365\12??

Post by **shunpike** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:42 am

How often do you eat Thai food? Given 365 days a year (putting the leaps aside), and three squares a day, gives us 1095 meals a year. Lets round that down to 1000, a nice number to deal with percentage wise. Of those 1000 meals a year, how often does Thai food appear on the plate? Mostly this is a question for expats living in LOS, but for others, feel free to extrapolate from your frequent visits.

I like Thai food a lot, and living here now for over 7 years I've eaten my fair share of it, but I can't eat it all the time. I'm now at about 50% Thai. I have my own kitchen and enjoy cooking so I have more say in what I eat than those who don't cook, or don't have the facilities to cook in their apts., or condos. Anyway, give us an idea of how much Thai food you eat.

Post by **migrant** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:59 am

I live here in California, but voted 65%. My (Thai) wife's mother lives with us (it's OK, really) and cooks most the meals. I cook maybe once a week and often eat out at lunch.

For me 65 is about right. I would get bored with any one type of food 100% of the time.

One nice thing about southern California is the availability of every type of cuisine.

If I want Bulgarian carpet beetles at midnite, I could probably find them!

Post by **hhfarang** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:10 am

If my wife cooks or if we go out together, it's almost always Thai. If I go out for lunch with another expat or cook something at home for myself, it's usually not Thai.

The thing about Thai food (besides the fact that I love it) is that for some reason I prefer drinking water with it, so by eating Thai a lot, I drink less (which for me is a good thing)... for some reason I have grown to associate most western dishes with the taste of either beer or wine as an accompanyment, so the more of that I eat, the more I drink.

Post by **margaretcarnes** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:26 am

As a non resident I can't vote, but last year when in LOS it was Thai food EVERY day for 2 months. There were occasional forays to the likes of Jailhouse (for the type of farang food I can't get at home in England sadly) but still Thai nibbles on those days as well.
I came home stocked up with Lobo packet mixes, dried kaffir lime leaves, dried chilli, star annise, brown fragrant rice, and a Thai cook book, but nothing can replicate the real thing.
Thai restaurants in the UK can be fine quality wise, but don't do the basic stuff like the kebabs and rice or noodle soup. It's all very tamed down for fear of upsetting the customers IMO. No HOT chilli dips with the seeds in. Easy on the nam phla. Heavy on the sculpted radish. Try asking for Phad Thai and they think you are nuts.
You realise that the same principal must apply to Indian and Chinese restaurants in the UK. It's all dumbed down.

Post by **shunpike** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:38 am

MC wrote re Thai food in the UK:

It's all dumbed down.

...and in Canada, in my experience, it is well expensive too...

Post by **migrant** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:44 am

We're pretty lucky here in Southern California. Lot's of good asian markets, even fresh durian

My mother-in-law was head chef at a local Thai restaurant, so she does a great job!

Post by **pitsch** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:44 am

As my missus cooks, it is 75% Thai food, but not too spicy. She makes always a seperate sauce for her, if I try this it burns twice.

But she cooks also very good Spaghetti Bolognaise or pork steak with potatoes and gravy. So its like Schlaraffenland, if you know this expression.

Post by **barrys** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:43 am

I've been living in Thailand permanently for going on 9 years now - and it's Thai food nearly all the way - though I do get the odd craving for something Southern European.

So I would put my Thai food intake at around 90% of total consumption.

Hi Pitsch - that's nice, it's a while since I heard anyone talk about "Schlaraffenland"

The equivalent in English is Cockaigne (Cockayne) or land of plenty, land of milk and honey - but it is not used as colloquially as "Schlaraffenland" in German.

Post by **Lung Per** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:18 pm

pitsch wrote:As my missus cooks, it is 75% Thai food, but not too spicy. She makes always a seperate sauce for her, if I try this it burns twice.

But she cooks also very good Spaghetti Bolognaise or pork steak with potatoes and gravy. So its like Schlaraffenland, if you know this expression.

Oh yes, good old Schlaraffenland. Used to go there a lot. Easy women, cheap booze, exquisite kitchen, no drunk rugby fans, no loud music. What more can you ask for?

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:05 pm

Mrs BB does the cooking in my house, and a fantastic job she does as well. She is from the North East and favours Isaan rather than Thai food. I hate most of the Isaan food. I've chosen 25%, which represents the amount of time she cooks Thai.

When she cooks Isaan, she cooks European for my son and I.

Post by **Huahinian** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:32 pm

I eat cereal and fruit for breakfast but I estimate 90% of my other meals are Thai.

Post by **shunpike** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 3:12 pm

BB wrote:

She is from the North East and favours Isaan rather than Thai food.

I understand the cultural, language, and cuisine of the northeast is distinct from it's neighbours to the west and south, but I wonder if we might include Isaan food with Thai food here, if only for the sake of of this poll. After all the region is part of Thailand.

Post by **lomuamart** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 6:32 pm

I'm a bit a luk kreung.
I really like my mashed potatoes sometimes, but the sauce I'll eat it with will have chilli in it.
A bit of this, a bit of that etc

Post by **STEVE G** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:07 pm

When I'm in Thailand I eat Thai food 100% of the time.
I lived in Indonesia for six years so a diet of Asian food seems normal to me.
I've been back in the UK for a couple of weeks now and I've even started doing a bit of Thai cooking myself, although it's a bit of a learning curve as I've spent the last few years either in Thailand where my partner cooks or living in a hotel when away working.
So far I've managed a couple of green curries and a tom ka, but not up to Thai standards yet.

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:28 pm

shunpike wrote:BB wrote:

She is from the North East and favours Isaan rather than Thai food.
I understand the cultural, language, and cuisine of the northeast is distinct from it's neighbours to the west and south, but I wonder if we might include Isaan food with Thai food here, if only for the sake of of this poll. After all the region is part of Thailand.

I thought that I did. I mentioned that I didn't like the Isaan food, which my wife cooks 75% of the time. Hence the reason I chose 25%. If she cooked more Thai, then my % would be higher.