“Famous Thai Dessert”
“Famous Thai Dessert.” Might as well be considered part of the Thai language, because I’ve heard these words every day since I’ve gotten here. As I’ve mentioned repeatedly now, Thais LOVE their food.… Continue reading
Monthly Archive: September, 2012
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My brief intro to the Thai language.
There’s a million websites that claim to be able to teach you a new language. I’ve tried to utilize these resources, but as always, immersion and in-person teachers are the tride-and-true way to… Continue reading
Snacks.
In addition to loving their semi-official “meal time,” Thais LOVE to snack. This is awesome, because I do too! The range in snack foods is broad (comparable to the spectrum of snack foods in the US), with a few small differences:
1) Many more “home-made” snacks are available, mainly via street merchants. Many of these involve coconut in some form, though you can find nuts, small meat skewers, or funky dried worms or crickets (both pictured to left) if you’re patient. Snacks in jelly form are also very popular (some delicious, some kind of unsettling if you’re not used to the texture).
2) Portion sizes. Snacks are sold in normal-serving-sized packages. Shouldn’t be a novel concept, but I digress. This unique packaging (2 oreos in a container vs. 6…or 24) emphasizes that junk food is exactly that – not exactly the greatest fuel for our body, and a treat.
3) Fruit is much more widely accepted both as a snack, and a dessert. For example one-half of a papaya = MAYBE one bag of chips. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, fruit is everywhere. It’s fresh, chilled, and chopped into snackable, bite-sized pieces by a lovely, smiling man in a straw hat.
Color – it’s what’s for dinner.
Something I truly love about Thai food (even in the US) is that it showcases food in its purest form. Thais value plants (fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs, etc.). They honor them by highlighting… Continue reading
We know nothing about fruit.
I’ve been here for almost two weeks, and I still haven’t tasted all the varieties. My host (Goi) tells me that there are over 97 types of bananas! What?! Fruit I’ve had the… Continue reading
Coco-nuts
If you don’t like coconut – coconut milk, coconut meat, coconut jelly, etc. don’t come to Thailand. Coconut is so plentiful here that it is a daily staple. Although usually a dessert food,… Continue reading
Car Tetris – The Parking Lot
Despite traffic and the availability of mass transit, many people still drive to work here in Bangkok. At Rakluke, however, there aren’t enough parking spots in the parking lot. This problem is solved… Continue reading
When you’re here, you’re family.
Sorry, I’m in advertising. I couldn’t resist! From the moment I arrived at the airport, virtually every Thai I have met has treated me like family! Immediately my host’s mom insisted that I… Continue reading
Thais and English
In Thailand, everybody gets a basic education in English, so they all theoretically understand atleast a little bit. In my experience, Thais are excited about learning the English language, and love practicing on you, assuming they can work up the courage. This is especially the case with the younger generations.
For example, while shopping at a Floating Market, we were stopped several times by students wanting to ask us questions in English (probably for a class assignment).
Just as they are excited about learning English, they also LOVE when a “farang” tries to learn/speak Thai. You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and you’ll get much farther in all situations with terrible Thai rather than impeccable English.