfast option, sometimes as part of the room rate. And I do agree with the poster that can't get on board with fish in the morning. I don't like seafood much anyway, but for breakfast...just don't see it. Other than the rice porridge option, is there a typical Thai breakfast food? I can't seem to recall Thais eating something specifically for breakfast...

I have a self-imposed rule to only eat Thai when I am visiting. I try to get some exercise each morning, so typically I will grab some BBQ pork skewers and sticky rice on my way back to the room. I would never think to eat this for breakfast at home, but in Thailand, it seems perfect...

I did break my own rule one time. Stumbling back to my room after a late night of drinking and carousing, I went by one of the hamburger stands in Sunee. The smell of the burgers, my better sense eroded by alcohol, and craving sustenance after a lot of bedroom activity, I stopped and ordered up. Man, at the time it tasted awesome. Funny how being drunk affects how good the food tastes... :sign5:

I also totally get how an expat resident or long time visitor would crave some Western options. A thick burger would certainly be on my list, grilled not fried.....

[Narakmak]

Here is what I don't think some people get.
You're still the same person when you move to Thailand, especially after a long time.
If you were (like me) the kind of person who loved variety before they moved to Thailand, you will still crave variety when living in Thailand. If you live in the sticks, you're stuck with Thai food or what you can cook with limited correct ingredients.
But if you live in an expat city, you can mix it up in a similar way to as when you lived back there. You can also cook a huge variety of stuff too with all the expat food markets.
But the choices will be different.

For example, back in my last US city my main preferences for eating out were:

Chinese (lots of real Sechuan)
Mexican
Thai only rarely because that city had poor Thai food compared to other places I lived
Korean
Vietnamese (a lot)
Southern American (BBQ, collard greens, corn bread, that kind of thing)
Dominican
Indian

In Pattaya, my main preferences are

Thai
Italian
Korean
Chinese (at Pao)
British (blush)
Greek (Pattayanis)
Scandinavian
Mexican (it's not great but I like Sunrise sometimes)
Iranian
Indian


I don't bother with burgers in Thailand. They are crap and was never much into them in the US either. Maybe once every few months in the US at a gourmet type place. Here, it's been years.

On the contrary if you weren't into variety in your old life, it's probable you won't need much variety in Thailand. Again, you're still the same person.

[cdnmatt]

If you live in the sticks, you're stuck with Thai food or what you can cook with limited correct ingredients.

Yeah, this is one of the things that tends to frustrate me. Just finding various ingredients like bell peppers, lemons, celery, zucchini, strawberries, honey, cornstarch, and the list is endless... is a huge pain. To the point where when I move to Chiang Mai, I'm planning to start my own garden plus aquaculture setup, and grow my own veggies.

On the flip side, it's also taught me to be a much better cook, because you have to create everything yourself. There's no relying on packaged seasonings, or various other things like flour tortillas, pita bread, etc. So you end up teaching yourself how to blend all the ingredients and spices together much more than you would back home by just using the packaged crap. For example, if you're making a nice Greek meal, you're making both, the pita bread and tzatziki sauce from scratch. There's none of this buying it from the store. If you want fajitas, you're making the tortillas and seasoning from scratch, and nowadays, I'd much prefer my own seasoning to what you'd get in a store in Canada. Same goes with everything. Japanese beef? You're on your own.

[Neal]

Too bad you don't have a Villa Market near you as it has all of those things. I don't think there is one in Chaing Mai at this time.

[Narakmak]

Too bad you don't have a Villa Market near you as it has all of those things. I don't think there is one in Chaing Mai at this time.
I love western celery. I use it here in tuna salad and also in a fusion egg foo yung dish that I cook. It used to be hard to find in Pattaya but now is available at a number of places.

[christianpfc]

I forgot to mention the occasional sushi I have in Thailand. While technically Japanese food, the Thai have adapted it and make it on their own and it's availabe as street food in some places.

[Narakmak]

Thai street sushi?
You're a braver man than me!

I have a funny cooking in Thailand story.
Just last week I was picking up something at a 7-11 while carrying a bag of groceries from another store.
The girl saw there were vegetables and stuff in the bag and looked amazed and interested and asked me for cooking and I said yes.
She said it was the first time she saw a farang cooking in Thailand.
I then put my finger to my lips and said SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, it's illegal.
Not sure if she believed me but it was fun.

