Do urban Thais ever eat at home now?

[thaiguest]

I find it amazing that more and more Thai people in Bangkok and Pattaya (at least) eat on the sidewalk. Of late new ad hoc kitchens have opened up all over Pattaya and they're all doing well. The cafe scene and restaurant scene in the west is basically a causual option between home cooked meals but here it looks like it has become mainstay eating. Could it be that eating out on a massive scale has become a necessary option due to the incresing costs of vegetables , meat and fish?

I don't recall reports of General Prayuth eating regularly at roadside stalls but I'm sure someone can produce the evidence to support thaiguest's interesting conjecture

[fedssocr]

is this really something new? Thai street food has been a topic of discussion for many, many years among travelers. And since the vast majority of customers have always been locals this seems like something that has been part of Thai culture for a long time.

Maybe they don't have kitchens? Or don't want to do the work...especially when food on the street is fairly inexpensive.

[bruce_nyc]

Exactly. It's simply cheaper and easier than cooking yourself.

My boyfriend and his friends even buy food from the street food stalls and bring it home.... when they want to eat at home.

Be thankful he's not filling your place with grease fires and filthy wok smoke!

It may of course be that Thais are worse off recently http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/op ... onomy.html (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/opinion/how-to-save-the-thai-economy.html)

[christianpfc]

ould it be that eating out on a massive scale has become a necessary option due to the increasing costs of vegetables , meat and fish?
The cost of ingredients is irrelevant, either you or the restaurant has to pay for ingredients.
Most Thais eat out, or take-away from restaurants (lots of plastic waste!).

[bruce_nyc]

It's just a big huge time consuming mess to cook in your own kitchen.... if you even have a kitchen. And everyone wants to eat something different every time. So if it's cheaper..... or even if it's the same price..... it works out better than cooking.

It's not very surprisingly really. The same is true of apartment dwellers in New York City. They eat only carryout, delivery, or at a restaurant.

[cdnmatt]

And everyone wants to eat something different every time. So if it's cheaper..... or even if it's the same price..... it works out better than cooking.

Except the stuff you get from the market stalls is generally garbage. Wilted vegetables, meat that is questionable, rice that is sometimes a day old, etc.

They eat it because it's cheap & easy, to support their community, and because they have the mindset of living day-by-day. They don't know to stock up for the future.

Even to this day, when I go buy say 4 chicken breasts from the local market, I still hear people saying, "wow, look at how much that farang eats" with them not knowing I know Thai. Obviously, I don't eat 4 chicken breasts in one sitting. I bag them up individually, and throw them in the freezer. I just don't feel like going to the market every day like they do.

[bruce_nyc]

They probably assume it's fresher to buy it every day. And I'm talking about fully cooked meals from what I call, "street restaurants".... not ingredients from any market. Yeah, it's cheap and easy. It's the "McDonalds" of Thai culture.

[lukylok]

There is one big difference : Thai food is usually tasty, healthy, freshly made and served in smaller portions.
And cheap, 35 or 40 bahts.
I won't even try to qualify MacDonalds products.

There is one big difference : Thai food is usually tasty, healthy ...Not if you're diabetic. Jasmine rice in particular has a high sugar content

[Smiles]

There is one big difference : Thai food is usually tasty, healthy, freshly made and served in smaller portions. And cheap, 35 or 40 bahts.
Agree with the first sentence but not the last. The days of street food (either permanent stalls or meals-on-wheels) for 35-40 baht is long gone ... red-shifted to the higher side. Not much you can buy on the street anymore under the 50-80 baht range. Example: a plate of 2-for-one khao mun gai (pretty staple stuff) on the street used to be 35-40 baht. Some years later its 50-55 baht. Cheap boxes of noodles at 7-11 I don't count.
On the other hand, the food supply on the street is plentiful, hugely varied, and mostly delish, and ... you're paying with farang money.

3 cheers for Thai food on-the-go!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/forum%20photos%202/khaoniew-chicken1.jpg

This khao mun gai stall photo is about 5 years old. The only thing which has changed is the price sign ... upwards.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/forum%20photos%202/khaomungai1.jpg

[cdnmatt]

How is the street food here healthy? Which exact meals would you consider healthy? I can think of three myself:

"Gai Phat Met Mimmuang" -- Chicken Stir Fry with Snow Peas and Cashew Nuts
"Paak Phat Set Gung" -- Veggie Stir Fry with Shrimp
"Paak Phat Set Leuum" -- Veggie Stir Fry

Only problem with those dishes is you have to go hunting around a little to find a place that actually serves them, because most don't have the necessary veggies or shrimp on hand. Even then, they still re-use the cooking oil more than they should, clean their woks by scraping them with a metal spatula, are happy to extend the life of veggies / meats a little too much, etc.

Most of the street food here is garbage though, hence why it's $1.50 a plate. You get what you pay for, right? There is really good, healthy, delicious Thai food available, but you need to go to a proper restaurant and spend 1000 baht on a meal for two. You're not going to get it on the street.

[dinagam]

Early this month a serving of chicken rice at a stall opposite the car park of Dongtan beach Pattaya cost only 40 baht.

One can still eat cheaply in Thailand. Bless the boys.

[Smiles]

You're not going to get it on the street.
Ridiculous generalization.
There is delicious food on the street when you want it and if you know the joints to go to. If you're too delicate for it, go ahead and hi-so yourself.

Early this month a serving of chicken rice at a stall opposite the car park of Dongtan beach Pattaya cost only 40 baht
To Dinagam: certainly one can find 40 baht food, but my point was that, in general, prices have gone past that limit. Still bargains anyway, but inflation lives in Thailand as elsewhere.
Location also does make a difference. I would speculate that Pattaya/Jomtien generally has cheaper prices than, say, my home in Hua Hin, or the Big Mango, or Chiang Mai.

