Thailand

1. Thailand

2. Slightly more than two of Wyoming • Southeast Asia • Mountains • Khorat Plateau

3. Weather • Tropical & Humid • Rainy & Warm Southwest • Monsoon • Hot and Humid South

4. Livestock • Chicken • Pigs • Dairy Cattle • Eggs

5. Religion • Buddhism • All Buddha images considered very sacred • Dress appropriately • Shoes are allowed when walking around, but must be removed in chapel • In mosque, men wear hats while women should be covered in long sleeves and a scarf covering her head. • Visitors are unwelcomed when it comes to religious gatherings.

6. Customs • Do not shake hands but have the Wai greeting • Can be used to say sorry, thank you, or pay respect • Rude to point with your feet, especially at people • The head is the most important part of the body • Many younger children go to • great lengths to keep their • head lower than elders to show • respect • You should not have PDA or lose your temper in public

7. Holidays • Makha Bucha • Celebrating Buddha’s teachings • Chakri Day • Celebrates the Chakri Dynasty, the current monarch • Songran festival • Thai’s traditional New Year • Visakha Bucha • Celebrates the birth, enlightenment and entry of Buddha • Loy Krathrong • Offering to the spirit of the water to wash away sins

8. Taboos and banquets • No traditional taboo foods but celebrate banquets with food • Popular food “golden threads” • Thin layer of egg or noodles wrapped around small pieces of food • Thought to bring good luck and wealth

9. History of food and cooking • Focus on five flavors: spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter • Each dish tries to combine at least 3 flavors • Dishes take time to prepare • Large families make cooking meals a family activity • Four regions of Thailand influence flavors • Central: most popular for herbs and sugar with dishes using coconut milk • Northern: light flavors, little spices, not salty and little sugar • North Eastern: very spicy using chilies, salt, herbs, and spices • Southern: spicy herbs, coconut milk, vegetables are main ingredient

11. Cooking Methods • Stir-Frying (pad) • with a wok or a large skillet • Stewing (toon) • large pan, covered placed over low heat • Steaming (neung) • ingredients are cooked by the vapor that rises from the boiling liquid below • Deep Frying (tod) • food is cooked in a large amount of oil • Grilling (yang) • food is above or below a heat source • Boiling (tom) • soups and curry • Salads (yum) • always specially dressed in Thailand

12. Available Foods • Shrimp, Tuna, Other canned fish, Frozen fish, cuttlefish • Rice • Chicken (prepared, preserved) • Pineapple (canned, preserved) pineapple juice, mango • Sweet corn (canned), Baby corn (fresh, canned) • Sugar, non-alcoholic beverages, seasoning, palm oil, tapioca, feed

13. Family Style Serving • In Thailand, there is no such thing as an appetizer or starter; neither is there any dish that belongs to only one person. • Thai diners order the same number of dishes as people present; all dishes are shared and enjoyed together. • There are no leftovers or bad luck will occur • Thai food presentation is among the most exquisite in the world • Serving platters are decorated with all variety of carved vegetables and fruits into flowers and other pieces of beauty • No one eats until the rice arrives. It is the heart of the meal

14. Meals • Thai noodle- Kuay Tiew (soup) , Tom Kha Gai (most popular soup) • Thai stir fry • Thai rice- Kao Phad • Thai curry- Massaman Curry • Thai chicken- Som Tam, Gai Med Ma Moung • Thai pork • Thai beef • Thai fish- Tom Yam Goong • Thai seafood • Pad Thai – tofu, bean sprouts, onions, grounded peanuts, noodles Popular snacks include: spring rolls, chicken or beef satay, raw vegetables with a spicy dip, soups, salads, and sweets

15. Thailand’s Food Guide 2013

16. Exports • World leading exporter in rice • Major exporter of shrimp • One of the largest exporters of broiler meat and pork • Other crops that it exports are: • Coconuts • Corn • Rubber • Soybean • Sugarcane • Tapioca

17. Imports • Apples & Pears • Prepared Fruit • Bread, Pastry, & Cakes • Whey & Milk Products • Agricultural & Poultry Equipment • Onions • Extracts of Coffee • Chocolate • Grapes • Mushrooms • Cocoa • Candy • Animal Feed • Soybeans • Frozen Fish • Concentrated Milk & Cream • Alcoholic Beverages • Food Preparations • Dishwashing & Packing Materials • Refrigerators & Freezers • Wheat • Food & Drink Preparation Machines • Carrots

18. Basis of Thai Food • Four essential Thai tastes • Salty, sour, spicy, sweet • Thai Pastes • Shallots, garlic, green or red chilies • Can add coriander, Thai chili powder, galangal, green peppercorns, lemongrass, and turmeric • Fish and Shrimp

19. Flavors of Thai • Fresh Plant • Lemongrass (tha krai) • Root • Ginger (khing) • Coconut (maprao) • Chilies • Dried Spices • Pepper (prig thai) • Kaffir Lime (bai magrood) • Cumin Seeds (yira) • Nutmeg (loog junn) • Cardamom (grawan) • Bay Leaf (bai grawan) • Clove (garn plu) • Cinnamon (ob choei) • Curry Powder (pong kari) • Dried Chilies (prig haeng) • Sesame seeds (nga) • Saffron (ya faran)

20. Works Cited • http://www.phuket.com/cuisine/toptenfood.htm • http://www.nfi.or.th/th/ • http://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=opp_food • http://oldwayspt.org/resources/heritage-pyramids/asian-diet-pyramid • http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Animal%20Feed%20Import%20Regulation_Bangkok_Thailand_2-27-2013.pdf • http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicookingessentials/a/herbspice.html • http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/thai_flavors.html • http://countries.bridgat.com/Top_Products_Imported_by_Thailand.html#.UUEQ2hnK6U8 • http://www.thaicongenvancouver.org/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=136 • http://www.onlychaam.com/thailand-holidays.php