Dunno why people think that eating local must automatically be better than eating anything else the problem with a lot of Thai food is that its fried and someone who cares about the GI content of food will know that Thai jasmine rice is pure poison.

When Im in Thailand I eat exactly what I have at home natural muesli or porridge for brekky maybe a sandwich for lunch if I get to Tops for decent bread none of this white crap the Thais serve up and then fruit and veggies in the evening almost impossible to find unsalted nuts.

If I eat out I will have meat but I just cant be bothered cooking it for myself but might have some ham in my sandwich I remember reading a book a long time ago where someone said his idea of nirvana was a glass of beer a ham sandwich and a boy.

Thais don't understand western brekky in my opinion with mingy sized overcooked bacon rashers and watery scrambled eggs white bread toast and whats with butter knife bullshit?

[Dodger]

is there a typical Thai breakfast food? I can't seem to recall Thais eating something specifically for breakfast...

No, not really, as the Thais typically eat 4 to 5 meals per day and don't classify them as "breakfast, lunch, dinner" as we do in the West.

The Thais first meal of the day really can't be distinguished from any of the other 4 meals they eat that day with the exception of the last meal which sometimes consists of heavier more expensive side dishes. Thus the reason why the majority of Thai boys would rather part ways with a farang in the morning hours to enjoy snacking on glutinous rice, fish, noodles and a nam pla (chili sauce) etc., which doesn't sit well with most farang in the wee morning hours. I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed a Thai boy just staring at the ground as if he's in a trance when sitting across the table from his farang counterpart during their morning outing to a farang restaurant. The farang of course is totally oblivious to this and keeps asking the boy why he's not hungry.

I always start the day with a farang breakfast and enjoy eating 80% Thai food the remainder of the day. The Thai food most commonly sold by the street vendors and small food stalls (the best) in Pattaya are of Chinese influence typical of the cuisine sold in Bangkok and the central region. I also enjoy Isaan food with it's Lao/Khmere influences, although the eating habits of the Isaan people leave a bit to be desired. It's not uncommon for them to eat with their mouths open making sucking sounds and talking to a neighbor at the same time. It doesn't bother me a bit if a Thai boy is making sucking sounds with his mouth open, but that's best practiced following dessert.

Thai food is ranked as one of the healthiest foods on the planet: Low carbohydrate - high protein (in small amounts) - low fat (but watch those fatty pork sausages) - and high in essential nutrients. Much of the food you buy at the market and eat at the food stalls is grown organically and better for your health than any of the processed farang foods you find at Friendship Village.

Want a great morning dessert: Mix one large can of pinnapple juice with 2 small cans of cream of coconut - a squeeze of lemon - and a shot of dark rum. Toss it in the freezer over night. In the morning toss a big glob Dodger's mystery gelatin on top of a thick slice of grilled pound cake (yes you can buy this at Friendship) and wallah...a great morning taste delight. I have absolutely no idea what you call this thing because I was hammered when I discovered it...the boy loved it.

[anonone]

Hey Dodger. Thanks for the great information.

It matches what I have seen and thought....When out in the morning, I have seen all types of food dishes being eaten up by the locals. Confirms my suspicion that there is not a typical Thai breakfast food.
Funny you should mention the Thai sitting across from the falang at the morning table...I can't seem to get BF up and out of bed at any time close to a typical breakfast. Maybe the Thai boy is not eating because he is still asleep.... :sign5:

I do love the Thai style of eating...smaller portions throughout the day. I also like the communal aspect that it takes on. Some great times with the BF hanging out in his old neighborhood. Table out front, beer bottles open, food vendors making the rounds, table with a variety of food that is being shared as friends and neighbors come and go.... Very relaxed and friendly.

Christian: I don't recall seeing any street carts serving sushi. Did you come across these in Pattaya...or was it Bangkok only maybe? I know there is a small sushi kiosk just inside one of the doors at Tutcom, but that is the only one I remember seeing. I don't enjoy sushi, but BF likes to pick up some when we happen to be at Tutcom...and eats a lot of wasabi with it. I have no idea if it is quality sushi, but OK with BF.

[Neal]

Just lately I have seen motorcycle carts with Japanese looking ornaments and design and selling the rolls etc.

