Thailand Street Food

The best food in Thailand comes off the street

The streets of Bangkok are filled with vendors offering various types of food for sale. These range from the traditional rice and curry dishes to a diverse assortment of colorful and interestingly shaped pastries and candies. Several vendors have begun catering to the tourist by offer Western style foods, such as sausages, bread and beer. In addition, 7-Eleven stores proliferate the country, and Coca Cola and Pepsi ads are everywhere. It’s a shame, really.

Good food at reasonable prices

The Thai street vendors offer their fares at affordable prices. They are using recipes that have been past down through their families over generations - thousands of years. The food is excellent, and the vendors reputations depend on it. Unlike the chain stores with their troves of Western capital, the street vendors have to fend for themselves. If their food turns out bad, word spreads and they go out of business. Some of my favorite curries in Thailand came right off the street. For the price of a beer, you get a bowl of rice and curry, or pad thai, or whatever you want, plus your choice of meat (beef, chicken, or pork).

Thai food culture and tradition

Note that to the Thai, the addition of meat is a luxury. As you travel the countryside you'll see that their staple food is rice, and that only on special occasions can they afford to add meat to the dish. This is a luxury you shouldn't take for granted. Also note that if you are invited to eat at a family's home, and you clean your plate, the Thai will assume that you are still hungry and want more. It is polite to leave a small bite of food on your plate when you are finished to indicate that you are full and have had enough to eat. If you don't, they will feel bad and insist that you eat more, even if you aren't hungry.