CATERING TO CULTURES

Thai

by Alisha Green

Featured Books

British gardener Joy Larkom offers tips on growing these exotic vegetables, as well as sources for seeds. She also offers information on everything from Asian culture to building a hoophouse.

More than 3 million copies are in print. Offers insights on how many behaviors mirror customs found in rural U.S..

In addition to recipes, the book offers history and insights into different socioeconomic classes (called muangs).

Critics on Amazon say that you should take the ingredient list and do additional research on Google to learn more.

Any meal is only as good as its ingredients. This is especially true for cooking the best authentic Thai food.

Anyone familiar with the cuisine can tell you about the importance of cooking with fresh vegetables. In Thailand, fresh produce is readily available at local markets where shoppers often visit on a daily basis to find ingredients essential to the quality of the day's meals. Immigrants who come to the U.S. from Thailand find themselves among shelves of frozen or canned produce. Figuring out how to use this unfamiliar form of ingredients can be a daunting task for cooking food in which freshness is a priority.

Interviews with members of the Thai community in East Lansing provide insight into Thai customs, ideas about food, and the adjustment process of coming to the U.S. from Thailand.

Check back for more information about Thai food, including:

Growing Major Ingredients: Here you can find information about the major vegetables used in Thai food and their best growing conditions.

Marketing Ingredients: You know how to grow the food, but is it worth growing for a profit in your area? Do you know the best places to sell Thai food ingredients? Here you can find tips for determining where you could successfully sell certain ingredients.

Making the Food Transition

As someone who immigrated from Thailand more than 13 years ago and works at Oriental Mart, Rachaneeboon "Ant" Ball knows the trends and differences between Thai and U.S. food. She describes a definite difference in quality between using fresh food instead of canned or frozen produce. Growing up in Thailand, she remembers vegetables always being locally available and fresh.

Cultural Food Transition

Members of the MSU Thai Language Club discuss the differences between Thai and U.S. food, explaining why some Thai immigrants choose less healthy U.S. options and the difficulties of finding authentic Thai food in the states.

Bargaining in Thai Culture

Bargaining is a common part of Thai culture, especially at the markets. A Thai student explains how this process works.

Showing Respect in Thai Conversation

Thai people have a different level of formality in their conversation, and knowing about this can be important to showing respect in your interactions.

No plastic, please

Freshness is key in Thai food ingredients, and that can extend to the way those ingredients are packaged. Wrapping food in environmentally friendly packaging such as banana leaves is one alternative to using plastic bags.

Alisha Greena is an Honors College student at Michigan State University's School of Journalism. She has spent the past 18 months researching various national and international food cultures, with the goal of helping sustainable farmers understand these important niche markets.