[Liamog]

I don't recall seeing any street carts serving sushi. Did you come across these in Pattaya...or was it Bangkok only maybe? I know there is a small sushi kiosk just inside one of the doors at Tutcom, but that is the only one I remember seeing. I don't enjoy sushi, but BF likes to pick up some when we happen to be at Tutcom...and eats a lot of wasabi with it. I have no idea if it is quality sushi, but OK with BF.

There's a Sushi stall on Pattaya Tai amoung the food stalls facing Wat Chai / Center Condo. It's before Tukcom / Soi Day Night on Pattaya Tai. It only operates at night though and it doesn't open every night. Went there a lot over about 6 months but could never figure out the opening times - seems to open between 9 and 11pm until about 4am (ish) and 4 or 5 nights per week. This stall is small and stuck on the corner of one of the side Sois so it's easy to miss. It's on the 'inside' of the two rows of stalls. On the nights it's not a sushi stall it seems to sell pork ribs.

The stall is steadily busy, usually Thais use it though, never seen too many other farang. A lot of the bar boys go there after work.

Each piece of sushi is 5 baht! There's usually about 10 to 15 types to choose from. You also get small sachets of wasabi and soy sauce. I used to hand over 40 or 50 baht and ask the (cute) guy who worked there to choose for me. He always threw in extra pieces because I was a good customer. Enough for a late night feast and a breakfast snack the next day.

Is it good? It tastes great. I always enjoyed it. It's very popular with the Thais which is a recommendation. Not sure if a food hygiene officer would necessarily approve of buying seafood from an open air stall with no running water but hey I like to live dangerously. Possibly needed the bathroom a little more often the day after my visits!

[christianpfc]

At the moment, I remember two locations where I had sushi as street food, both in Bangkok: the weekend (?) market in Soi Ngamdopli and the night market at Ramkhamhaeng University, in front of the stadium.


Much of the food you buy at the market and eat at the food stalls is grown organically and better for your health than any of the processed farang foods you find at Friendship Village.

Are you sure about that? That Thailand is a developing country can mean two things: the food is without pesticides, insecticides, conservatives, food additives (because it's too expensive or hasn't reached Thailand), or they use stuff that has long been banned in the West. I vagely remember newspaper reports in Europe about problems with Thai prawns that had growth hormone or antibiotic levels above what was permissible in Europe.

[bruce_nyc]

You guys are so making me hungry!

Two things I (we all?) Live for... good food and good sex. :-)

Great tips I'm picking up... Thanks.

Sushi from a street stall sounds delicious. It also sounds risky as hell. :-)

[Neal]

Yes Bruce, exactly. after good food and good sex what is there? Nothing. Take me Buddah! Time to go!

[fedssocr]

I tend to eat more falang food only because the Thai's do not seem to understand the words "pet nit noy!" :tongue3:

Me too. Real Thai food is just too hot for me except in small doses.

[Dodger]

Are you sure about that? That Thailand is a developing country can mean two things: the food is without pesticides, insecticides, conservatives, food additives (because it's too expensive or hasn't reached Thailand), or they use stuff that has long been banned in the West. I vagely remember newspaper reports in Europe about problems with Thai prawns that had growth hormone or antibiotic levels above what was permissible in Europe.

Unfortunately, moderization will some day replace the age-old farming traditions in Thailand where food laced with pesticides, insecticides, growth enhancers, etc. will replace organically grown crops, although progress (if one choses to call it that) is very slow.

Many of the older farms in Isaan still grow and harvest crops organically, thus rendering approximately 25% of their crops as being unfit for market due to insect infestation. I know this very well, as I have spent many nights sitting around the campfires watching the women sorting chillies by hand separating the good ones (hard to the touch) from the rejects (soft to the touch) where insects have eaten their way through to the pulp of the chilli. Resourceful as Thais generally are nothing actually goes to waste. The reject pile left after a night of hand-sorting ends up being sun-dried, crushed into chilli powder, divided equally amoung the sorters, and then sold on the market as conforming product where a certain percentage of dead insects are permiited. Hey, just think about that extra boost of natural protein!!! I've observed the same sorting out of defective product in a broad range of organically grown crops including herbs and spices which are also on the insect food chain.

I read once where the earliest signs of agriculture on our planet have been traced back to none-other-than the Kingdon of Siam. Is it merely a coinsidence that the farmers with the most experience are the last ones to embrace modern farming - or could it be that they know more than the rest of us? Makes you wonder. Makes me wonder anyway.