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Pad Thai could be called the national dish of Thai cuisine. It's flavor has become very widely known in the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom. Thai cuisine is characterized by the balance of five flavors: sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter (optional). Although most people would lump together Thai food as a single cuisine, it would be more accurate to say that Thai food is made up of four regional cuisines. The regional cuisines correspond to the four main regions of the country. They are the Northern, Northeastern (Isan), Central, and Southern regions of Thailand. As in most of the Asian countries, Thailand's staple in their diet is rice. Jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This aromatic, long-grained rice is used as the main component of a typical Thai meal.

Noodles are served as a single dish. Adapted from the Chinese, noodles are made to suit Thai tastes. They are known as kuaytiow. The most popular noodle dish is pad thai. It is made with rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, egg, crushed peanuts, and of course fish sauce. Fish sauce is one of the key ingredients to almost every Thai dish. Called nam pla, it is a strong smelling fish sauce that is widely used, especially in pad thai. Different kinds of protein can be used in most Thai dishes. In restaurants in the U.S. the most common types of protein that is used in pad thai are chicken, beef, pork, and shrimp. To make vegetarian pad thai you would use tofu instead. Broccoli is commonly used in Asian dishes and pad thai is no exception. It is interesting to note that this is an ingredient that was added by other countries. In Thailand, broccoli was never used in traditional Thai dishes and is still rarely seen.

Thai restaurants became extremely popular in the 80's and 90's. This is noted by Ganda, a blogger at http://www.eatdrinkonewoman.com in the entry titled Pad Thai--a rant. In her experience, pad thai was not a dish that she associated with in her knowlege of Thai food. To her the overuse of peanuts and sugar is something that is foreign to her since in her house growing up, this is not what Thai food was about. She suggests that the reason why pad thai became the first dish people think of when talking about Thai food is because it is much easier to pronounce than pad kee mao or moo daed diew. She makes an interesting point about the bastardization of dishes that are not true to the traditional flavors of a certain cuisine. Ganda uses California rolls as one example. It is not a traditional association with sushi, but has become extremely popular in American sushi restaurants. California rolls and pad thai have become 'Americanized' to suit the tastes of the American public. It would be a crime to only ever order pad thai at a Thai restaurant when there are so many other dishes to try (eat drink one woman).

Thai cuisine has experienced a huge explosion in exposure and popularity. The history of food in Thailand reaches back a long way. The extensive trade and exploration that mark Thai history has allowed dishes to evolve and become a melting pot influenced by other countries such as Malaysia, Burma, India, and China (Richard Moorey). Pad thai is a common street food that has simple ingredients but is refined. The flavors are layered and complex, which is what helps to leave "the tongue happy and the senses warmed" (Richard Moorey). There are a lot of different recipes for pad thai. One quick search on Google gives you 1,310,000 search results. In the New York Times article "No Fusion Here: It's Strictly Thai" by Patricia Brooks it is mentioned that there was a huge increase in the number of Thai restaurants 10 years ago (around 1996) in Connecticut. Soon there was more emphasis on fusion cooking, a blend of Chinese and Thai foods that was not true to traditional Thai cuisine. A new restaurant that Brooks reviews called Lotus Thai seems to be an exception to the number of fusion restaurants. Pad thai is traditionally light and dry and is most often found in the street food stalls. The pad thai that is usually served in western restaurants often use red oil and is much heavier than traditional pad thai.

Good Eats is a great TV show that is on the Food Network. It is hosted by its' writer Alton Brown. Season 9 of the show had an episode titled "Your Pad Thai or Mine". A transcript of the episode can be found on http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com. Alton Brown dissects the components of pad thai into three categories: familiar, somewhat familiar, and what the...?. Reading this it was interesting to see what the American public would find familiar in the ingredients used and what would be completely foreign to them. Brown notes a little bit about the history of Thailand and it's most popular dish. Pad thai was promoted by the Thai prime minister during World War II as a way to help the Thai people consume less rice in times of shortage.

