Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Thai

Where is the BEST place to learn Thai yoga massage?

LivinginYes — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:41:31 -0800

I'm a yoga teacher and have long been interested in learning thai yoga massage. 2010 is the year for it! I live "overseas" so will have to travel to take a course and it would have to be an intensive (2 weeks rather than a number of weekends over a period of months for example). I'm boggled by all the options out there ...where in the world to go - who are the best teachers? I'm drawn to Saul David Raye....but would appreciate your suggestions. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

I want to make Asian noodles from scratch. Can you help me?

flibbertigibbet — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:07:49 -0800

I really really love all types of Asian cooking that involves noodles (banh pho, udon, ramen, whatever!). Problem: kosher asian noodles are crazy hard to find in my neck of the woods. Could you help me out by suggesting cookbooks or websites with great make-it-from-scratch noodle recipes? I found this, and there's a book on Amazon--somewhere!--that has a recipe for udon noodles. Other than that, I'm lost and alone.

Yes, I realize this will take me a long time to master in some cases.

Beef. Noodle.

peachfuzz — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:04:33 -0800

Can you help me figure out what this delicious beef noodle thing I ate years ago was? I used to work at a PR firm at Vermont and K in DC. A tiny pan-Asian place opened up in the building next door for a brief, glorious couple of winter months. I used to go and get takeout to get through late nights.

My favorite thing was something they described as "beef noodle". That's it. It was a dark, silky, soupy stew with chunks of rich braised beef (something short rib-y) and wide, flat rice noodles. It had a complex, caramelized sweetness. There was a strong star anise flavor, ginger, maybe some lemongrass or something else citrusy. It was not spicy, and the broth was clear. I've been trying to figure out what it was for years, with no luck - so I turn to you, hive mind!

It was NOT: pho, bun bo hue, galbi jjim, or a curry. It was very straightforward: thick broth/braising liquid, very wide rice noodles (like 3/4"), beef. There may have been a garnish of herbs, but that was pretty much it.

This restaurant served mostly Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian food, if I remember right. But I never seem to find anything matching the description on appropriate menus, and it's been driving me crazy.

Do you recognize this delicious, delicious thing?

Beer pairing advice?

furiousxgeorge — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:27:33 -0800

What would you say are the best beer styles (or individual beers) to pair with Indian or Thai cuisine? I work in a take out beer shop in BYOB land (PA) and there are popular Thai and Indian places nearby. Though I know a ton about beer, I've never been great about food pairings.

If you can give me the best styles to pair that would help, but also toss out individual beers. We have around 400-500 beers in the store at any one time so there is a good chance we have a lot of what you could suggest.

Thai-to-English Translation Sought for Butthole Surfers Fan

not_on_display — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:27:52 -0800

Do you speak Thai? Can you translate this song into English?* This mp3 link is performed by the original artist, who remains unknown, and was infamously plundered by the Butthole Surfers in 1987 to create the track "Kuntz" on the album Locust Abortion Technician. Purpose: I would like to do an English-version cover of the original song. Plus, it's a good li'l mystery -- an unknown artist, and the only lyrics translated so far are vaguely about the "itch" that "won't go away....the itch never leaves."*

* [.mp3 file and quote via WFMU's Beware of the Blog]

Thai writing

Baldons — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:10:03 -0800

What is written here? It's Thai. It should be a disease. My Thai aunt-in-law's father has it, but we don't understand what it is. Can the hive mind help?

Here it is. Thanks, hive mind!

Pad thai below 14th?

ricochet biscuit — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:40:41 -0800

Looking for a specific Thai restaurant in Lower Manhattan. Several years ago I had a kick-ass Thai dinner at a place I recall as being on Sullivan Street. I would like to revisit the place during an upcoming trip to NYC, but my google fu is failing me.

As befits the neighbourhood, it was fairly small (maybe a dozen tables). I recall it as being south of Washington Square but north of Canal. I am 80% certain it was Sullivan and I know it was the east side of the street, but I can find nothing online. Of course, the last time I was there was 2002, so it may well be gone. Can any Manhattanite mefites advise me?

What is this mysterious plant from Thailand called?

watercarrier — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:09:53 -0800

What plant did my Thai neighbor just give me? My Thai neighbor who speaks very little English, gave me a plant that he said was called - T'Kai (I think). It looks like the top of a long dried out garlic plant with a sort of thinnish bulb that smells a lot like ginger. He gave it to me as a remedy for a cold. What is this plant?

Evolution, Thai style?

chez shoes — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:11:22 -0800

Tell me about the Thai image that shows an evolutionary progression from a rabbit to a general. I was in my favorite Thai restaurant last night and noticed a new image on the wall, which can be seen here.

It appears to be some sort of evolutionary tale.

Can anybody tell me more?

(Apologies for the craptastic cell phone photo, it was the best I could do!)

Why Thai Rice, Cabbage, Apple, Water?

