I know you love them. Here's how to recognize your favorite dishes on street food
signs.
I don't think I need a lot of explanations for this lesson. You guys already know most of these dishes, maybe all even. Here's how to write and read them in Thai. I'd suggest printing out the handwriting worksheet and practice a lot. Some restaurants just give you paper and pen to write down your orders. You can show off by writing your order in Thai. It's nice to know how to pronouce the names correctly in Thai too. Saying Thai words in a different accent can confuse Thai people.
One time, I went to an exchange program in Japan. Everyone was so adorable they wanted to tell me that they love Kaprao but all I heard was they loved กระเป๋า which means bags. I was like ohh you guys like bags. That's cool. Then, I got more confused that they said they love to eat กระเป๋า. You guys like to eat bags? Ok gurls I gotchu. We listen and we don't judge. Not until we walked past a Thai food to-go place at the train station, and my host family went "Ooh กระเป๋า I love กระเป๋า". That's when I knew that Japanese people do not eat bags.
| word | meaning | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ผัดไทย | Pad Thai | |
| กะเพรา | Kaprao | |
| ต้มยำ | Tom Yum | |
| แกงเขียวหวาน | Green Curry | |
| พะแนง | Panang | |
| ผัดขี้เมา | drunken stirfry | |
| หมูปิ้ง | Moo Ping (grilled pork) | |
| ไก่ย่าง | Grilled Chicken | |
| ส้มตำ | Papaya Salad | |
| ลาบ | Larb | |
| ไส้กรอกอีสาน | Isan Sausage | |
| ข้าวซอย | Kao Soi | |
| ไส้อั่ว | Sai Uo | |
| ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ | Boat Noodles | |
| ผัดซีอิ๊ว | Pad See Ew |