AllieC
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Jul 4, 2014 6:57:02 GMT
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Post by AllieC on Sept 27, 2015 7:26:05 GMT
I love reading all the food threads here because although I live in Australia (and you would think that many of our foods are the same) there are so many foods or dishes that I have to google LOL.
The curry thread got me thinking, it seems that one thing that is really common here - Thai food - doesn't seem to be in the US? Am I right with that or do you not just cook it at home? It is super common here and is one of our most popular restaurants and takeaways and now that pretty much all supermarkets carry pastes, herbs and Asian vegies it is very common to make at home. Thanks to my dh who is an amazing cook of Thai food we have some sort of dish like a curry, stir-fry or spicy salad at least once a week.
Indian food is also quite common here but not as much as Thai.
What say the Peas? Is curry and other Thai foods a staple like it is here or much less common?
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Post by gar on Sept 27, 2015 8:35:04 GMT
I can't speak for the US obviously but Thai is very popular in the UK. Actually our local pub was run by Thai people until last winter and did a great Thai restaurant/takeaway service so we eat it pretty regularly and I love to cook Thai sometimes. Curry is almost a staple in the UK now, particularly a Korma which often comes out top of various lists with Roast Beef as a UK favourite these days  and I would think Thai is growing in popularity.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2015 8:57:08 GMT
In Oklahoma, no, Thai isn't really common. I live in a city of 80,000+ and as far as I know there is one Thai place. It does a a brisk lunch business but not so much dinner time. On the other hand we have a Tex-Mex place on every other street corner that is crowded at dinner time.
I don't think I've ever cooked anything that is Thai at home.
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Post by Jockscrap on Sept 27, 2015 9:09:01 GMT
As Gar said, very popular in this part of the U.K. Red Thai prawn curry is one of my family's favourite dishes for me to cook for them. Curries generally are a staple of our diet, and we have one I cook (often just a jar of sauce added to raw meat and veg) once a week at least in one form or another. There are lots of Thai restaurants in the nearest city and one in a nearby village. We have three Chinese carry outs and two Indian restaurants in our small town.
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AllieC
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Posts: 3,129
Jul 4, 2014 6:57:02 GMT
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Post by AllieC on Sept 27, 2015 9:20:41 GMT
As Gar said, very popular in this part of the U.K. Red Thai prawn curry is one of my family's favourite dishes for me to cook for them. Curries generally are a staple of our diet, and we have one I cook (often just a jar of sauce added to raw meat and veg) once a week at least in one form or another. There are lots of Thai restaurants in the nearest city and one in a nearby village. We have three Chinese carry outs and two Indian restaurants in our small town. Red prawn curry is my favourite too. My dh makes a divine one 
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Post by catseatcheese on Sept 27, 2015 9:32:25 GMT
Thai food is popular in the US but it depends on where you live. Most small towns in the midwest will not have a thai restaurant but a lot of medium sized cities will have them. Large cities in the US will definitely have thai food. California has thai food on every corner (in Orange County). Even Manhattan, Kansas has a great thai restaurant and Green Bay, Wisconsin has a thai place (it is not so great). I cannot speak for the East Coast but from what I have heard they have a lot of thai as well. I cook thai food at home (I live in Spain right now but I am from the US...the midwest).
It is a bit of a complicated question because if you ask almost anyone not from the middle of the country they are going to tell you they like thai. If you ask someone from a small town in the midwest or somewhere in an outlying area they may never have tried it (probably because there is no restaurant for them to try). Most people that would start a thai restaurant might live on the coasts. I would guess that college towns are more apt to have thai restaurants as well. The small town where I grew up in the midwest definitely did not have a thai restaurant but just 20 minutes down the road there was one in a college town.
