If you come to Thailand chances are you’ll want to eat something. Chances are you won’t know, where is a safe place to eat. There are millions of small street-side vendors with Thai food carts all over the cities and villages and you don’t really know what is good and what isn’t good. “Good” meaning, safe, clean.
Obviously the sanitary conditions are different in Thailand than in your home country. Probably. Probably you would never in your life go into a place that looks like some of the restaurants in Thailand. The health code has higher standards in the states and most other English speaking nations.
Upon your arrival in Thailand you’ll want to get busy tasting Thai food in all it’s glorious varieties. I know! Here’s how to go about it.
1. Look for a place that many Thai people are eating at. Now, there are Thai people that will eat anywhere the food is cheapest – these are called “students”. They will eat for 15 – 25 baht per lunch or dinner. 10 baht for breakfast if they can find it. This is what NOT to do.
You’re on vacation, go another step above that. Eat where the Thais with the yellow shirts are eating. The yellow shirt – the King’s color – is what Thai teachers and government workers – and workers in businesses of all sorts wear to work. It’s acceptable for anyone to wear one, no matter what their job in the office as it’s respectful to their King – which means a LOT. So, first tip is look for a place where there are lots of yellow-shirted Thais’ eating.
(click the photo to see www.outtospace.com, with posts about Thailand – great photos)
Thais know where the good, clean, delicious food in Thailand is – and they eat there frequently. Maybe every day. Follow their lead even if they’re not wearing yellow shirts. Maybe they’re wearing hospital scrubs? Suits & dresses? OK, good enough.
2. Look for this sign that Joy is holding at one of our favorite restaurants from a long time ago (I’d lost this photo until now!). CLEAN FOOD, GOOD TASTE. This sign is in the restaurants that maintain a certain standard of cleanliness and food preparation.
I’m not sure how valid it is – but I always feel a little bit better when I see this sign. I’ve not had a bad eating experience in a restaurant in 3 years that had this sign – lets put it that way. I think it must count for something. It is given by the government and is well known by most tourists that visit Thailand. Now you know too.
That’s it – basically all you need to know about finding edible, safe food to eat in Thailand!