I am half Thai. My mother is Thai. She used to make Thai dishes for me and my brother all the time. I was lucky in the aspect of having a very diverse palate and being open to new foods. She would cook all different kinds of Thai food ranging from appetizers to desserts. Pad thai was definitely one of the more common dishes that my mother would make. It was a joy when I realized that not all of my school friends had experienced Thai food. I felt special in a way because I not only got to eat regular American food like all my friends, but I also had a rich cultural heritage to enhance my sense of self. Food is a big part of growing up. Not only does it allow you to survive and grow, but it can also be an expression of self. I would not be who I am today without experiencing Thai cuisine and culture. Although we live in the U.S., there have been so many opportunities to see and taste all different kinds of cuisine. The extent of globalization can be seen in one aspect by the diversity of cuisines. I have tasted many different Asian cuisine as well as European food. I will always have a fondness for Thai dishes, especially pad thai. Eating it makes me appreciate my roots and the values that I have grown up learning.

Pad Thai is a dish that can be called the national dish of Thailand. With the world becoming smaller and smaller, now everyone can experience Thai food. Evidence of this can be found in all the Thai restaurants in the U.S. Seattle is a very diverse city that is open to all kinds of different cuisines and cultures. Growing up here has been such a unique experience. The open-mindedness of the people in Seattle is awe-inspiring. It has truly shaped me personally. Food is not just food. It is a way to express yourself and your culture. It says as much about you as does your occupation or the clothes you wear.

Meat Eater

I choose to eat meat because I know that I would not get enough iron and protein otherwise. Besides the enormous amount of carbohydrates that I eat on a daily basis I eat one type of meat with every meal. As a kid, I didn't like eating a lot of vegetables and to be honest, I still don't eat enough on a daily basis. When I learned the food pyramid in school, I realized that without meat I would be deprived of a lot of nutrients that my body needed. As a young adult I recently found out that I was anemic. I do not have enough red blood cells in my body. The doctor I went to suggested iron supplements in order to help me get my red blood cell count up and also to eat more red meat. It seems like more and more Americans are choosing to eat chicken over red meats. This is evidenced by my family's regular meals that are cooked with mostly chicken. We only eat pork and/or beef maybe once a week. Reading Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma has made me see that with the increased industrialization of agriculture, what was once normal for Americans have become 'modernized' and as a result, E.coli and mad cow disease has become much more commonplace.

Powdered Donuts

One guilty pleasure that I have concerning food is powdered donuts. Every time I pass them in the grocery store I have to try to resist buying them. Normally I don't eat a lot of sweets, but powdered donuts are my weakness. When I was a young kid, my dad would buy a box and bring them home for me and my brother to share. According to calorieking.com powdered donettes are 240 calories. This is based on a serving size of 4 donettes. There are 12 grams of total fat, 20 mg of cholesterol, 240 mg of sodium, 31 grams of total carbs, and 16 grams of sugars. The nutritional facts themselves give evidence to how powdered donuts are not the greatest snack to eat. The donuts remind me of a happy time. Not only is it the sugar that makes these so addicting for me, but it's the carbs that keep me energized and gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Reading the articles in my anthropology class makes me question how food has changed in the last 30 years. As Americans, we have a whole variety to choose from, yet this variety has become increasingly unhealthy for us. It reminds me of the case of McDonald's chicken nuggets. The ingredients in these addicting nuggets don't really seem to be very healthy. Before the all white meat chicken nuggets, it seemed that the chicken flavor that I tasted in these nuggets were more from the added ingredients than the main meat used.

