Food in Thailand
People all over the world like to eat Thai dishes and rice plays an important role thereby. Thai people eat rice with each meal, even for breakfast. Typical for Thai food is its exceptional spiciness. If you visit Thailand you will recognize that there is different food in different regions. Phuket for example is famous for its seafood and in the north and northeast of Thailand people prefer to eat sticky rice. You will find kitchens and restaurants in almost every corner because Thai people love to eat. There are also numerous street kitchens where Thai people eat frequently. The food there is very tasty and cheap. Thai food has basically four different flavours: spicy, sour, sweet and salty. The mix of these four flavours makes Thai food so delicious. If you don’t like spicy food simply say to the waitress "mai phet" (not hot). If you bite into something hot without knowing it, eat rice or noodles immediately after that and you will feel better. Don’t drink water after that because it will not get better.
Restaurants, food stalls and open markets
In Thailand there are many different places to eat; food stalls, ice-cream parlors, restaurants on boats and four-star restaurants around tourist districts. Looking for a good restaurant you should choose a busy one. The food there is not only good, but also fresh. There are not many vegetarian restaurants in Thailand, but you can say to the waitress: mai sai neua (without meat). Thai food can be bought and eaten at any day or nighttime. European, Asian and Oriental food is served basically in gourmet restaurants. American and English breakfast you can find in almost every hotel. Western fast food chains, snack bars and ice-cream parlors become more popular in Thailand.
Groceries
If you stay in Thailand and have your own kitchen and want to cook by yourself, you can buy fresh ingredients in different markets. The markets are open in the morning, afternoon and evening. Fresh meat, fruits and vegetables you should buy in the morning. Of course there are also supermarkets in Thailand where you can buy nearly the same products like in Europe.
Water
Tap water in Thailand should not be drunk. We recommend to drink water and beverages only from bottles. The water in the restaurants is clean. Be careful with water from street kitchens. Here you should only drink or buy water from bottles because the water there is polluted with bacteria. Only Thai people drink this water because they are used to it. Also be aware that shaved ice from small shops is not safe. In the country rain water is collected from the roofs in big metal containers and it is safe to drink because families take care of its purity.
Fruit in Thailand
For people who like all kinds of fruits, Thailand is one of the best countries in the world where to go. Depending on the season Thai fruits can be divided in 2 groups: in the first group there are seasonal fruits like mangoes, durians, rambutans, longans, sugar apples, mangosteens and lichees. The second group consists of fruits which are freshly harvested and sold in markets all year around. These fruits are: pineapples, bananas, papayas and jackfruits. Rambutan is a red and oval fruit with a sweet taste. Pineapple from Phuket is well known for their sweet flavour. Mangosteen is the king of Thai fruits. Outside it looks dark-red with a white and soft pulp. Thai people love their sweet flavour. Durian is a very famous tropical fruit in Thailand with an unique taste, although the smell of this fruit is little strange and needs getting used to. Taste it when you are in Thailand.