Do You Like Thai Food?

[MrPlum]

Last night someone told me Thai food gives them stomach pain and not because it is spicy.

I have read you should should only eat the diet you are used to but then I've also read you should eat the local food nature designed for the climate. Much advice is conflicting. Some people do not easily digest coconut, or they may have food sensitivities, such as to rice.

So fess up. Do you have a problem with Thai food, how do you react and why do you think that is?

[VincentD]

Thai food... a bit of a generalization, perhaps?
The Southern is very different from the Northern, or Northeast - even the locals have problems coping with non-provincial food.

For some people the sensitivity may be more psychological than physical, as in 'durian smells bad, so it may taste worse, its' probably not good for me' the thought drives the reaction.

As for me, personally I have no problems whatsoever. I'll try anything once. If I don't like it, I won't eat it again.

[GLCQuantum]

Plenty of thai food I like, but I still need my Western fix every now and then. Occasionally, I get a dicky stomach, but it soon passes .

[Big Boy]

I have to be extremely carefull with coconut - my body rejects it, and anything I might have recently eaten instantly. Some unscrupulous restaurants have learnt this to their cost when lying about the ingredients i.e. they don't seem to believe your reasoning when asking if there is coconut contained in their food.

On the occassions it has happened, I feel no shame - it is their fault entirely.

[Pleng]

When I was coming to and from Thailand I always struggled the first couple of weeks with sore stomachs. I persevered though because I loved what was on offer. After a couple of weeks the attacks would become less frequent but timing was unpredictable. Used to take me about a month (if I had it) to be able to be fully comfortable and not fear a sudden belly burst.

I think everybody's different, though.

[hhfarang]

I loved Thai food when I first married my wife and that's literally all I ate for the first 4 years other than a trip out for Sushi about once a week. I had always had a "cast iron stomach" and nothing bothered me. I could eat a jalapeno pepper without even flinching, but after 4 years of Issan style Thai food I started having serious acid reflux, severe stomach pain, and could never sleep through the night because of the pain.

I went to the gut doc and they ran all the tests which included scopes down my throat, up my butt and some kind of test strip fed down my nose all the way to my stomach. The doctor said the sphincter between my stomach and esophagus was destroyed, probably by 4 years of Thai food laden with chillies. I had to have surgery to stop the acid reflux because of the destroyed sphincter.

Since then I still eat Thai food about 20% of the time but I ask for it to be prepared mild with not more than a couple of chilies, which I separate and don't eat now.

The other problem I have with Thai, Chinese and many other Asian foods is that I'm mildly allergic to MSG, which most Thai cooks apply liberally in their recipes. Also, the sauces they use are loaded with salt and sugar and they cook mostly with oil so even though the dish may look healthy like stir fried fish or chicken with lots of vegetables it is probably still unhealthy for people like me who have blood pressure, borderline diabetes, and cholesterol problems.

I eat mostly western food these days, mostly chicken and fish, a salad almost daily, but probably a bit too much pork, and beef about once a month. I also have a pizza about once a month and very occasionally treat myself to some junk food such as chips (crisps), or peanuts. I eat a lot of pasta and probably too much bread (carbs=sugar!) but I eat them at home and I only eat whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread. That sounds like a fairly healthy diet, right?

Even though I also exercise almost every day I'm still about 40 pounds overweight! The biggest problem for me is not the type of food, but the quantity. When I'm bored, I eat and I've been bored for about 8 years now... and the daily alcohol consumption doesn't help...

I know, too much information to answer a simple question, but I'm bored. I'll shut up now.

[hhinner]

Just leave out the pla ra and pigs' blood. Chilis OK.

[Bristolian]

I find steamed white rice very boring….for a couple of meals each week its ok but more than that and I simply leave it on the plate.

[migrant]

I like Thai food but I like most all countries food. When we are in Thailand, about every third day, I look for something different.

We eat a lot of Thai food here in the states since my MIL lives with us and was a chef at one of the Thai restaurants here, but I still want variety!

