Do you want fries with that ketchup?
I finished work late today and went to grab something to eat at a restaurant near my place. I was minding my own business when a young Thai couple walked in and sat down at the table opposite me. For some reason I at first thought they were deaf. I soon realised that they weren’t deaf at all but were just moving their hands enough to confuse me. The girl was served what looked like a pork chop and salad. I then watched in horror as she covered it – I mean absolutely smothered it – in chili sauce from a bottle. I was utterly repulsed.
It’s amazing that in this country where people make claims that you can eat the best food in the world, when it comes to any food made outside of Thailand, the locals won’t eat it unless it’s smothered in either ketchup or chili sauce.
I remember my mother and father scolding me when I was younger for dousing my food with ketchup. It wasn’t until I grew up that I saw the wisdom in not using ketchup. Ketchup should be reserved for chips (French fries) and nothing else.
My mother would scream if she saw some of the things I’ve seen here in Thailand. I’m talking adults emptying bottles of ketchup over spaghetti bolognese, steaks, sandwiches and – the cardinal sin – pizza! It’s like drinking a sweet cup of tea and then smacking yourself over the head with a bag of sugar.
Thai food = eat rationally
Not Thai food = go nuts with ketchup or nearest equivalent
Where does this obsession come from? It can’t be for the taste, because a salad plastered with chili sauce tastes vile. If anybody has any answers to this conundrum I’d love to hear them.
Techno’ tags: Thailand, Thai food, Thai people
August 27th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
It is really difficult to explain our way of eating. Basically, if anything is tastelessly bland, many people will put things like chilli or tomato ketchup in it.
What you have just described: smothering ketchup over spaghetti bolognese, steaks, sandwiches and pizza, many people including myself do the same. Some people even put chilli ketchup in noodle soup.
Many cannot eat pizza without having ketchup and mustard on it. Occasionally you will see people even smothering garlic bread and omelette with it.
They are not going to hesitate to soak their food with every sauce that is available in a restaurant. It is merely a thing that people get used to doing with Thai food; like when they eat noodle, they have to put a lot of sugar, dry chilli powder, lemon juice and fish sauce on it.
Well, to put it in a nutshell; it is a matter of habit.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Do all Thai people like Tim Henman as well? I think I’m beginning to understand this country.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
I don’t think many people know Tim Henman, but quite a few who are interested in sport must know who he is.
He was not a great tennis player, but he was a great sportsman.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:53 am
The power of advertising.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:00 am
The one thing I’ve experienced with Thai food is that subtle flavour is not always the theme. I agree that some non-Thai food can come across as bland but perhaps when the majority of the food a person eats is Thai all other foods are bland in comparison whether they actually are or not. Anyway, ketchup on omelettes are like bread and butter.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:06 am
I remember recently preparing a very nice sea food casserole that I serve over some fresh spaghetti. I had to bit my tongue and put my hand dip into my jeans when my guest simply covered his plate with Sri Racha (chili sauce) without even tasting it first!!!! I don’t buy the “it has no taste” argument. It has taste, a very subtle taste, a nice blend of sea food slowly cooked white wine with shallots, garlic, onions, mushrooms and more. But people here people are so used to either spicy, rotten, bitter or sweet that they can’t appreciate subtlety… the same goes for fashion, music, TV drama… PS: I love Thaifood, don’t get me wrong.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:00 am
3 words: Burnt taste buds!
August 28th, 2007 at 11:11 am
LOL.. wish I had the answer to that one… but I don’t. I got up in the middle of the night, couldn’t sleep so began reading blogs. Now the idea of chili sauce on salad has just made my stomach flip! :)
Peace,
~Chani
August 28th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Whats wrong with ketchup!
Deleicous stuff!
And I refuse to eat Spagethi without it!
August 28th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I refuse to eat spaghetti.. period :-)
But if you are used to spicy food, a Big Mac or something like that must taste like some kind of leather sole. No wonder they try to put more flavour to it.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:37 am
I remember ordering my first pizza in Thailand and having it come with ketchup packets. Lots of ketchup packets. I was perplexed.
Then I bit into the pizza and realized that the special I had ordered had a mayonnaise sauce instead of tomato.
I was even more confused.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:12 am
When I went to university I had for some months not enough money to buy good food. Then I would by just cucumbers from the food stall downstairs and eat it together with chili sauce. I did this for months. Now, I could never eat chili sauce again.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:40 am
I used to eat crisp sandwiches at uni. Those were the days.