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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.