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Fragrant rice is the main staple of a Thai meal, served with smaller portions of meat or fish. Thais enjoy salty and hot dishes and often these will be presented in a small side dish. The spice is then scooped onto the meal to suit individual tastes and preferences. A Thai dinner will consist of several dishes, which are put into the center of the table. Each person will take small portions of the selected dishes and toppings to place on their rice. With the exception of desserts, the dishes will come to the table as they are prepared and follow no particular order.
In restaurants, a spoon and fork are used with the main meal and a short spoon, with small bowls is used for soups. Knives are not generally used, as the food is cut into mouth size pieces. The idea is to eat with a spoon in your right hand and a fork in your left, to help push the food onto the spoon. Chopsticks are given for noodle dishes. Ice water, beer and whiskey-rock-soda are typical drinks which accompany the meal. The Thais hold hospitality in high regard and it will be natural for them when receiving guests to their house or in a restaurant to bring you a glass of water. Tables aren’t common in most Thai homes, except for the rich Thai families so eating on the floor is certainly not unheard of even with traditional Thai restaurants. Shoes should be removed before entering a Thai home. With Thailand’s tropical climate and abundant rainfall, Thailand is becoming legendary for it’s huge variety of diverse and delicious locally grown fruit. Fresh fruit is poplar with Thais as a snack and is eaten as dessert at most meals. It may be served raw, freshly sliced, in salads, or cooked in many different ways. The carving of fruit is also a traditional art form, often forming a major decorative element in buffet presentations.
Some local fruits such as coconuts, bananas, oranges, papayas, pineapples, jackfruit and pomelo (similar to a grapefruit) are available year round. Other less familiar fruits, are available in season. As the fruit is typically quite sweet it is very common to see Thai’s add a pinch of salt.
Thai watermelons and cantaloupes are usually eaten after a spicy dinner. They are both widely available in Thailand and often used for decorative carving. Though not native to Thailand strawberries are now grown in northern regions. They are similar in taste and texture to the western varieties. The Custard apple is available from May to August. It has a distinctive knobby, outer-skin, and is pulled apart by hand to reach the soft, sweet pulp inside. The black seeds are discarded. Durian, known to Asians as the “King of Fruits”, is about the size of a melon and covered with hard spikes. The color ranges from green to yellow. The yellow segmented flesh insides has a consistency of custard and a distinctive taste, with a pungent smell that people either love or hate. This fruit is so loved in Asia that ice cream is often flavored with Durian. Durian is tastiest from May to July. The Green Plum or jujube, is similar to a crab apple. It has a crisp texture and a sharp taste and is best described as a yellowish-green plum. It is available from October to February.
The Mangosteen is a hard purple shelled fruit, which conceals a soft pulpy flesh surrounding large seeds. It is a popular fruit with visitors as well as Thais for it’s sweet juiceness. Mangosteen is in season March to November. From March to September the Marina Plum is available. Marina plums are often carved because of their firm texture. If you peel off its golden yellow skin, the sweet fruit is exposed inside, with a dark seed. Rambutan are pink/red and hairy in appearance. The rambutan’s skin can be squeezed open by hand or cut with a knife. Inside is a juicy, pale-colored fruit and a large seed. Rambutan are cheap and plentiful while in season, from May to October.
Shaped like a small, pale green bell, the Rose Apple has a firm and crunchy inside, similar to a melon, but not so juicy. Several varieties are available, with most having a sharp taste. The Sapodilla is sweet, but somewhat pungent in taste. The sapodilla is most often eaten with other fruits as a cocktail. Avoid the hard brown seeds inside.
The Lychee is highly regarded by Thais. Although grown in abundance in the North, they are only available for a brief period from April to June. Small and round, with a hard seed inside, they are easily peeled by hand and are really juicy. Mango’s are one of the most popular Thai fruits, with many varieties found, mostly yellow and soft to the touch when ripe. Slice them open lengthwise, remove the large seed and scoop out the delicious juice flesh with a spoon. It can also be eaten un-ripened, in salads. It’s season is February to May. The Zalacca has a thin red-orange skin over a sweet, but tart fruit inside. Not the most popular fruit for the foreigners, it is usually an acquired taste.
