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Thai culture is vastly different from Western culture and so before setting foot in Thailand you should find out about the essential ‘do's' and ‘don't's'. Do Smile: Thailand is known as the land of smiles. Thais do not necessarily smile about something like we do in the west. They smile for a variety of other reasons too. To say hello or thank you, to make a request, to apologize, to smooth over bad feelings or to show embarrassment. Do show respect for the King: Thai people show great respect for their king and they expect visitors to do so too. The national anthem is played twice a day (typically at 8am and 6 pm) and also before every film at the cinema. Everyone is expected to stand whilst it is playing. You should never insult or joke about the king or royal family. Do show respect for their main religion, for the Buddha, and for monks. Shorts or tank tops should not be worn in a temple, and shoes should be removed before entering. It is considered very improper for women to touch a monk. Do not touch anyone on the head. The head is considered to be very sacred. Do not point your feet at anyone or anything. This includes closing and opening doors with our feet. Do not step over anyone instead walk around them. Another thing not commonly practiced in the West is that Thai people wash the top of the body clothes separately from the bottom half i.e. shirts and sweaters go in one wash and trousers, skirts and undergarments in another. This is because, as Buddhists, they believe the lower part of the body is unclean whilst the top part is sacred. This is part of their religion. A Buddhist Thai would also never take off or put on a skirt over their heads for the same reason. The same rule applies when hanging out the washing on the line. Clothes from the lower part of the body are not placed next to or higher than clothes worn on the top part of the body. The same rule applies to drying yourself after washing. If you take a shower you should not use the same towel for the whole body, the correct way is to use one for the upper part (the head) and another for the lower parts. A Symbol of Beauty is Whiteness A sunbathed skin is not appreciated by Thai people because it is the symbol of the peasant, the poor person often working in the fields or on the streets. If one has dark skin it means that he/she is working outside. Thais believe the paler you are, the higher you are in status. It is strange but true, as Westerners look forward to basking in the sun where as Thai people try to escape from it. With that reason, it is quite common to see a Thai person with an umbrella when the sun is shining. Thai culture however, is changing with time because of the contact with Western civilization. Although most Thais stick to their own culture, some are influenced by what they see on television and from tourists. It is therefore not uncommon to be greeted with a handshake rather than a 'wai' in the main cities and towns.
Population growth rate:0.87% (2005 est.) Birth rate:15.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) Death rate:7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate:total: 20.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) Life expectancy at birth:total population: 71.57 years male: 69.39 years female: 73.88 years (2005 est.) Total fertility rate:1.88 children born/woman (2005 est.) Nationality:noun: Thai (singular and plural) adjective: Thai Ethnic groups:Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Religions:Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census) Languages:Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 94.9% female: 90.5% (2002)
Western cuisine had the greatest influence on Thai cuisine from the reigns of King Rama V onwards. Thailand 's monarchs were educated in Europe and brought back with them western culture and western taste in food. From time to time we see this influence on the menu of some old style restaurants that serve Thai food but there are also stews available on their menu. Thais especially love beef tongue stew and this is definitely a left over influence from the western cuisine in the last 100 years. Characteristics of Thai Food Based on RegionIn the central region of Thailand food is hot, salty, sweet and sour. Rice is served with different types of nam phrik and soups e.g. tom yam kung (prawn soup with lemon grass). Dishes usually contain a lot of condiments and spices. In the North, food is mild or hot, salty and sour, but never sweet. Sticky rice is served with boiled vegetables, nam phrik oong and soups or curries. The North is also well-known for its sausage called "naem" which consists of fermented minced pork. It has a sour flavour and is sold wrapped in cellophane and banana leaf. Food in the Northeast is hot, salty and sour. Their favorite foods include papaya salad (som tam), sour chopped meat salad "koi" , sour minced meat salad (larp). People use a lot of condiments but no many spices. Their meals generally