Discover the Tasty Thai Food, Cuisine and Cooking

Thai cuisine is a very popular cuisine known all over the world. Apparently influenced by Chinese and Indian cooking, Thai cuisine is a mixture of the best and the most delicious dishes. Thais have a certain unique way of presenting their dishes with beautiful food arrangements. Thai foods are great not only for its taste but also with its attractive looks.

Rice is the staple food of the Thais. It is served, or boiled. The typical Thai meal consists of a large platter with different food dishes, together with the rice. Thai cuisine is a mixture of vegetables, fish, and other meat with lots of spices such as, chili, garlic, lemongrass, coconut milk, tamarind, ginger, basil, peanuts and many others. Thai food is frequently hot and spicy. One of the famous Thai dishes is Tom Yum Kung, which is a spicy soup with shrimp and the Pad -Thai; a kind of noodle fried mixed with meat and vegetable.

Thai cuisine also has a large variety of desserts and snacks dishes. Thai desserts are mainly made with sugar, egg, and coconut milk. The Kanom Buang, is a batter folded over and filled with scraped coconut meat, added with egg yolk and green onion; a well known dessert dish in Thailand.

Visitors can enjoy Thai desserts in all restaurants and even along the sidewalks. Thailand also abounds with lots of tropical fruits. A variety of different kinds of fruits can be seen throughout the year. Well known Thai fruits are the durian, rambutant, mangosteen, mangoes, banana, papaya and lots more.

Most of Thai dishes are tastes salty, sweet, and a little spicy. But even so, the spiciness of the food is just smooth, where in people wouldn't have difficulty trying it. Thais use a variety of spices for their cooking which made their cuisine famous. Thai cuisines are being cooked around the world. Cooking schools consider Thai cuisine as one of their major dishes. Thai foods consist of large amount of sea foods and vegetables.

Thai cuisine is mostly liked be the Chinese because it almost tastes like Chinese cuisines. People from around the world also love to try Thai meals and other foreigners even consider it their favorite.

Thailand is a country full of wonderful things. Starting from the country itself, to its native cuisines will surely reveal why this country is so loved, both local and even abroad.

A Brief Description of Thailand Food and Thailand Culture

Thailand food
It is beyond any doubt that food is a part of any gathering, thus, becoming the part of social occasions or itself the reason to celebrate. Normally, as per the western culture, a normal meal in any restaurant consists of starter, main course and then dessert. But in Thailand, the custom is a bit different with regard to Thailand food, as there is no single dish for a single person. As a general, all present in a gathering share the same dish together. So, it's better to have many guests together around the table than to enjoy with one or two as eating alone is considered a bad luck in the country.

One of the good things about Thai food is that they never dispose away the leftover food, as they consider it inauspicious and an enraging act to a female deity, 'God of rice'. Generally there are four seasonings in Thailand food- sweet, sour, salty and spicy. The food is satisfied only if it contains all the four tastes. Thai dinner mostly include meat, fish, noodles, vegetables and soup followed by desserts including fresh fruits and colorful rice cakes. Besides meals, there are snackers consisting of chicken or beef satay, spring rolls, salads, raw vegetable with spicy dips and sweets.

Thailand culture
Thailand culture is highly influenced by Buddhism in addition to some influence of Hinduism and other Southeast Asian neighbor. Thai art is the main item included in Thai Culture. Buddha image is the main constituent in different period having distinctive styles. At present, there is a fusion of traditional art with modern techniques. India has also laid much influence on Thailand literature. It includes the most notable work, Ramakien, the version of Indian epic, Ramayana. The poetry of Sunthorn Phu is also quite famous in Thailand.

Spoken drama is not given any importance in Thailand, but instead there is Thai dance, divided into three categories- Lakhon, Likay and Khon. A form of shadow pay, Nang Drama, is popular among southern Thailand. Folk music and classical music both are have their significance in addition to pop music.

Apart from it, one of the common customs included in Thailand is Wai, a common gesture that is similar to Indian Namaste. The hospitable and generous people of Thailand pay a lot of respect and homage to their elders, as it is the core of their faith and spiritual belief. Seeking blessings from the elders is considered important mark of respect.

Greatest Super Bowl Commercials

For people who aren't sports fans, the Super Bowl isn't about winning or losing. It's not about which player is named MVP or which team hoists the Lombardi trophy overhead at the fourth quarter's end. It's not about which coach is submerged in a Gatorade bath. It's about one thing, and one thing only: the commercials. Without the commercials, the TV airing the Super Bowl may as well be turned off, or worse, turned to Lifetime.

Super Bowl commercials are expensive to air; a thirty second spot in last year's game cost 2.5 million. This makes them great: advertisers don't want to waste their money so they burn more midnight oil, flow more creative juices, and order much more Thai food for those office all-nighters. Some of these advertisers succeed with brilliant commercials, others leave us scratching our heads and asking, "Seriously?" The good, the bad, and the ugly all find a way into our television sets on Super Bowl Sunday. The following is a list of five of the best commercials generated over the years.

