One girl in my program specifically came to Thailand for the food. If that doesn’t say something about how good it is, I don’t know what does. Before coming here I think my last two meals in America were Thai food so I was really excited to see what it would be like. And honestly, it’s exactly what you would expect. Most meals consist of rice, noodles, and lots of flavors. I’m pretty sure I can count the amount of times I haven’t had rice with a meal on my hands. It’s actually kind of amazing how many different things rice can go with. Even some of their desserts have rice! (Mango sticky rice if you’re interested in giving this sweet treat a try).
One huge difference I found here are the portions sizes. When I got my first plate of food here it was a small thing of noodles and veggies about the size of my first. Now, I don’t know if it was just me but I swear I could’ve had three more of those plates. But it wasn’t just my first meal where I had this problem, but every single one. The portions were significantly smaller than they usually are in America. You know how if you go to a Thai restaurant and you order pad Thai that majority of the time the plate of it is bigger than your face? Well if you take away about 2/3 of that, that’s about the size of portions here. Most Thai people have more meals throughout the day, so that’s why the portions tend to run smaller, whereas in the states it’s usually about a standard three meals a day. At this point, I’ve pretty much grown accustomed to the amount of food I get and am typically satisfied after them. Now I’m worried about going back to America and not being able to finish what will feel like an excessive amount of food.
I eat most of my meals at school in the cafeteria. They actually have a delicious selection of food. However, I trade between a couple options because they have less of a selection for vegans. So most of the time I’ll get a vegetarian soup, vegetable pad Thai, or brown rice and an assortment of tofu and vegetables. It actually doesn’t feel like I’m limited at all because those are the foods I tend to crave regardless. But if you don’t have any dietary restrictions, you have many more options including eggs and different kinds of meat. Also, they have a little fruit stand in the cafeteria at our convenience. They have an assortment of fresh fruit all day and it’s so nice to have as snack in between classes.
My favorite meals had to have been when I was in Chiang Mai. It was a vegan and vegetarians heaven. I struggle sometimes in Salaya (where my university is located) because there are far fewer options for someone who has dietary restrictions, but in Chiang Mai there were options everywhere. I was able to eat every meal without worrying if there was fish sauce or dairy in it. And I was able to get my coffee with coconut milk, which if I ever tried to ask for coconut milk at a coffee shop in Salaya I think they would think I was crazy. Coconut milk is used as a base for many curries, not typically something a Thai thinks to put in their coffee.
The food is absolutely amazing here overall. I don’t think I have yet to be disappointed by one. If food is of huge importance the next time you plan on traveling, come to Thailand.