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Post by katiejane on Sept 27, 2015 11:11:57 GMT
Another UK-er. Yep I live in a small market town and we have numerous thai, chinese and indian restaurants. We also have indian restaurants that specialise in different regions food. I cook indian food from scratch at home around once a week. My dd lives grinding and crushing spices to make different dishes. I cook thai around once a fortnight as my kids didn't like the fish sauce sour taste, but it is being to grow on them. We have lots of asian supermarkets near us and the national chains stock a wide range of ingredients too.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Sept 27, 2015 11:47:02 GMT
I make Thai food at home but most people I know don't. I live in a mid sized Midwestern city and we have several Thai restaurants, though part of that may be the influence of the large university just a few miles away. I have to go to a specialty Asian market for curry pastes and some spices, although I can find a few things such as coconut milk in my regular grocery store.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2015 11:59:13 GMT
I live in the US outside of Boston, and we have many Thai, Indian, and Chinese restaurants. I love them all! I've never tried cooking Thai, because we have a really good restaurant close by. That's my go to takeout place. I doubt my cooking would taste as good as theirs, lol, and I'd rather not ruin my opinion of Thai food. I love their masaman curry.
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Post by Merge on Sept 27, 2015 12:03:40 GMT
Thai food is very popular in Houston, TX. I don't know how many cook it at home, but I do. The ethnic aisle in my grocery store has lots of different Asian ingredients.
Satay with peanut sauce and red curry beef are both favorites at my house.
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Post by anxiousmom on Sept 27, 2015 12:37:13 GMT
I love Thai food, but I have to drive to one of the 'big cities' around me to get it. Mexican and Chinese we have, but that is about as exotic as it gets. This is not the most cosmopolitan of areas.
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RosieKat
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Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on Sept 27, 2015 12:59:43 GMT
I've never found Thai food to be very common anyplace I lived. It was certainly "findable" in Houston, but still nothing compared to TexMex, or Chinese, or even Vietnamese. I live in another big city now, and while there are Thai places, they aren't too common and I haven't found anyplace I love. As for cooking it, I haven't found success with any recipe I have tried, and I'm a perfectly good cook, so there's something I'm just missing.
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Post by littlemama on Sept 27, 2015 13:04:48 GMT
We go out for Thai food, we do not make it at home, although I would have access to the ingredients if I wanted to- I might have to hit two stores to do it though. We never cook with curry and there are no Indian restaurants close to me- there are some that are 30-45 minutes away I think.
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Post by moveablefeast on Sept 27, 2015 13:07:43 GMT
Thai, Korean, Indian, are the common restaurants here, in addition to the normal fast-casual and sit-down offerings.
I am in northern Virginia just outside the beltway.
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Post by Merge on Sept 27, 2015 13:14:37 GMT
I've never found Thai food to be very common anyplace I lived. It was certainly "findable" in Houston, but still nothing compared to TexMex, or Chinese, or even Vietnamese. I live in another big city now, and while there are Thai places, they aren't too common and I haven't found anyplace I love. As for cooking it, I haven't found success with any recipe I have tried, and I'm a perfectly good cook, so there's something I'm just missing. Were you living in the suburbs? Inside the loop, it seems like there's a Thai place every few blocks.
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oaksong
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Sept 27, 2015 13:17:01 GMT
There are 4 Thai restaurants within a 5-mile radius of me, and they are all fabulous. It is my favorite ethnic cuisine by far. We also have just as many Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Mediterranean. I've attempted some Asian recipes at home, but I'm more likely to cook something with Mexican, Italian or barbecue flavors. In order to get the flavors just right, Asian dishes seem more complicated, and it's just easier to go out when we want our fix.
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Post by Zee on Sept 27, 2015 13:18:24 GMT
There was a good Thai restaurant where I lived in Iowa, plus a large Asian grocery where you could get supplies. I often cook my own. I got a Thai cookbook and it's very straightforward and simple once you have the basics stocked. When I lived in Chicago of course there were tons of Thai restaurants Here in the Philly burbs I'm sure there is a good one but I haven't found it yet. I haven't really looked, to be honest. I'm still trying to find a decent pizza and authentic Mexican food! 
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Post by Linda on Sept 27, 2015 13:21:05 GMT
I've never had Thai food - I think I left the UK before it jumped in popularity and it's not something I've seen locally here in the states.