JakeTimberlake — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:26:43 -0800

Why do they leave a basket with rice, cabbage, water, and apple outside my favorite Thai restaurant? I eat lunch at an awesome little Thai place in Cary, NC at least once a week. (Tom Yum Thai by the mall, if you're ever interested!!)

Every day, I see a little red/white checkered basket (the type the put fries in at burger joints) and inside there are 4 dishes. One has a slice of apple, one has some cabbage, one has some white rice, and the last one just has water.

Why?

Thai to English translation needed for a car-parts website

cyanide — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:00:47 -0800

I need help finding parts for a Honda City on a Thai website. Would appreciate it if someone could translate important bits for me :) Hey all,

Need help finding things on this website which is entirely in Thai, a language I don't understand. I'm about to buy a Honda City VTEC Type 2/Z and would like to import a few parts from Thailand, one of the few countries where this car was sold, and probably the only country where I've found projector-type headlamps for this particular car.

I'd appreciate it if someone could figure out if they have a search page, and if you have a bit of time, find me alternate headlamps for a Honda City Type 2/Z (Some people refer to it as 2, others Z, try both). Would also appreciate it if you could find a page listing all parts available for this particular car.

Thanks!

How can I find and watch this Thai movie?

k7lim — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:30:55 -0800

How can I find a copy of this movie? It's a Thai comedy about a fierce dog that terrorizes a town. http://filmasia.blogspot.com/2008/07/woh-mah-ba-maha-sanook-thailand-2008.html Any help tracking it down would be appreciated, because I really want to watch this movie!

Where to buy thai ingredients in Schaumburg IL

ets960 — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:14:05 -0800

Where do I buy Thai food ingredients in Schaumburg, IL? Specifically: Kaffir Leaves, Lemongrass, Galangal, Thai Tea. I checked Mitsuwa, but they don't seem to sell Thai ingredients? Where do the restaurants get these things?

Which bottled peanut sauce is best?

chickletworks — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:25:39 -0800

Which brand of bottled peanut sauce comes closest to approximating the rich, coconutty taste of the peanut sauce served in most Thai restaurants? You know what gooooood peanut sauce tastes like: smooth and creamy, with notes of lemongrass and maybe a little bit of kick. Someone has to have bottled that wonderfulness.

I've tried House of Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce, which is good but definitely not what I'm looking for (too much spice, not enough peanut). Taste of Thai's Peanut Satay Sauce is close on flavor, but too thick for use as a salad dressing or on pasta. Whole Foods alone has about fifteen more brands, but at $6-$9 a bottle, I'm not going to try them all-- so which ones should I try?

Thanks in advance!

Why are there three Thai restaurants on my block?

bubukaba — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:08:57 -0800

Why do I often see two, three, even four different Thai restaurants on the same block, sometimes even right next to one another? I've seen this in New Haven, CT and multiple neighborhoods in Chicago, IL - so it's not isolated to only one area.

I've always assumed that it had something to do with mutual support and valuing community - but even so, doesn't it make it difficult to make a living?

How do I send Tofu Panang to my mother?

JJ Jenkins — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:25:45 -0800

How do I send Tofu Panang to my mother? Every time my mother visits me (in New York, Chicago, LA) she wants to get Thai food. There are no good Thai restaurants where she lives in Tucson. And every time, she gets Tofu Panang. It's kind of annoying for me but it's rewarding to see the joy in her face when she wolfs it down (every single day of her visit).

For Mother's Day, I was thinking of how I can send her favorite dish. I'm wondering how to do this:

- buy it at restaurant and freeze it
- cook it in parts and freeze it, to be assembled later
- buy just the curry paste/sauce and include a recipe
- buy a thai cookbook with tried and true recipes (where she would have to make the curry from scratch)

My concern is that she will not want to go through the whole cooking process of deep frying the tofu, making the sauce, etc. However, she's a great cook (mostly Italian), and could handle the challenge if it was presented to her.

What do you think?

Thai translation needed please.

Taksi Putra — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:15:00 -0800

Can you guys please translate these sentences into Thai for me?
They're (paraphrased) excerpts from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
1. The Dentrassis are an unruly tribe of gourmands, a wild but pleasant bunch.
They were employed as catering staff on their long haul fleets, on the strict understanding that they keep themselves very much to themselves.
This suited the Dentrassis fine.

2. "A meal would be most welcome", he said.
A huge furry creature bounded through the door with his lunch tray.
It was grinning like a maniac.

3. "But who are the Dentrassi?" he said.
"Great guys," said Ford. "They're the best cooks and the best drink mixers and they don't give a wet slap about anything else. And they'll always help hitch hikers aboard."

Alternatively, can you please point me to a Thai version of the book from which I can print these sentences out? I don't speak/read Thai at all.

These Thai cooks I met remind me of the Dentrassis so I want to show this to them.

Yes I know they are totally out of context I kinda like em more this way.