[cdnmatt]

You're not going to get it on the street.
Ridiculous generalization.
There is delicious food on the street when you want it and if you know the joints to go to. If you're too delicate for it, go ahead and hi-so yourself.

I'm talking about nutrition in general. Do you really think a plate of "khao man gai" or "krapow moo sap" is good for you?

I'll admit, it can taste good, and is sustainable. Don't tell me it's a healthy diet though. There's a reason I spend the money on buying imported Australian rib-eye, Norwegian salmon steaks, etc.

[francois]

There's a reason I spend the money on buying imported Australian rib-eye, Norwegian salmon steaks, etc.

What? I thought there was great barbecue to be had on the streets of Khon Kaen?

[lukylok]

For price, I talk about Chiang Mai, which I know well.
Every day, we lunch at the market, or in small restaurant or noodle shop.
Unless I want an egg on top, (5bahts), I hardly ever pay more than 40 bahts.
I know that in Pattaya or Bkk, meals are more expensive.

There's a reason I spend the money on buying imported Australian rib-eye, Norwegian salmon steaks, etc.What? I thought there was great barbecue to be had on the streets of Khon Kaen?
Rattanaburi, surely?

[cdnmatt]

There's a reason I spend the money on buying imported Australian rib-eye, Norwegian salmon steaks, etc.

What? I thought there was great barbecue to be had on the streets of Khon Kaen?

There is. Actually, that's a good idea. Might have to do it tonight. I have the little ceramic fireplace thing out in my backyard, and the top piece hanging from my wall. Local market here sells it. It's actually pretty cool. They just give you a bag, and there's about 14 tin trays of various meats and seafood you pick from. They charge you by the amount it weighs, throw in some bags of veggies and broth, and off you go.

Nonetheless, you can't tell me street food here is a healthy diet.

[thaiguest]

My main problem with the sit-down ad-hoc street restaurants is not the quality of the food but the washing up arrangements.
I love to sit and eat the delicious food served at the tables outside the Irish bar on Convent Rd near Silom junction for example.
BUT it bothers me when I see the dishes washed in cold water. Maybe some bleach is added but who knows for sure?
Scores of people use the same dishes as the eveniing goes on risking the spread of of all kinds of mouth and throat infections as well as viruses.
It's my lay understanding that a minimum temp of 40c over a period of time is the least that's required to render utensils at least partly sterile.
I frequently put this to the back of my mind though cos the food is so good .

[loke]

I prefer eating at home , I have a nice kitchen and use it. And thai food is not on top of my list , except for noodle soup with fresh vegetables. The oil they use to fry with here is not really healthy so I try to avoid it.
But most Thais do not have a choice really , they prefer their street food.

[bruce_nyc]

Most of the street food here is garbage though, hence why it's $1.50 a plate. You get what you pay for, right? There is really good, healthy, delicious Thai food available, but you need to go to a proper restaurant and spend 1000 baht on a meal for two. You're not going to get it on the street.

Or 4000 or 5000. Bangkok has so many restaurants. Many are quite expensive. And they're packed..... for a reason.

Tasting good is not the same as being healthy or being hygienic.

So funny that I'm reading this as we're having traditional "afternoon tea" and listening to a quartet at the Peninsula. ;-)

[francois]

Most of the street food here is garbage though, hence why it's $1.50 a plate. You get what you pay for, right? There is really good, healthy, delicious Thai food available, but you need to go to a proper restaurant and spend 1000 baht on a meal for two. You're not going to get it on the street.

Or 4000 or 5000. Bangkok has so many restaurants. Many are quite expensive. And they're packed..... for a reason.


Why stop at 1000, 4000 or 5000? Splurge with a bottle of Dom Perignon and live it up. That's what I do.

[Jellybean]

Oh, I say Bruce! That afternoon tea looks rather splendid. I'm partial to a good quality afternoon tea. I bet it cost you a bob or two at the Peninsula. If you don't mind me asking, how much did it set you back and where was it served? If not too extortionate I might take myself across to the Peninsula and treat myself when I get back.

[bruce_nyc]

With a glass of champagne, it's 1400. Without champagne, I think about 900?

It's served in the lobby area.

You don't need to purchase one "tea" per person, you can share.

The whole thing was my boyfriend's idea. It was quite enjoyable and so pleasant to listen to the musicians and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of the place.

Many of the upscale hotels have an afternoon tea.

[christianpfc]

Except the stuff you get from the market stalls is generally garbage. Wilted vegetables, meat that is questionable, rice that is sometimes a day old, etc.
I can't judge about the quality of the food (other than sometimes noticing that there is a tendon or cartilage in the chicken), but as far as I know, street food vendors buy their stuff in the morning (e.g. Klong Toey market, what an activity when I drive past at 4 am on my way home from disco in Ramkhamhaeng!) and close their stall when everything is sold. The meat you eat at a street stall was still alive less than 24 hours ago (unlike in the West with deep freezing).


The days of street food (either permanent stalls or meals-on-wheels) for 35-40 baht is long gone ... red-shifted to the higher side. Not much you can buy on the street anymore under the 50-80 baht range. Example: a plate of 2-for-one khao mun gai (pretty staple stuff) on the street used to be 35-40 baht. Some years later its 50-55 baht.
I pay on average 40 Baht for street food.
Khao Man Gai in Bangkok ranges from 30 to 60 Baht, detailed list here:
http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2015/0 ... ngkok.html (http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2015/03/khao-man-gai-price-comparison-in-bangkok.html)

I can't judge how healthy Thai street food is (but look at the average Thai and the average US-American!), but I find it great that you can get a freshly prepared and cheap meal at any reasonable place and time, and regularly take advantage of this.