Apple "1984": A commercial that aired in, well, 1984, this Apple commercial is still revered as one of the greatest of all time. A parody of George Orwell's novel about a man living in a world marked by totalitarianism, this ad was directed by Ridley Scott of "Blade Runner" fame. IBM plays the roll of "Big Brother" - a euphemism used for "dictatorship" in Orwell's novel - and is featured in the commercial as a giant TV screen that rattles on to an audience of emotionless drones. Out of nowhere, a hip-looking woman enters the room and throws the new Macintosh into the screen, shattering it in the process. The voiceover says, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh and you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."

McDonald's "Showdown": In 1993, this commercial featured a game of "call your shot Horse" between two of basketball's greats: Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. The winner won none other than a Big Mac. Each shot was followed by an even more spectacular shot and preceded by the catch phrase, "nothing but net." As the players dueled, hitting shots off the rafters, and off of floors, it became clear that no winner was going to be decided. The commercial ends with Jordan and Bird sitting outside on top of a building as Jordan tells Bird, "Off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall, nothing but net."

Budweiser "Clydesdales Play Ball": In 1996, this commercial proved that Clydesdales, despite popular belief, can actually play football. During a snowy pick-up game, two men look on as one team of Clydesdales scores a field goal against another. In 2004, Budweiser updated the ad to parody the video replay of the NFL. This ad featured the game's referee, a zebra, reviewing a play under the ref tent.

Nissan Maxima "Pigeon": America loves ads with talking pigeons, especially when those pigeons sound like Cliff Clavin from "Cheers." In this 1997 ad, three pigeons see a new Maxima emerge from a carwash. They immediately sense it is their duty to, well, doodie on the car windshields. As the theme to "Top Gun" plays in the background, two pigeons miss their target and leave it to their leader, the Cliff Clavin-esqe bird, to fly down onto the Maxima. Despite his confidence, he only ends up colliding head first with a closing garage door.

Budweiser "Cedric": In keeping with the theory that Budweiser generally has some of the best Super Bowl commercials, 2001 was a year where they didn't disappoint. This commercial is simple enough: Cedric the Entertainer is seen romancing a good looking women. He goes to the refrigerator to get two Bud Lights and proceeds to do a "happy dance," demonstrating his elation and unknowingly shaking up the bottles in the process. His date quickly comes to an unwelcome end when Cedric opens up the Bud Light, only to have it explode all over his highly annoyed date.

Tips When You Are Shopping For Baby Strollers

Is shopping for baby strollers proving to be too overwhelming? Do you dread the idea of walking into a baby store like Toys R Us and having to deal with insistent salespeople? Many new parents can feel overwhelmed by the sheer range of baby equipment available. You get so many different opinions on so many different items from so many different places; it is hard to know who to trust. Thankfully there are plenty of tips available to help you make your decision about buying your baby's stroller with confidence. The tips and hints below are designed to make shopping for your baby items more enjoyable and less frustrating.

Get good help

The first step is to read reviews from credible sources. There are all sorts of independent reviewers out there who make it a goal to give parents good and unbiased information about baby and early childhood products.Read up on each of the strollers that you are thinking of buying and find out what baby experts have to say about them. You will often be able to find strollers and strollers rated by just the criteria that you use for shopping: your comfort, your baby's comfort, safety and ease of use. Parents are passionate when it comes to giving reviews for the products that they buy for their children, if you find a bunch of positive reviews given by parents then this is definitely a stroller worth considering.

Think about when you are going to store it

Do you need a lot of space? If doesn't cross a lot of parent's minds that baby strollers usually begin collecting various things as soon as they go somewhere. Strollers that have extra space for things like diaper bags and other things are a good idea. Pushing a stroller around while toting around a bunch of bags isn't fun. This is an even bigger issue if you have more than one child in the stroller. You will need a special multi-child stroller if this is the case!

Find the right size for you

Is the stroller the appropriate weight? So, how is the weight of a stroller important to your buying decision? You need a stroller of adequate weight but not to heavy. At times, babies can stir around, kick, shift, and move a lot, causing a stroller to tip over, a heavier stroller will prevent this from happening. However, you need to keep in mind that you are the one pushing and carrying the stroller up and down stairs; so, you need one light enough for you to handle. If the baby stroller is too heavy you might not ever want to use it and that defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place.

It can be a complicated experience when choosing a baby stroller.Your head may start spinning when you realize just how many features and options that exist. The good news is that with a little research you should be able to make an informed decision and not break your bank. Good luck!

Thai Recipes And Cuisine

Thai food offers many delicious dishes flavored with spices, lemon-grass or coconut - although different regions of Thailand, each tend to have their own preferred ingredients - for example, coconut milk and tumeric in the South, and lime juice in the Northeast. No matter what part of the country a dish is from, all Thai dishes or meals aim to achieve a balance between fundamental flavors common to the cuisine: spicy hot, sour, sweet and salty, as well as optionally bitter.

Rice forms an important and fundamental part of Thai food, and jasmine rice (which is native to Thailand) is used in many dishes as well as being served plain. Some other popular Thai dishes include:

- Pad Thai - Fried rice noodles with fish sauce, sugar, lime or tamarind, peanuts and egg, mixed with chicken, tofu or seafood.

