Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Thai food

Many people associate Thai food with spiciness, however, Thai meals are really organized around balance between all of the various flavors: sweet, spicy, sour, bland, etc, and all food items are served at the same time (except of course, dessert items). Unlike China, where chopsticks are the norm, Thai food is eaten with the usual utensils. Dishes are meant to be shared, family style, and as a result, are slightly small. Individual servings of rice compliment the main dishes. When eating, one chooses whatever suits their fancy and adds it to their own rice. Generally speaking, northern dishes tend to have a bit more spiciness. Thai curries do tend to burn intensely but briefly, due to the balance between pure and strong spices and softer herbs like lemongrass and galangal. Thai meals are a communal event of two or more people, primarily because the greater number of people leads to a greater number (and variety) of dishes ordered.

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