What do you eat for breakfast?

A Thai traditional breakfast as we can see often consists of rice soup with chopped pork(Jok), Khao Tom, BBQ pork with sticky rice, deep fried pasty(Pa Tong Koh) or soya milk Mostly we go for rice as it is part of our culture and then diversify to many kinds of dishes. In the morning we won’t be disappointed to find foods to eat for the kick start of the day as there are many vendors and shops open their businesses from the crack of dawn. "Jok" with egg is my favorite dish for breakfast I don't forget to add spring onions and thin slices of ginger on top of it.

In fact, breakfast is very important for our health. A healthy breakfast should contain some protein and some fiber. Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, beans, or soy. Thai foods seem to have all of what they suggest, don't they?

Since thesedays more and more Thai people have various choices so we are converting to English and American breakfast which are breads, jams, beacons, hams or Corn Flakes as it is easy to prepare and eat. Moreover, these things can be kept for the next few days. Our culture becomes more diverse in breakfast more than in the past. In case, we make our own breakfast Do you think majority of Thai people are changing their habits to Western cultures particularly new generation? Because Thai foods take longer time to prepare and then cook. On the other hand, Western breakfast just only take a few seconds. I read an article from a magazine, the best time to have breakfast should be around 7-9 a.m.

If you skip breakfast, tomorrow morning remember to eat a healthy foods before starting the day.

Phitchaya (Som)

The Meaning Behind the Sweets

Thai dessert is popular among the Thais to eat after a meal since Thai food is quite spicy so Thai dessert is served to balance of Thai savory dishes. Thai dessert making requires intricate skills, and depends a great deal on the quality and freshness of ingredients, coconut milk and meat, palm sugar, rice flour and other essentials.

Thai people prefer our desserts to have fragrance by soak jasmine and other aromatic flowers in water and use resultant scented water to make syrup. Bland seed or beans are cooked in the syrup to make liquid sweets. Aromatic candles often burned next to cakes or cookies in closed containers to in part scents, or desserts are placed next to fragrant flowers overnight. Some sweets are garnished with gold leaf such as Thong Eak.

Not only for eating, Thai sweets are also used in ceremonies. Thai people use sweets in ceremonies based on its name and how it’s look. In wedding ceremony or house warming there will be Foy Thong (a sweet dessert made from egg yolk and syrup). The meaning is long lasting. Kanom Chan (layer rice pudding) means growing in career path. Kanom Tuey Foo means flourishing life.

Thai sweets are cheap compare to Western sweets and available at every fresh markets. However, don't enjoy eating too much otherwise you will have to see the dentist often.

Noi ;)

Good Food , Good Luck

According to Thai tradition, people believe in superstition in order to look for luck that will enter their lives. Days, colors, hair styles and so on are all things people are concerned about when they spend their daily lives such as a running business and applying for a job. Food is another topic people think of since its name.

“Keng Ka-noon” or Jack-fruit curry, the Northern Thai dish, is believed to be a dish for good luck. You may wonder why?? According to the word “noon” in Thai has a positive denotative meaning, it means to support and prop up. If you eat it, you would be glorious and distinguished as the support of Ka-noon or Jack-fruit.

Thus Northern Thai people usually cook and have it then share to a member of family on the 16th of April in order to start a good life on Northern Thai New year. Moreover it is taken in Thai wedding ceremony because people believe that it brings a long, stable and constant relationship between a bride and a groom eating that dish because of its very sticky rubbery consistancy. In addition a bride and a groom will not break away from each other but stay together forever.

In contrast, this particular dish wouldn’t be offered or cooked to anyone because it is considered bad luck it is called “Keng Hoi” or “Fresh-water snail”. In Northern Thailand, people believe that a fresh-water snail is a symbol of dissension, discord and conflict. So people ignore to serve to friends, guests and especially lovers. There isn’t any suitable reason to explain why it is bad.

There are many other Thai foods people believe as good and bad luck among Thai culture. Anyway I can’t say I believe the idea or I don’t but I think it isn’t too bad to say “NO”, if it would bring a good thing to me life.

For all of you, how do you think?
Would you like to share your experiences about it?
Share with me!!

Thanyalak

Local Vegetable: get healthy for free.
In the past, herbs, spices, and medicine were hardly separated. This means food and medicine were the same. Several types of food were not only tasty, but they were also good for health.
There are lots of spices and herbs all over the world. The knowledge of integrating herbs and spices in cooking has been passed from generation to generation and spread to other regions as well. According to the age of transportation, herbs and spices are not limited just in their regions, but everyone is able to taste and use them as cooking ingredients.
Local and imported vegetables, if we concentrate on the nutrition are not much different. For example, Cha-Plu (a herb of the betel family Piperaceae) and Neem are full of calcium. Khae (Sesbania), tip of tamarind and mango leaves also contain high vitamins.
Besides the nutrition they have, local vegetable are also used in favoring food without using sugar or MSG. This wisdom is often seen in many tribes such as, Hmong, Akkha, Karen. Young leaves of mango are used for sour taste. For the spicy favor, they use sweet basil and tomato. They can color the food with the natural color from the flowers as well. These prevent us from consuming the food favoring chemical which can harm our heath.
Thus, why do we have to pay more for the nutrition while we could find around our house? What do you think of the imported vegetables? Should the government push the campaign of consuming the local vegetable?