consists of sticky rice and nam phrik pla raa accompanied by a lot of vegetables including those found growing wild. On the other hand, food in the South is renowned for being very hot, salty and sour tasting. Curries are popular and made with a lot of spices and condiments. Khao yam (a mixture of rice) raw vegetables and fermented fish sauce or boo doo is also a common dish. Generally southern people eat little meat and other varieties of nam phrik are not so popular, the most common one is nam phrik kapi. Though the major portion of Thai food is described as being spiced and chilli hot, it currently enjoys worldwide popularity especially the exotic Tom Yam Kung, a uniquely piquant prawn soup that is renowed for its simplicity, creativity, artistic flair and delicious taste. Above all, the tastes of Thai cuisines can be amended to suit individual desire, for example, by reducing the amounts of lime juice to increase sourness. Visitors who have tried the exotic Thai food will never forget to order them again whenever their favorite dishes are available. Since rice is the staple food in Thailand , it is usually eaten at every meal with soups, curries, fried vegetables and nam phrik. Nam phrik is a hot sauce prepared in a variety of ways. Nam phrik pla pon is a ground dried fish and chilli sauce, nam phrik pla raa is fermented fish and chilli sauce, nam phrik kapi is a shrimp paste and chilli sauce, nam phrik oong is a minced pork, tomato and chilli sauce. In general, the basic ingredients of nam phrik include shrimp paste, garlic, chilli, fermented fish sauce and lemon juice. Typical Thai Food PreparationOne typical method of cooking is grilling. This method derived from the fact that Thailand is abundant in the supply of natural wood that can be applied to set the fire and cook food. Thai people normally grill meats and fresh seafood and eat them with dips (locally called as 'Nam Phrik'), which has sweet-and-sour flavors so that they become tastier. Another popular Thai cooking method is 'Yam' basically a kind of salad. But Thai-style salad is different from the western because the Thai dressing contains no fat in its ingredients, unlike mayonnaise and different types of Ranch that are high in calorie and fat. In cooking a dish of Thai salad, simply add a portion of salty seasoning such as fish sauce of salt, lemon juice, chili, and sometimes, garlic and shallot, and mix them together. Then, you can make several dishes of Thai salad be they shrimp salad, pork salad, papaya salad, beef salad and so on depending on a person's creative ideas. Therefore, some can find a dish of 'yam' very delightful while its herb and spice ingredients are good for health as well. Boiling is another typical way of Thai food preparation. They also use clay pots to cook rice and make variety of soups. The famous 'Tom Yam Goong' also originated from boiling technique. Curries were also developed in the olden days as well but the present-day curries are much different from they were previously because ancient Thais did not use coconut milk in those spicy soups. Different kinds of food in ThailandSaladsThai salads, called yam, are sour, sweet and salty. A simple dressing works equally well for meat, seafood, vegetable and fruit salads. This is made from fish sauce, lime juice and a dash of sugar. The heat comes from fiery little bird chilies, but just how hot a salad should be depends on the texture and flavor of the meat, vegetable or fruit used. Fresh herbs such as marsh mint, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and cilantro are usually used as garnish. SoupsThai soups generally are very flavorful. Meat or vegetable is cooked in broth or coconut cream with a “soup base,” usually a blend of spices and herbs, which gives the soup its flavor. A soup is served not at first course but together with other dishes. This way you can wash down the fiery heat of the more spicy dishes with it. CurriesThe heart of all Thai curries is the curry pastes, which, unlike Indian curry, are made from fresh herbs and spices. The paste is cooked in coconut cream before meat or vegetable is added. Main ingredients in most curries are chili, garlic, shallot, galangal, coriander root and krachai (a small brownish orange, indigenous root. Canned curry pastes are available at markets and grocery stores, but freshly-made pastes make more delicious curries. DessertsIdeal for washing down the spices, Thai desserts are sweet but not intensely so. Banana or flour dumplings in sweetened coconut cream and season fruit in sugar syrup topped with crushed ice are some of the easy-to-make favorites. Thais also eat a lot of candied fruit-banana and breadfruit being two of the most popular--alone or topped with coconut cream. It should be known that when Thais meet, the first thing they greet each other with is "where are you going?" and the next question is "have you already eaten?" Thais have a palate to experiment with food. They love food
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