Thailand

Food Habits & Choices of World Region

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Citations

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- Cookingthairecipes. (2015, February 20). Thai Cooking Techniques. Retrieved May 20, 2019, from https://www.cooking-thai-recipes.com/thai-cooking-techniques.html

- Hays, J. (n.d.). FOOD IN THAILAND, THAI CUISINE, THE THAI DIET AND COMMON FOODS AND INGREDIENTS. Retrieved May 13, 2019, from http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8d/entry-3233.html

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Some food etiquette and manners in Thailand are:  

Don’t ask for chopsticks. 

Hold the spoon in your right hand and fork in the left.

Eat with the spoon. Use the fork to push food onto the spoon.

Before eating, wait for an elder/senior to signal for you to start eating when eating with family.

Try to completely finish your meals, and when finished place your spoon and fork on top of the plate to indicate that you are done.

Eat your food slowly and enjoy it.

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Some cooking tools that are used in Thailand are granite mortar and pestle, a rice cooker, a wok, a multi-tiered steamer, which is a basic steamer used in many households. Some cooking techniques that are commonly used in Thailand consist of stir-frying, which is a fast way of cooking meals on high heat in a skillet or a wok. Another technique is steaming, as raw food is put in a steamer and is steamed until the food is soft and moist. Another technique is tossing, which is commonly used to make salads, as dressing is mixed in with fresh vegetables and/or fruits.

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In Thailand, there is a variety of religions including Buddhism, which is the most common religion, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. These religions have an influence on the cuisine of Thailand, as religious foods provide more variety and expansion of flavours.

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Some common values that are believed by the people of Thailand are that family comes first, sufficient is enough meaning, considering basic needs and making sure that everyone has everything they need to survive, showing respect towards yourself and towards other, and showing generosity and hospitality. The physical activity level in Thailand was tested by the World Health Organization, and the results showed that 42.4% of adults aged 18 and above met physical activity level and 33.8% had a high level of physical inactivity. Some popular and common occupations in Thailand are teachers mainly English teachers, chefs, fitness trainers, businessmen, programmers, etc. 

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Some common eating habits in Thailand are that they love to eat healthy, as they eat a lot of salads with fruits and vegetables, have a variety of colours in their meals. People would mainly eat fruits and vegetables that are in season like shown in picture two, those are some vegetables in season and are sold in a market. Daily meals consist of a large breakfast, light lunch, and a large dinner. Rice and noodles are the dietary base, as they are eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

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Food waste has become a big and growing issue in Thailand as the waste and throw away of food is rising, as the circle graph shows the biggest portion of the graph is taken up by 44.99% of food wastage. The management cost for this is 167 million US dollars annually. The amount of food that gets thrown out is  9,900 tons/day as of 2014. The second picture shows where leftover food is dumped. Some new laws that came into action regarding food waste are no more open dumps, separate and properly handle hazardous waste, and enforce people to separate waste.

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Some common meals that middle class or the poor may eat are foods that are affordable in Thailand such as eggs are not that expansive, so they eat boiled egg in a sandwich. Another affordable fruit is papaya, which can be used to make papaya salad along with other vegetables. Another very cheap and affordable food is noodles, which can be served with any vegetables to make it a healthier option.

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Some meals that the wealthy people/families may eat include red curry which is made with red curry paste, cooked in with coconut milk, and meat of any choice such as, chicken, pork, beef, duck, shrimp, or a vegetarian option with tofu. The second picture shows shrimp rolls, which is made with shrimp, sushi rice, and other seasoning and spices.  Another very classic wealthy dish is the Yam Nua, which is a spicy salad made with onions, coriander, lime, dried chilli, spearmint and tender beef strips.

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Some common snacks in Thailand that you may choose to have in between meals consist of  egg rolls, which can be filled with vegetables, chicken, pork, spicy Thai seasonings. Another very common snack is Thai cup noodles, which are instant noodles that come in many flavours. Pocky sticks are biscuit sticks coated with different flavours such as chocolate, strawberry, hazelnut, etc. A very common and authentic Thailand desert, that is also eaten as a snack is Mango sticky rice, which can be found anywhere in Thailand.

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In Thailand, the meal timings can vary from family to family, as each family have their own schedules they follow. The breakfast is usually eaten between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.The lunch timings are usually from 12 p.m. to 1:30p.m. The dinner meals usually take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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In a Thailand household, meals are typically prepared by the women, as shown in picture one. This is because women start to learn how to cook at a young age, as well as take on other responsibilities to help their mom, whereas boys would act out as a helping hand to their dads. In the second picture, it shows a husband and wife cooking together, as this is also a way to spend quality time with your significant other. In the third picture, it shows a male chef preparing meals at a restaurant, which is also considered a common career in Thailand.

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These are pictures of meals typically eaten by the average families of Thailand. The first picture shows some common breakfast meals that average families would eat regularly every morning. One of the meals served as breakfast in the first picture is Joke, which is boiled rice in a thick porridge form, it is served pipping hot with a cracked egg in the middle and garnished with ginger and cilantro. The second and third picture shows some common types of main course meals. For example, Tom Yum Goong, which is a spicy shrimp soup made with fresh prawns, straw mushrooms, shallots, and seasoned with herbs and spicy Thailand spices.       

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This the flag of Thailand. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok. Thailand is a country in southeast Asia, with a population of 69 million. It is known for tropical beaches, royal palaces, ancient ruins and fancy temples displaying figures of Buddha.