LEE

Thai Restaurant Overseas

Thai restaurants overseas play a vital role to represent Thai culture.

Thai foods are well-known worldwide as its reputation of tasty, healthy and delicious. It is not surprised why our Thai restaurants exist almost every corner around the world. Thai restaurants overseas attract and help our nation promote our culture, for example the decoration of the restaurant, menu, Thai music, waiter and waitress’s custom etc. These sorts of things create Thai atmospheres not only for the purpose of their business but also to express and pride to be Thai.

As far as I concerned, not many foreigners never heard of Thai food. There are many popular dishes among foreigners, I think you can guess such as “Tom Yum Gong”, “Pad Thai”, “Roast duck curry”, “Pork Satay” and so on.

The reputation of Thai foods, of course “hot and spicy”, however Thai restaurant overseas tend to serve “distorted or less than authentic Thai foods” to suit to the dominant culture’s taste for example more sweeter than it is supposed to be. Do you think it will potentially damage the authentic way of our food? From my own experience, I used to work in the kitchen of Thai restaurant in Australia, not only the taste is slightly different but also ingredients that are limited in its country. According to the geographical problem, many Thai herbs can’t grow in those countries’ climate which lead to reason for using canned Thai vegetable or applying local vegetable to replace original ingredients i.e. small eggplant in Green Curry they use broccoli and bamboo instead. Red peppers are used to replace Thai chili.


I believe that Thai restaurant overseas are a crucial representator for Thai culture as long as owners keep the standard and think beyond only their business.

Phitchaya Phungpadoong

Food for Health

Do you like to eat vegetarian food or eating meat ?

Do you think eating vegetarian food is healthier than eating meat ?

In the present time, food is very important for health. A large number of people want to choose to eat healthy food especially women. Because women always care of their body shapes. Many people believe that eating useless food makes them unhealthy or gets sick easily. So, some groups of people stop eating meat and try to eat more vegetarian food. Because they believe that eating meat makes them get sick easily because there is a lot of lipid in meat. When people have a lot of lipid in body, it causes of being fat and a lot of disease. On the other hand, eating vegetarian food is better because there is less lipid and there is more nutrient. Vegetarians eats grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread and seeds so they can live longer. Moreover, vegetarian food can reduce the incidence of heart disease, cancer, blood pressure or kidney stones. Vegetarian eaters have less risk to get sick than eating meat. In contrast, some people have different idea. They think meat-eaters can get all kinds of nutrition especially protein. Because meat gives more protein than vegetarian food. When people eat meat, they are stronger and have more energy to study or work. They think protein is very important for body. In my opinion, I think eating meat is better than eating vegetarian food. I used to eat vegetarian food. After eating a few hours, I felt I was not full and I was often hungry all day. I wanted to eat all the time. So, I stopped eating vegetarian food because I think it’s bad for my stomach. I compared when I ate food cooked with meat, I was not hungry. I choose to eat only pork and fish because I think it’s good for my health. In addition, I like to eat various kinds of vegetables very much. I also eat vegetables and meat every meal. However, eating meat or vegetarian food is good for people’s body or not, people should know how to eat properly and exercise every day. Not only food but also exercise makes people healthy. Do you agree with me ?

By Sunee Samjai 490132059

Thai Fruits During Summer Time

Thailand is a tropical country and summer is longer than other seasons. The climate in Thailand is good all year round so it is good to grow fruits and vegetable. Now is summer time in Thailand (March – June) mango, lychee and durian are giving fruits during this time. When you are in Thailand during summer, please try these fruits.

First is Mango. Mango can be eaten green or ripe. Normally green mango is serving with sweet and spicy dipping sauce or sometime serves with chili, salt and sugar. Ripe mango is normally serve fresh or cooked. There are many dishes made from ripe mango such as “Mango Sticky Rice” a famous ancient style dessert during summer time. Now new generation chef created many menus from mango such as Mango Salad with Prawns, Mango Salsa, Mango Tart, Mango Ice Cream and etc…

Second is lychee. Lychee will be giving fruits in April until to June. Lychee is very juicy and refreshing fruit, it is delicious both fresh and cooked. There are variety lychee menus, but my favorite is lychee smoothie. Lychee can be cooked for dessert and main dishes such as “Kaeng Phed Ped Yang” (dry curry with duck and lychee) and lychee fried rice (highly recommended).

The third one is durian. Durian is very famous for its strong smell. Durian is forbidden in some places such as hotel or restaurant. However, durian is very famous among Thai people for its texture and flavor. Durian can be eaten young and ripe. Young durian is good for durian chips, the test is very good and it doesn’t give any strong smell of durian. Ripe durian can be eaten fresh or cooked. Durian can be cooked in variety dishes; the most famous dish is “Khao Niew Durian” (durian in coconut milk and sticky rice).

In Asia, durian is said to have "heaty" properties, eating very much will give your body a heated sensation for a brief period thereafter. I have found this to be true from my own experience. It’s not necessarily unpleasant, it just happens, and is part of the overall durian eating experience.

By Noi - Durian Lover ;)

Go 4 Food

Hello!

We are Ann, Sunee, Som, Lee, Noi and Nook, Master Degree students at Chiang Mai University. We would love to share about food in various perspectives. If you would like to know about food especially Thai food, please feel free to write us the comment. We would love to answer your question.

Any interesting idea about food are most welcome.

Cheers,

Ann, Sunee, Som, Lee, Noi and Nook