When I think curry - I think Indian curry not Thai and more specifically British Army Curry - which I grew up on and continue to make a varient of today.
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Post by ~summer~ on Sept 27, 2015 13:51:07 GMT
I'm in Bay Area and Thai is very common.
Other things -- lots of salads, tacos, sushi, Asian fusion, Middle eastern and Mediterranean.
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Post by seikashaven on Sept 27, 2015 13:54:09 GMT
I eat Thai probably once a week but don't cook it often at home. We have lots of ethnic food options in our city. My favourite is probably Malaysian or Vietnamese.
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artbabe
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Jun 26, 2014 1:59:10 GMT
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Post by artbabe on Sept 27, 2015 14:03:49 GMT
Thai food is pretty easy to get where I live.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Sept 27, 2015 14:16:12 GMT
I'm in the Midwest. I can name five or six Thai restaurants in our metro area. All are very good and I love eating at any of them. I can only think of one Indian restaurant, although there may be others I don't know about. I've never been there but my husband has, with people from work.
I've never cooked Thai food at home; we go out if we want that. It was interesting to go with friends who used to live in Thailand and speak the language. In fact, the woman used to teach Thai cooking. Loved hearing their stories.
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RosieKat
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Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on Sept 27, 2015 14:42:07 GMT
I've never found Thai food to be very common anyplace I lived. It was certainly "findable" in Houston, but still nothing compared to TexMex, or Chinese, or even Vietnamese. I live in another big city now, and while there are Thai places, they aren't too common and I haven't found anyplace I love. As for cooking it, I haven't found success with any recipe I have tried, and I'm a perfectly good cook, so there's something I'm just missing. Were you living in the suburbs? Inside the loop, it seems like there's a Thai place every few blocks. Various places at different times, but then, it was also something like 25 years ago.  My parents are there in the suburbs now, and I think I've noticed all of 1 place anywhere near them - although as you imply, I wouldn't necessarily expect much around there.
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calgal08
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Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on Sept 27, 2015 14:45:42 GMT
Silicon Valleys means there's every single kind of food in every single town. Until I saw a Food Network show a few years ago I used to love Thai food, but ever since I saw how fish sauce was made, no thank you, I just cannot stomach it.
That being said, probably once a week we eat curry, usually it's a bean curry. Both my kids love Indian food.
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janeliz
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Post by janeliz on Sept 27, 2015 14:52:16 GMT
I'm in South Carolina. I know a lot of people who love Thai food, including myself, but I'm sadly about 30 minutes away from the nearest Thai restaurant. I would absolutely love to have one close by.
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Post by padresfan619 on Sept 27, 2015 14:57:50 GMT
Thai food is extremely popular in San Diego and it is one of my favorite cuisines. I don't cook Thai food much, but I get take out at least once a month.
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Post by HelenaJole on Sept 27, 2015 15:46:22 GMT
We do have Thai restaurants (Washington state), but I don't think it's a common cook-at-home thing.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:40:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2015 16:20:23 GMT
Thai and Indian are super popular here.
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Post by gypsymama on Sept 27, 2015 16:22:40 GMT
i'm guessing i'd have to drive at least an hour for thai food (i live in salem, ny), extremely mediocre chinese 15 mins away...indian also an hour away... we have pizza subs pizza oh and pizza
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Post by bc2ca on Sept 27, 2015 17:00:05 GMT
I took a Thai cooking class 25 or so years ago and we had our wedding reception at a Thai restaurant, so we are big fans of Thai food.
Ingredients are easy to get in Vancouver and where we lived near Seattle, but not as easy to find in San Diego. There are jarred curry, Pad Thai and peanut sauces available in some places but curry pastes and tamarind are harder to find. Rice noodles and fish sauce are in most grocery stores. The nearest Asian supermarket to us is 40 miles away and the only place I have found that carries shredded green papaya, lemongrass and Thai basil.
Thai restaurants are everywhere and I would bet the most popular dishes are Pad Thai and satays, not curries.
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