Thai Food Around the World

Restaurants, food, beverage, hawkers, and local markets and suppliers. This is the place for discussion on Hua Hin's culinary options.
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migrant
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by migrant »

I guess, as BB said, it depends upon your definition of chef. I would define it as a professional cook whether or not they have a degree from a culinary institute.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

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The word "chef" comes from 19th century french and means "Head".

chef
noun
1. a professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

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migrant wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2017 5:52 am I guess, as BB said, it depends upon your definition of chef. I would define it as a professional cook whether or not they have a degree from a culinary institute.
Exactly - I wasn't having a go. It's just a phrase I haven't heard in respect of Thais cooking food very often. In the UK my wife must have known dozens of these people, and many of them came to Bristol to visit us. Even though some of them were very accomplished in their work, if you ask them what they do, they will always tell you that they are a Thai cook. I don't think I ever received the reply of chef.

I still maintain that many are very good cooks recruited from the villages. Most Thais living in a city eat take-aways i.e. have limited cooking skills.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by deepee »

I think there are a couple of distinct types of Thai food. There is the formal "royal" style with some regional variations. Typically the ingredients are more complex, contain more meats and the dishes are often served decorated and can take ages to prepare.
Then you get the more rural based food.
Dishes are simply prepared ,vegie based with lots of spicing up to make them interesting and cover up dodgy or totally "off" stuff like rotten mud fish typical of Essan food.
My experience is that many expat Thais come from rural areas and have problems with the royal style of cooking often making a Thai meal out overseas disappointing.
Our experience in Australia is that you have no excuses as it now has literally everything you need to cook up great Thai nosh, although it was different for my mrs years ago.
I'm blessed to have her in the kitchen as she helped run a notoriously good restaurant here in BKK in a past life, she sure knows how to spin a wok that's for sure.
To top it off she does awesome roasts and pies to boot.
We now notice a big decline in the quality of Thai food here over the past decade or so sadly
Complexity is so simply overrated
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

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My wife struggled to find the right ingredients for about a year in the UK (1990), but once she started meeting other Thais (they weren't as prevalent back then), the ingredients were readily available. We had to go to London a lot, but often I'd get off a flight at Heathrow and go to Bristol via Shepherds Bush, and pick up her order. Bristol had a few oriental shops, but there was also a large enclave of Indian shops that sold most things, and the prices were very reasonable as well.
We now notice a big decline in the quality of Thai food here over the past decade or so sadly
That could be the bar girl element being set up in business with a Thai Restaurant. Unfortunately, being Thai does not mean you can cook Thai food.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by caller »

I think you also have to differentiate between the large chains that are now involved in Thai restaurants in the UK, that are multi-million pound businesses and the one-off typical high street venue, which just like curry houses, will be a mix of good or bad.

I ate twice at one of the large chains - Thai Square - one in Islington I believe and the one in Putney. What you got was the full restaurant experience although I found the food a bit lacking in both, but still enjoyable.

Generally, I find Thai food in the UK is toned down too much but, albeit a while back now, my experience was that increasingly you were asked if you liked it 'Thai style' or 'spicy' and I recall one place, I can't remember which one, where you had to stipulate whether you wanted your food mild, medium, or hot, as indicated by the number of chilli's alongside the dish on the menu.

I have to say that generally my other half preferred to cook her own as she a) got it how she liked it and b) objected to the cost of Thai food in restaurants. Like many Thais in the UK, she wouldn't pay for Papaya for Somtam in Thai supermarkets and would use an alternative, or find an Indian grocery shop that would sell papaya for much cheaper.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by RCer »

My Brother and made a list of all the Thai places in Tucson and went to each over a 2 month period until we found one that tasted authentic.

He's been going there for over 3 years now.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by Takiap »

migrant wrote: Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:18 pm
europtimiste wrote: Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:44 pm Thai food around the world....You are all talking about Thai food in UK, luckily UK is not the world.
The OP, another poster and I were not talking about the UK


Yep, I think this lad has some sort of weird fetish concerning roast beef, whiskey, and people from the UK
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by STEVE G »

In Germany, they have a thing called an imbiss, which is a snack bar often in a small hut at the side of the road. There are now many Thai ones and they basically do quick, street food type meals which I found much more similar to what I eat in Thailand compared with what you got in more formal Thai restaurants in Europe. They tend to be excellent value as well.
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Re: Thai Food Around the World

Post by europtimiste »

Takiap wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2017 11:59 am
migrant wrote: Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:18 pm
europtimiste wrote: Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:44 pm Thai food around the world....You are all talking about Thai food in UK, luckily UK is not the world.
The OP, another poster and I were not talking about the UK


Yep, I think this lad has some sort of weird fetish concerning roast beef, whiskey, and people from the UK
I like roast beef, the only edible UK food and of course whisky. Nothing against fish and chip eaters.
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