Can foreigners ever get used to spicy Thai food?
I went to lunch with a few of the girls from work yesterday and decided on some obscure Thai curry that I’d never heard of. My Thai workmates looked at me with concerned eyes, but I could tell they were suitably impressed. If you ever want to score points with Thais, order curry.
The dish came and I ate it without any drama – I cried a bit and had to drink a lot of Coke but I didn’t feel like I had gone through any great ordeal.
I thought nothing of it until I woke up this morning in extreme pain. My stomach had effectively been mangled by Thai food and I couldn’t eat anything all day. This occurs whenever I eat anything spicy. Though my friends may be taken aback when I actually eat Thai food, when it comes to digestion I’m an embarrassment.
Why does this happen? I’ve been eating curries and food with chilies in it incessantly for more than two years while living in Thailand, but there’s something about it that my body can never get used to. Will this ever change, or am I doomed to suffer greatly every time I eat something spicy?
I felt so sick today that I went straight to bed after work and slept solidly for five hours. I’m now extremely hungry. What’s a boy to do? Thai food, you're killing me!
Am I suffering alone here?
Techno' tags: Thailand, Bangkok, Thai food
My stomach never got accustomed to it. I had digestive problems and finally just had to accept that I will never eat the spiciest stuff. I'm not sure why it is but I experienced getting sick often enough that it's no longer worth it to aggravate it.
:)
Much more an embarrassment is a Thai native who can't eat spicy food. Yep. Me. A Thai girl whose white hubby eats spicier food than she does.
Similar situation to you, Matt. I've always have stomach issue with spicy food since I was a little kid. I get a belly ache about 1-2 hours after eating spicy food. Nowadays, I try to gain some national pride back. But it's just not a matter of toughing it out but a matter of watching your dinner come back up to say hi after about 4 hours.
You are not alone, my friend.
I think it depends on the individual digestive system; I know plenty of farang who can't live without unbelievably spicy food. I am writing a post about how much I miss Thai food right now!
I'm a wimp when it comes to anything too spicy. I just steer clear altogether rather than risk anything nasty happening. Strangely I also have problems with some Thai fruits, although I don't always know what's going to happen with them until it's far too late.
na song san……:(
Never mind the chilis. You already have convinced yourself you'll never get over it. Have you tried Lao food? (hold the anchovies please).
I know a lot of Thai people who dont' eat spicy dishes, as well, By the way: Drinking coke doesn't help, as the co2 stirs up your stomach's mucous membrane even more. Try milk. The fat of the milk ties the spicy substances and makes the food more tolerable for your alimentary system.
I now have a permanently scared esophagus because of criminally spicy Thai food. Thank-you Thailand.