Sam has asked for some information about the food in Thailand, so here it is....... The Thai people don't seem to cook at home much, and most Thai houses have a very basic (often open) kitchen. But why should they given that there seems to be a food vendor on almost every corner? The most common foods are chicken and rice, but beware, chilli is a way of life here. Most restaurants will cook you a farang (foreigner) version of dishes that are extremely mild by their standards. When eating with Thai friends I have tried dishes that were so hot (chilli) I almost choked on them, and then watched them sprinkling fresh chilli on top of it to add flavour!!! As long as you can keep the chilli levels under control though, the food is fantastic. It is fresh, fast, and strong flavours abound. There is nothing bland on the menu.
Having spent most of my life in an environment where food storage and preparation is extremely sanitized, I have generally not eaten food from the street vendors due to the risk of getting some bug that my stomach cant handle, but I have no experience to suggest that the risk is high. Personally I like quite like cooking, so I usually cook for myself. I am slowly getting an understanding of local ingredients and the various spice mixes you can buy. For those times when you don't want asian style, there is a wide range of ingredients exactly the same as you would find in your local supermarket in Australia.
Price wise the normal rules apply. If you want specialised items that the locals don't use, you will pay a high price for them, although that "high price" is a relative thing. Its not necesarily higher than what you would pay in Australia for those same items. If you are buying locally common foods, the prices are much lower.
No comments:
Post a Comment