[sandemb]

Love Thai food, but variety is the spice of life. It is well known that a bit of Prik is good for you, but too much Prik can have bad after effects, build your tolerance to chilli slowly! Most belly problems come from bad hygiene. You can go to a really clean looking restaurant and have problems next day or eat from a street cart and have no probs at all. Just an aside - stay away from fried scorpions if you are a Scorpio! Tasty but left me with a severe allergic reaction, guess the poison sack was left on one!!

[Vital Spark]

Pretty easy answer for me: No.

I probably shouldn't even comment on this thread as I'm not really a foodie of any kind, but I will anyway. Living in a non-touristy area means that the Thai food here is fairly basic - i.e. cheap cuts of meat, everything on the bone, and ladened with chillies. I am, however, partial to a bit of Gai Yang, and Tom Kha Gai (when it's not ruined with chillies).

Slightly off topic, but I was having a spot of farang food with some Thais the other day. We had pizza and fried chicken. I dived into the chicken and (as I've always done) ate it with my fingers. There was a look of horror from my lunch-mates, while they were eating bits of chicken with a spoon and fork. Then (more horrors!) I ate a piece of pizza without ketchup ! One of my lunch-mates poured three sachets of ketchup over a small slice of pizza, smoothed it over (like she was icing a cake) and then 'cut' it into pieces with her spoon. I've got to put my hands up here. I prefer westernised Thai Food, so I can't criticise them for Thaisising (I know it's not a word, but it kind of fits) western food.

Luckily I have an in-house chef who'll cook me whatever I want (and tolerates my fussiness).

VS.

[margaretcarnes]

I love a lot of Thai food but avoid bugs on sticks and dried fish. Also not too keen on Thai green curry - it's just too thin. The only adverse reaction has been once from a Chinese in Bangkok.
Strangely in the UK most people seem to think of Thai green curry as a 'must have' dish, and assume every meal contains coconut and chillies.
I'd love to find a Thai restaurant in this part of the UK which serves larb, omelletes stuffed with minced moo, or even a decent pad thai, and has the guts to provide a chunk of raw cabbage on the side. Meanwhile I make my own.

[Ratsima]

Just leave out the pla ra and pigs' blood. Chilis OK.

+1

[Takiap]

I ate Thai food almost exclusively ever since I started living here, but over the course of the last year I've started drifting away from it, and now cook most of my food myself.

I do still love the Thai curries, but only when they are made with coconut milk. Strangely enough, it seems to me that most Thais prefer their curries without coconut milk.


I guess my shift away from Thai is partly to do with the fact that my MIL and FIL stay with us, and most of the meals they prepare are hardcore Isaan. Certainly very healthy, but just not to my liking. I can think of a million dishes more enticing than some steamed catfish with steamed leaves and steamed flowers served with dry rice.

I do indulge in some Isaan style beef laab (raw beef) quite regularly though when FIL makes it. I've also got Mrs Takiap to arrange with a local vendor down the road not to include any bits of liver when I order some of it from him.


Someone mentioned on here about the use of raw blood. I know it sounds strange to pour blood into your food, but it is actually delicious in certain dishes such as pork and/or beef noodles (Nan Tok). To be honest, I had eaten this sort of noodle dish for years and I never had the slightest idea that they add blood. It was only when I happened to see them actually doing it that I realized the flavor I liked so much comes from the blood. I never look at them doing it now though because if I see the blood going in, I'm sure I can taste blood and even smell it.

[GLCQuantum]

Slightly off topic, but I was having a spot of farang food with some Thais the other day. We had pizza and fried chicken. I dived into the chicken and (as I've always done) ate it with my fingers. There was a look of horror from my lunch-mates, while they were eating bits of chicken with a spoon and fork. VS.

You've been here how long, and you've never noticed that Thai's eat KFC ("finger licking chicken") with a spoon and fork... it is ridiculous and I always (while I'm finishing my drumstick before they've managed to cut off a miniscule piece with their spoon) remind them how this food is supposed to be eaten...