My Love for Thai Food: A Personal Journey Across the Globe - Essay Sample

Introduction

My love for Thai food cuts deeper than a knife. Not only because of its undeniable balance of sweet, sour, saltiness and bitter taste but also because I share a personal history and background with the food. It is no wonder that the authenticity and the unique taste of Thai food have led to its popularity not only in its origin country, Thailand but also to other parts of the world such as the United States, specifically, the city of Los Angeles, California. In this paper, I will discuss the reason behind my personal touch and like the food, the connection it has with my city, Los Angeles. I will also explore some of the notable differences between Thai food recipe dishes, in specific fried rice, in Thailand, and the United States.My love for Thai food stems from my childhood days. Having been born and brought up in Thailand, I was exposed to a culture where Thai food was the staple food in most households and also readily available in the local food outlets. It was and still is, a family dish whereby most families use their unique recipes to prepare it. The recipes of the Thai food dishes are then passed down from generation to generation to help retain the distinctiveness and taste. The practice not only helps to keep the connection with ancestors and link different generations but also, helps families generate money by preparing exceptional Thai dishes.

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When I was born my parents were young and I spent most of my time with my maternal grandmother who owned a restaurant. She would pick me up after school and I would stay and help in the restaurant until it closed later in the evenings. Here, I got to learn a lot about Thai food including preparing it. On my first birthday in 2000, my paternal grandmother and aunt were fortunate to leave Thailand for the United States to make more money to support the family. Luckily, they both secured their first jobs in the kitchen where not only were they get promotions up to the highest positions, but also, they were able to save up enough money to open their restaurant in 2012.

My father joined them to assist in the restaurant. My grandmother made all the recipes for the Thai dishes which was amazing. With the restaurant gaining buzz as a result of the tasty Thai food served, my siblings and I finally moved to the United States in 2016 where we reconnected with my grandmother after sixteen years. Unfortunately, she did not live long after as she passed away in early 2019 at the age of 65.

In the spirit of keeping my grandmother's dream alive of serving Thai food, my father opened a new restaurant where we continue to use all of my grandmother's recipes. Whenever we open the cookbook that my grandmother wrote it by her hand, we feel like we always have her by our side and feel like she is always watching us.

For the last fifty years, Thai food continues to hold a special place in the heart of Americans, in particular those residing or visiting Los Angeles. Restaurants are opening up all around the city with immigrant chefs bringing their traditional recipes to the United States. Most recently, younger chefs have started preparing it differently from their predecessors. Since Thai food has changed a lot since its first introduction in the United States, these young chefs have begun looking into the original old school practices to prepare it to restore its original taste. Who knows, it might taste better than the modified Thai food altered to easily conform into the American society.

The connection of Thai food and Los Angeles spans back to the 1970s not long before the end of the Cold war. Before then, in the 1960s, most Americans would not clearly distinguish between Thai and Chinese foods. Thai food had lost its originality as most Thai restaurants made their food more American by making it blander, sweeter and not as spicy compared to the traditional version of it.

It was not until the 1970s where efforts began to help distinguish Thai food. By then, only 100,000 Thai-Americans resided in the United States. Many Thai people then started immigrating into the USA with the hope of better opportunities, rejoining family members, and securing better education through a student visa. Unlike other Southeast Asians, Thai immigrants were considered more economical with most opening, working or taking over family restaurant businesses that served Thai food.

As a result, for the most part since then, what makes Thai restaurants in Southern California unique is that they are mostly family-owned and recipes can easily pass from generation to generation. Thai-Americans see it more than just a business, it represents their heritage, their nationality, and more importantly, it represents their family.

There are, however, still some notable differences between some Thai dishes in Thailand and the United States. The best example of this is fried rice. Thou not originally from Thailand, as history says, it has increasingly become one of the beloved food in every Thai restaurant. Its popularity is not only in Thailand, where it is sold in every corner, in every restaurant, street vendors, and food stands but also the United States, specifically in Los Angeles. With more and more immigrants coming into the city from Thailand, they have brought with them the culture and cooking skills to imitate the practice in their origin. However, it is quite difficult to achieve the same results because of the difference in culture, and resources. The weather is also quite different in Thailand in comparison to that of Los Angeles. Thailand is a hot, wet, and humid country, which makes it easier for people to grow different kinds of plants or vegetables all year. On the other hand, Los Angeles is a hot and dry city, it is difficult to grow something and make it survives all year long. Most ingredients to prepare the Thai food have to be imported and refrigerated which makes it lose its original taste.

In my experience, despite having notable experience in Thai food, I have encountered some contradictions on what some people term as Thai food. Believe it or not, it was not until 2018, just two years after I moved to the United States that I had pineapple fried rice which in America is termed as a famous Thai dish. Back in Thailand, most of the fried rice dishes were just a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a frying pan and mixes with eggs, vegetables, seafood, or choice of meat, that is it, fried rice. I have never had or heard of other kinds of fried rice before, but for the longest time, it has been one of the famous Thai dished in Los Angeles.

On the contrary, there is also a dish that exists in Thailand but not the United States called "American Fried Rice". There is a popular belief that it was created by a Thai chef named Go Jek during the Vietnam War. The chef used to cook for the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force stationed in the provinces of Korat and Udon Thani in Thailand. The dish was then named "American Fried Rice" because it has an American side ingredient like fried chicken, ham, hot dogs, raisins, and ketchup in it. It was not commonly found in Thai restaurants outside Thailand, but with the proliferation of Thai restaurants in the United States, American fried rice is now appearing on Thai restaurant menus more and more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it will be worth noting that people over time have changed their perception of Thai food for the better. It has increasingly become a popular cuisine most Americans enjoy. In Los Angeles, in particular, people continue to show love for the food by creating buzz through fine dining in Thai restaurants, getting takeaways, and recreating the dishes at home. Thai food brings people closer home as they relate it to mum's home cooking and the taste brings perfect harmony between hot, sweet and sour. For me, with Thai food, I feel more connected to my origin, heritage, and culture.