What are some good, quick boxed international lunches?

nitsuj — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:58:04 -0800

I really love these easy-to-prepare, not-too-expensive A Taste of Thai/India/China meals for lunch. What else would I like? My local grocery stores don't stock very many things like this, but with Amazon Groceries, I figure I can get pretty much anything shipped to my door.

The Asian stuff is great, so any other brands/styles/flavor recommendations are welcomed. I'd also be interested some other international flavors, like Mexican, Spanish, Canadian, et. al.

Emphasis on easiness to prepare and quality of ingrediants.

Is it common for Muslim in India to speak Malay, Thai, Indonesian?

notsogirliegal — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:26:26 -0800

Is it common for Muslim in India to speak Malay, Thai, Indonesian as opposed to or in addition to Arabic? I am hoping to get an understanding of different Muslim population in various Asian regions (mideast, India, and south east Asia). I am guessing there have to be some differences, like the language, but they all seem to use same Arabic alphabet. So how common is it for a person in India (I understand most Muslim population in India are likely to be Pakistani who tend to speak Urdu) to be able to speak Thai, Malay and/or Indonesian. Is there a high number of population in India that speaks more than one of the following languages: Thai, Malay, and/or Indonesian?

What's the best way to prove ongoing transit for the purposes of Thai immigration for the least amount of money?

matkline — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:47:13 -0800

What's the best way to prove ongoing transit for the purposes of Thai immigration for the least amount of money?

Thai Food on / around Sunset?

Weebot — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:19:37 -0800

Places to eat in Los Angeles, ArcLight edition. Hey, I'm looking for any recommendations for, moderately-priced place to eat for lunch around the ArcLight in Los Angeles. In particular, I'm looking for suggestions for good Thai (I know Thai Town is nearby...) or Vietnamese places, but that's not a rigid requirement.

I'd be more than happy with any other recommendations. I'd like to get an idea of what are the good places around there.

Phonetically written Thai

thelloydshow — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 04:39:53 -0800

Going to Thailand after Christmas with a friend...for her Christmas gift I want a list of phrases (in Thai and hopefully phonetically spelt). Can anyone help? Okay so the phrases are meant to be practical (we already know the usual hello, goodbye, thankyou etc) but only by ear and not by spelling (or even phonetically spelt for easy remembering).

Also I want a few jokey phrases...if anyone can help that'd be awesome. Here's a short list..feel free to add.

Hello
Goodbye
Thank-you
Can I buy a drink (beer)?
Where is the toilet?
Can I get a happy ending? (joke phrase...do not intend to use it)
Do you have a hot friend for (my name)?
Where is the best place to party?

Please don't assume I'm a shallow bullshit tourist...just an injoke between us with the joke phrases for her gift.

Any other phrases would help tremendously. Thank-you

Feed my seaweed need

dirtmonster — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:11:51 -0800

While in Dublin, Slothrop and I fell in love with this yummy Thai snack: Tao Kae Noi Crispy Seaweed. Since moving back to the States, we were able to find it in Ann Arbor, and stocked up, but now our supplies have run out. Help! There are no Asian grocery stores where we live (that's right, none). Does anyone know of a store in Lexington or Louisville (Kentucky) that sells it? Even better, is there an online source? I've looked, but apparently not hard enough. Thanks!

I'm looking for Thai music for my restaurant

einarorn — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:05:45 -0800

I'm looking for Thai music for my restaurant I just bought a really nice Thai restaurant in Iceland. It's a cozy place that used to be run by a family. The restaurant has seats for around 40 people. The problem is that right now it's a little bit too quiet. You almost feel like you have to whisper so other people won't listen in on your conversations.

So, one way to fight this is to put a nice speaker system up and then play dinner music on low volume to drown out some of the chatter.

The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about Thai music. So therefore I need to find Thai music that would be suitable for my restaurant. I need to be able to buy it on Amazon, or download it for free (iTunes music store does not work in my country).

Although it's a Thai restaurant of course most people won't recognize whether the music is from Thailand or any other part of SouthEast Asia. so, if you have recommendations for music from other countries, then that's also greatly appreciated.

Help me Thai one on!

Crotalus — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:25:48 -0800

How do you make sure your Thai cuisine has just the right heat? I was introduced to Thai cuisine about 5 years ago, and I can't get enough of it. I travel alot, and so I get to sample different restaurants in different cities. Trouble is, restaurants vary in terms of what they consider spicy. I've tried various ways of describing the level of heat I like, but I haven't found the best way yet. In some restaurants "medium" or "4 on a scale of 1 to 5" means the food is downright bland. In other places it burns my tongue off. I've also tried saying, "I like it hotter than about 75% of clientele," but if you go to a place that's famous for its heat (or its "anglo-friendly" spice levels) this can be problematic as well. How do YOU ensure that your Thai (or Indian, or Cajun) food is the right level of spiciness when ordering in an unfamiliar restaurant? Are their cues I can use that might tip me off about how a particular establishment brings on the heat?