Once you become a resident of Hua Hin, you will eventually reduce your restaurant outings and opt for some home cooking. Until the recent opening of the Tesco Lotus there seemed to be very few places in Hua Hin that were classified as the typical western supermarkets, one being the Hua Hin Shopping center and the other a Supermarket along the canal road. Both have a broad selection of dry goods and staples foods such as spaghetti, noodles, sauces, limited dairy sections plus a limited section of frozen meats etc. In these supermarkets, you will also find things like brooms, mops, knives, bedding and dishes but of course you will find these at less expensive prices if you want to shift through the local shops and stalls. There is a much broader and less expensive selection of dishes at the supermarket along the canal road or at the provisonor shop along the same road. Dishes can also be bought relatively inexpensively at a local stall in between the Chev and Ford dealerships going out towards the airport and certainly check out Tesco Lotus and Index for anything you can’t readily find and for cost comparison as they will have specials and bargains which aren’t advertised. At first glance, the Tesco Lotus seems to be well equipped but I think right now the food section is not yet fully geared towards the western shoppers. No shortage of Thai buyers though, which make the place quite busy and hard to maneuver a cart in. Afternoon shopping, especially can be a little frightening. Although the quantities of goods are definitely there, the selection, and the quality seems to be a little lacking, for foreigners, except in the area of sausages. Until such time as the Tesco Lotus tailors it’s goods to western shoppers, presently I think more variety in the food section can be had at the grocery store along the canal road, the shopping center downtown and the wet market. Although shopping between the different locations seems to be a bit of a nuisance. The hardware goods that can be found at Tesco Lotus can often be a much better price than similar items found at Home Pro. We found power washers, tools and pumps for draining pools at prices far below that of Home Pro. Pre-made window curtains and shower curtains are sold here as well, with almost as much variety of Index and I suspect a more competitive price. So do some comparative shopping before you buy. For local meats, fresh fish, vegetables, fruits and spices, you will want to explore the Wet Market. If you walk on the sidewalk until you are in line with Pizza Company (it is across the road), turn to your left to follow it into the back alley. Produce here is inexpensive and very fresh, especially the seafood which is caught the night before. The stalls open early and by the afternoon are closed, so shopping 9 - 10 or earlier is a must. First thing in the morning there is more variety and fresher produce. Later in the morning the vendors have more time and will shell shrimp, clean fish and cut chicken & ribs up for you. You will also find clothing, flowers, bedding and the miscellaneous, scattered throughout the stalls. There are also vendors who sell fish that they have freshly fried. In general, there seems to be designated areas for the meat, and another for the fruits, vegetables, fish and spices. Clothing, bedding and miscellaneous seems to be along the perimeters. A few of the vendors understand and speak English, although this is the exception. Regardless the majority of the vendors appear to be very friendly and helpful to foreigners. Even if you haven't learned your Thai numbers, they will help you out and give you the proper change. Keep small bills and coins handy for this though, the average shopping trip with enough food for 2 people for a full days meals will most likely cost between 100 - 200 baht depending on how much you can eat in a day. The floors here tend to be wet, the space is crowded and busy. The smells may take a little getting used to for the western shopper and seeing pig heads offered for sale maybe a little shocking at first. You may also find yourself having to dodge motorcycles who are constantly restocking the stalls. Fresh deli meats and cheese can be purchased from the All in Hua Hin (Sarasong Road). They will slice your choice of meat as requested. They also have an attached restaurant which has fairly inexpensive prices serving mostly deli sandwiches, burgers, soups and German dishes and attracts a small but royal clientele of regular European customers. Specialty meats, such New Zealand beef, local beef, European sausage, lots of pork, ham and bacon etc. can be obtained from Hua Hin Ham Bacon & Meat Co. butcher shop in town but at a much higher price than using local meats. Most of it is already frozen. These products are also available in the frozen sections of the Supermarket. Don't be afraid to try the pork/beef patties, they take on the taste of beef burger and when cooked you think you are eating a beef patty. Basic sandwich bread can be purchased from the supermarket. For specialty breads and desserts try the foreign bakeries that have sprung up around town, for example, Robert's Restaurant & Bakery or All in Hua Hin. Feel free to send me emails with your questions, comments and concerns and we will answer your emails as best we can. |
