What Distinguishes Thai Cuisine in Flavor Complexity?

[gravenewworld]

I'd say Thai food.

No other cuisine that I have come across has as many types of different ingredients, foods, and entrees as Thai food. No other cuisine masters the flavors of sweet, spicy, sour, and salty like Thai food.I'd say mexican is a very close 2nd. God I love carnitas.

 

[Astronuc]

I'll go with Thai or Szechuan for hot and spicy.

But there are times when I'll go Greek, Italian, or Turkish or Indian.

 

[lisab]

gnw, when I read the title of this thread and before I even openned it I thought, hands-down - Thai. We are of one mind on this extremely important issue.

 

[mathwonk]

those foods are nice, especially in the US, but some of the french food in france and especially the italian food in italy is really memorable.

 

[gravenewworld]

those foods are nice, especially in the US, but some of the french food in france and especially the italian food in italy is really memorable.

Oh yeah, the best food I had in Italy are the places that have no menus. The restaurant serves whatever they buy at the market that day.

 

[gravenewworld]

gnw, when I read the title of this thread and before I even openned it I thought, hands-down - Thai. We are of one mind on this extremely important issue.

You know what they say, great minds think alike...

 

[mgb_phys]

And why isn't English on the list?

 

[gravenewworld]

And why isn't English on the list?

Because I didn't think of it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I checked Mexican food since I grew up on the stuff - my Mexican friend wouldn't tell me what was in menudo until I had been eating it for a couple of years! Also, I lived on tacos for six months at one point. I LOVE tacos. And the best tacos that I've ever tasted were made with tripe.

In fact I love all ethnic foods. But the best dinner I have ever had was Indonesian food served in a very nice restaurant in Amsterdam [the best place on Earth to get great food of all kinds!]. I have no idea what we ate, but it was all incredibly good! IIRC, it was a seven course meal. The bill nearly caused me to drop from a heart attack!

 

[Evo]

American Thai food is nothing like Thai food in Thailand. I've been to Thailand.

American Mexican food is nothing like real Mexican food.

Same with any country. There are just foods that can't be obtained here in the US or are substituted because they would not appeal to the American palate.

I prefer Amercain style Japanese sushi to real Japanese sushi.

The food in Italy had to be the best I've ever eaten, ever. Except that pizza that had to be a joke.

 

[gravenewworld]

American Thai food is nothing like Thai food in Thailand. I've been to Thailand.

American Mexican food is nothing like real Mexican food.

Same with any country. There are just foods that can't be obtained here in the US or are substituted because they would not appeal to the American palate.

I prefer Amercain style Japanese sushi to real Japanese sushi.

The food in Italy had to be the best I've ever eaten, ever. Except that pizza that had to be a joke.

I've been to Thailand 3 x's. It has the best food by far. You could stay there for 2 months and not eat the same thing twice.

 

[Astronuc]

In fact I love all ethnic foods. But the best dinner I have ever had was Indonesian food served in a very nice restaurant in Amsterdam [the best place on Earth to get great food of all kinds!]. I have no idea what we ate, but it was all incredibly good!

Funny that - I had some great Indonesian food in Düsseldorf.

 

[wolram]

Any thing but Indian, their stew pots can last for years.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

American Mexican food is nothing like real Mexican food.

...except along the border. There are usually plenty of hole-in-the-wall restaurants that serve fantastic, authentic Mexican dinners. The tacos that I mentioned were found in a very scary little take-out place in S Central Los Angeles - Crypt territory.

Note: Preformed taco shells should be outlawed.

 

[Vanadium 50]

And why isn't English on the list?

Boiled beef. Blood pudding. Clotted cream. And if you opened it to the whole UK, you could add haggis. 'Nuff said?

I don't even want to think about what toad in the hole might be composed of.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Funny that - I had some great Indonesian food in Düsseldorf.

While in Germany we only ate German food, but I have heard that there are a few German cities that claim many great "ethnic" restaurants.

We loved the French restaurants in Paris, but I can easily live without the goat cheese.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I picked Italian. Of all of the cuisines listed it is the only one where I can say I have enjoyed most everything of it that I have tried and would (and do) eat it on a regular basis.

...except along the border. There are usually plenty of hole-in-the-wall restaurants that serve fantastic, authentic Mexican dinners. The tacos that I mentioned were found in a very scary little take-out place in S Central Los Angeles - Crypt territory.

Note: Preformed taco shells should be outlawed.

That's 'Crip'. ;-p

And I was going to say... we have plenty of fairly authentic mexican food places here in southern California. Mexican would be my second choice based on the same reasoning as my first choice.

I do love Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food though.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That's 'Crip'. ;-p

Heh, yeah, twenty years in Oregon now.

 

[lisab]

I don't even want to think about what toad in the hole might be composed of.

Actual toads, in actual holes.

 

[mgb_phys]

Boiled beef. Blood pudding. Clotted cream. And if you opened it to the whole UK, you could add haggis. 'Nuff said?

Chicken Tika Masala - classic English dish.

I don't even want to think about what toad in the hole might be composed of.

What about spotted dick ?

 

[LowlyPion]

It's a bit like choosing which is your favorite child isn't it?

I've had great meals in most all of the cuisines you mention and I would reasonably add Indonesian and Moroccan too to your list. But so much of it depends on occasion and circumstance I think. At home just off the top of my head I regularly make Indian, Chinese, Mexican, French, Italian, and American dishes.

Polynesian I can safely say is not on my list of faves however. As far as Eskimo goes about the only thing Eskimo I've had are their pies. And they are good on a hot summer day.