Kow Mun Gai

Growing up I ate a variety of foods. I feel that the Northwest is a region that is diverse and open to different cuisines. In Seattle immigrants from Asian countries have had a huge impact in the popularity that Asian cuisine has experienced. My mother is Thai. One look in any neighborhood and you'll probably find at least one Thai restaurant. I was fortunate enough to have my mother and grandmother cook Thai food for me on a regular basis. My favorite Thai dish is called 'kow mun gai'. It is boiled chicken, garlic flavored rice and a yellow bean sauce. The flavors explode in your mouth. This dish has become a comfort food for me. I feel closer to my Thai heritage every time I eat it. Eating this dish evokes my memories of going to Thailand and visiting my family over there. We often went to temple festivals and would eat at one of the roadside food stalls. Kaow man gae is one of the most common dishes that are available at the food stalls. I can almost sense the atmosphere that I felt when I was there, eating with my family. I would watch my mother cook this delicious meal that gave me a sense of uniqueness and set me apart from most of my classmates. I felt that I had a different perspective on the culture that surrounds the relationship that we have with food. Because of my mixed ethnicity I think that I have a greater appreciation for all cultures.

Chocolate Cravings

photo credit: http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/foodstandards061807.html

Chocolate...what a sweet word to describe the treat that seem to be most associated with cravings. It is not unusual to hear that a woman has craving for chocolate. I know I do sometimes. What is it about this food that evokes cravings? Is it the sweetness or bitterness? Why does it seem like more women are 'addicted' to chocolate? We've all heard reports at one time or another that suggest that chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can be good for you. Then again, it can contain a lot of sugar and calories. Too much can be harmful to your health. As a kid, chocolate was a special treat that always put me in a better mood. The way it melted in my mouth made it too great for words. I particularly like the frango mint chocolates that we bought every Christmas from Macy's. I love the added mint flavor. It made chocolate cool and refreshing. There are many other kinds of flavored chocolate that everyone can choose as their favorite. It seems that chocolate is one of those universal foods that almost everyone can relate to. Women especially, I feel are in some ways more bonded because of their love for chocolate. My friends and I crave for chocolate when we are sad and/or happy. It can be an agent of consolation in sad times or it can be used to celebrate a happy event in a woman's life. I have used chocolate as a way to feel happier and also as a way to treat myself when I have accomplished something. I think that women use chocolate as a bonding tool to deepen or enhance their relationships.

Top Chef

I'll admit, I watch reality television. It all started when Survivor first aired. I was fascinated by the competitiveness the contestants had. Watching it was my guilty pleasure, just like eating cheesecake is. Well, I don't watch Survivor anymore, but I do watch Top Chef. It airs on Bravo and is in its fourth season. The nations' top chefs are selected to compete in various cooking challenges and each week, the weakest chef is eliminated. The chef that is left standing at the end of the show is named top chef. I think that I was drawn to this show because it was about cooking in a way that is very advanced. It's about high-class food that I am totally unfamiliar with. I've heard of caviar and beef carpaccio, but have I ever tasted them? No. The cooking skills that the chefs use are amazing and quite frankly mind-blowing to me. I can follow directions in making a dish, but I can't compare with what the chefs on the show can do. They are very skilled and passionate about the whole process of creating a dish and serving it for people to enjoy. I love that element in the show. Not only are they doing it to win money but they do it because they love it. It's an occupation that takes a lot of hard work. I admire them for it.

Sharing Food

The sharing of food is more complex than one might think. People who share food with one another will usually have some sort of social connection. They might be friends or family, or perhaps they just happened to be in the same restaurant and circumstances have brought them together. In school kids eat lunch together and often will share their lunch. Doing this can create increased interaction which will most likely lead to friendship. I personally associate my memories of lunch at school with the people I ate with. In middle school my friends and I often brought chips and cookies to share at lunch. Lunch was a time to be free. It was a time to laugh and cherish the time you had with friends and people you genuinely liked. Lunch was a time I always looked forward to. It didn't really matter what we ate, but the fact that we were all eating and sharing our food created a sense of familiarity. Socially, it was a way to grow and learn how to interact with all different kinds of people. Sometimes I didn't eat lunch with friends, but almost complete strangers. The situation would have been much more uncomfortable had we not been eating the same types of food.