EATING IN THAILANDWHERE TO EAT & DRINKjuices) are served with a touch of sugar and salt and a whole lot of ice.
Many foreigners object to the salt, but it serves a metabolic role in help-
ing the body to cope with tropical temperatures.
Beer & Spirits
There are several brands of beer in Thailand, ranging from domestic
brands (Singha, Chang, Leo) to foreign-licensed labels (Heineken, Asahi,
San Miguel) – all largely indistinguishable in terms of taste and quality.
For more on how the Thais drink their beer, see the boxed text, p 742.
Domestic rice whisky and rum are favourites of the working class,
struggling students and family gatherings as they’re more aff ordable
than beer. Once spending money becomes a priority, Thais often up-
grade to imported whiskies. These are usually drunk with lots of ice,
soda water and a splash of coke. On a night out, buying a whole bottle
is the norm in most of Thailand. If you don’t fi nish it, it will simply be
kept at the bar until your next visit.
Can I Drink the Ice?
Among the most common concerns we hear from fi rst-time visitors to
Thailand is about the safety of the country’s ice. If it’s your fi rst time in
Thailand, keep in mind that you are that you’re exposing yourself to an
entirely diff erent cuisine and a new and unfamiliar family of bacteria
and other bugs, so it’s virtually inevitable that your body will have a hard
time adjusting.
On the good side, in most cases this will mean little more than an
upset tummy that might set you back a couple hours. You can avoid
more serious setbacks, at least initially, by trying to frequent popular
restaurants/vendors where dishes are prepared to order, and only drink-
ing bottled water.
And the ice? We’ve been lacing our drinks with it for years and have
yet to trace it back to any specifi c discomfort.
Where to Eat & Drink
Prepared food is available just about everywhere in Thailand, and it
shouldn’t come as a surprise that the locals do much of their eating out-
side the home. In this regard, as a visitor, you’ll fi t right in.
MUITO OBRIGADOTry to imagine a Thai curry without the chillies, pàt tai without the peanuts, or papaya
salad without the papaya. Many of the ingredients used on a daily basis by Thais are
recent introductions courtesy of European traders and missionaries. During the early
16th century, while Spanish and Portuguese explorers were fi rst reaching the shores of
Southeast Asia, there was also subsequent expansion and discovery in the Americas.
The Portuguese in particular were quick to seize the exciting new products coming from
the New World and market them in the East, thus most likely having introduced such
modern-day Asian staples as tomatoes, potatoes, corn, lettuce, cabbage, chillies, papa-
yas, guavas, pineapples, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, peanuts and tobacco.
Chillies in particular seem to have struck a chord with Thais, and are thought to have
fi rst arrived in Ayuthaya via the Portuguese around 1550. Before their arrival, the natives
got their heat from bitter-hot herbs and roots such as ginger and pepper.
And not only did the Portuguese introduce some crucial ingredients to the Thai kitch-
en, but also some enduring cooking techniques, particularly in the area of sweets. The
bright-yellow duck egg and syrup-based treats you see at many Thai markets are direct
descendants of Portuguese desserts known as fios de ovos (‘egg threads’) and ovos
moles. And in the area surrounding Bangkok’s Church of Santa Cruz, a former Portu-
guese enclave, you can still fi nd kà·nŏm fa·ràng, a bunlike snack baked over coals.Thai Hawker Food
by Kenny Yee and
Catherine Gordon
is an illustrated
guide to recognis-
ing and ordering
street food in
Thailand.Bangkok’s Top 50
Street Food Stalls,
by Chawadee
Nualkhair, also
functions well as
a general intro-
duction and guide
to Thai-style
informal dining.