 

[lisab]

At this point in our poll, Italian food is winning. But keep in mind that for our Italian members, Italian food isn't called ethnic food -- it's just called "food."

 

[Redbelly98]

It was between Thai and Indian for me, but I went with Indian.

 

[Ghost803]

I don't think there is any "best" sort of ethnic food, there is awesome things to be found in every place. Tandoor Chicken from North India, Shawarma from Afganistan, Red/Green Curry from Thailand, Spicy Chinese Chicken from North Indian Chinese Immigrants, Thai Duck Curry, American Blue Cheese Burgers, Fish Molly from South India, American Baked Ice Cream with Brownies, would all be my favorites. I guess I tend to favor stuff around south-east Asia.

 

[tim_lou]

I'd have to say Chinese... Since I grow up on that stuff and am still constantly eating them.

Also, tasting all the different kinds of food here (from different restaurant), I still think the food from my motherland is the best (American chinese restaurant rarely matches the quality of real chinese restaurants (the ones in China)). The variety is just awesome... For instance, I can think of at least 10 ways of cooking a chicken right on top of my head... As opposed to the usual chicken I see in regular restaurants. Maybe I just haven't had a real family style American meal.

Edit:
As a physics-student, I feel I should prove my case here:
10 ways of cooking chicken:
1. deep fry
2. a kind of.. roast chicken..(like Peking duck)
3. sesame chicken (and variations)
4. soysauce chicken
5. salt bake chicken (literally translated)
6. put it in dumplings, rolls..etc.. heck I'll just consider steaming and variations of it
7. BBQ
8. A way of... boiling it and dip it in some ginger sauce (don't know how to translate this one).
9. a differeing kind of frying, kinda like fried rice.
10. chicken stew... I guess things chicken rice congee.

Alright, I cheated a little, the 10th case took me like a minute and was kinda not really just chicken... But I've proved my point.

 

[hypatia]

Middle Eastern food for me.

 

[TVP45]

Ethiopian. Not only are the vegetarian dishes very tasty, but you get to eat with your fingers!

 

[radou]

Balkan. If you didn't try chevapi or burek, you didn't try anything. :)

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I like all kinds of food, so I can't pick a favorite. As my wife is Chinese, and we travel a lot, I end up eating in Chinatowns in several countries. Even the food in Chinatown, San Francisco is different from what you can get in Chinatown, Philadelphia. Beside the different histories and local tastes, there is also the problem of getting ingredients. One place I went to that didn't have a Chinatown was my wife's hometown,Taipei. I asked around for a Chinese restaurant, but everyone just stared at me as if I was an alien. Like Twain, I had a difficult time getting these people to understand their own language. We ate at the local restaurants, but we couldn't get any Chinese food. No moo-goo gai pan, no chop suey, no fortune cookies. I bet a lot of them never picked up a fork and ate fried rice.

 

[Astronuc]

American Thai food is nothing like Thai food in Thailand. I've been to Thailand.

American Mexican food is nothing like real Mexican food.

Same with any country. There are just foods that can't be obtained here in the US or are substituted because they would not appeal to the American palate.

I prefer Amercain style Japanese sushi to real Japanese sushi.

When I lived in Houston, I used to go to a Mexcian restaurant (Leo's on Shepherd Dr.) that was operated by a Mexican family. It was great! Locally, we have a traditional Mexican restaurant, which is also run by a Mexican family who've lived here for more than 20 years. They cook cuisine local to their original home. It's definitely different than Taco Bell or El Patio.

If one wants authentic ethnic food, avoid the chains and go for a family owned restaurant, which caters to immigrants from the country or culture.

 

[physics girl phd]

I can't vote... this thread just makes me hungry (or hungrier) for everything! I'd even go for the haggis right now. I haven't had a good haggis since I visited Scotland.

 

[Monique]

Vietnamese for me, I also really like Thai, Lebanese and Indian food. Tonight I'm going to a Korean restaurant, I looove their pickled vegetables.

 

[tim_lou]

I like all kinds of food, so I can't pick a favorite. As my wife is Chinese, and we travel a lot, I end up eating in Chinatowns in several countries. Even the food in Chinatown, San Francisco is different from what you can get in Chinatown, Philadelphia. Beside the different histories and local tastes, there is also the problem of getting ingredients. One place I went to that didn't have a Chinatown was my wife's hometown,Taipei. I asked around for a Chinese restaurant, but everyone just stared at me as if I was an alien. Like Twain, I had a difficult time getting these people to understand their own language. We ate at the local restaurants, but we couldn't get any Chinese food. No moo-goo gai pan, no chop suey, no fortune cookies. I bet a lot of them never picked up a fork and ate fried rice.

hmmm... yeah Chinatown in Taipei? that sounds ridiculous... since Taiwan is pretty much "like" China (alright, I'm not going to go into the political aspect of this issue), and the food you eat there are very similar to Chinese food (if not considered part of Chinese food). It's pretty much like asking where is Chinatown and where are the Chinese restaurants in China. Also, fortune cookies do not exist in China... I have never seen a fortune cookie in my life until I came to America.

hehe, I can imagine how everybody was staring at you...since there probably just weren't that many foreigners around and that actually seeing one is quite a sight... I remember when I was a kid (in China), I saw an African person walking around the block... I was just amazed by how different he looked and couldn't take my eyes off him. I don't think I have seen another one until I came to US.

 

[RunSwimSurf]

mmm I like filipino food. Chicken adobo and lumpia never fails. Chinese food is good too, but I like the fast food type (orange chicken).

 

[montoyas7940]

Mexican food, but I am biased...

I love Japanese too.