- Pad see ew - noodles stir-fried with thinly sliced pork or chicken, and flavored with fish sauce.

- Green curry - A curry flavored with coconut, green chillies, and Thai basil, containing vegetables and chicken or fish.

- Red curry - A very hot curry made with plenty of red chillies.

- Yellow curry - A curry that is colored using fresh tumeric (hence its yellow color), and also containing black mustard seeds, cumin, nutmeg, brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, coconut milk and fish sauce.

- Gai pad khing - Fried chicken with vegetables and sliced ginger.

- Tom yam - A hot and sour soup made with seafood (often shrimp) or chicken.

- Som tam - Grated papaya salad. There are several variations: the salad can be served with salted black crab, with peanuts, shrimps and palm sugar, or with salted fish, eggplant, and long beans.

- Satay - Originally from Indonesia, Satay has also become a popular dish in Thailand. Satay is grilled meat (usually chicken or pork), usually on skewers, served with cucumber salad and a peanut sauce.

Cooking Indian Food

Many people love to experiment with different foods from different cultures and ethnicities. Some people love to go out for dinner and experiment with foods they've never had before. Other people like to reproduce their favorite dishes at home. Experimenting with cooking from other regions and cultures can be an exciting and fun process. Many cuisines have subtle differences from region to region. Or sometimes the ethnic cuisines are based strictly on different geographic areas.

Some of the most popular cuisines are Mexican, Italian, French, Greek and Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines. While many people feel comfortable experimenting with Mexican, Italian, or Chinese, few people feel comfortable experimenting with Indian food. Nor do they understand the subtle differences in Indian regional cuisine. Indian cooking is as complex and diverse as India's geography, climate, religion, and culture. The variety of dishes is extensive: from warm tandoori dishes with meat of Northern India, to the, saucy Southern mostly vegetarian dals (legume-based dishes), you'll find incredible diversity and great taste.

Some of the regional differences to Indian cooking are as follows: Northern India: This region of India offers the some of the more familiar mix Indian dishes, including the popular tandoori-style of cooking. This region offers the dishes that are found in most Indian restaurants of the West, such as koftas (spicy meatballs), kormas (meats braised in creamy sauces with yogurts and fruits), and the delicious chewy, leavened bread, naan. The blend of spices used to flavor these dishes is Garam masala, more warming than fiery. You may also add Basmati rice for a regional flare, but breads are the primary starch in this wheat-growing region.Southern India: Some people think of Indian food as extremely spicy. Southern Indian cuisine is probably the cuisine most people think of, the spicy dishes such as vindaloo, a dish that relies legumes, including lentils and chickpeas. For the most part, the dishes from Southern India are primarily vegetarian, but you can certainly adapt the recipe to include meat for celebrations and special occasions. Rice is an essential ingredient in these dishes, especially the fragrant jasmine variety which is used in almost every dish during a meal, even dessert!

Eastern India: The region is most known for Darjeeling tea. In addition to tea, this hot, humid region near the Bay of Bengal cultivates rice, as many as 50 different varieties. Coconuts and bananas are popular ingredients in the cuisine of this area; in fact, coconut milk is often used as a substitute for cow or goat's milk.Western India: This region of India incorporates a great deal of dairy products in their dishes: including yogurt, buttermilk, cow's milk, and goat's milk. Along the coastline of the Arabian Sea, you'll find a popular dish referred to as "Bombay Duck," which, despite its name actually refers to a small, transparent fish. Pickles are all an essential part of the meal from this region. India boasts a variety of cuisine that is as complex and unique as the country itself. There's no reason to be intimidated by Indian food, not all of it need be hot and spicy, and most can be adjusted for personal preferences. Check for recipes on-line at altcooking.om/indiancooking/ and altcooking.com/indiancookingrecipe/ for your favorite Indian region and get cooking.

Make Your Favorite Vegetarian Thai Recipes at Home

Eating out at Thai restaurants can be very difficult for vegetarians since so many Thai dishes are flavored with oyster sauce or fish sauce. Luckily, it's not too hard for you to make a handful of your favorite vegetarian Thai recipes yourself in your own home.

One very popular vegetarian Thai recipe that takes less than fifteen minutes to make on your own is Thai Spring Rolls. For this recipe, you need some spring roll wrappers, which are usually available in the fresh food section of your local grocery store. (If you cannot find them there, check your local Asian food store.) Mix together bean sprouts, chopped green cabbage and green onions, grated carrots, and some cooked thin rice noodles. If you want to make your spring rolls even more filling, you can add some pieces of scrambled eggs and grilled tofu. Flavor this mixture with some basil, mint, soy sauce, and lime juice. Soak the spring roll wrappers in cold water for ten to twenty seconds, or until you can bend them. Spoon some of the mixture into each spring roll wrapper and roll. Serve with some soy sauce to dip your Thai spring rolls.

Another choice when looking for vegetarian Thai recipes is tofu satay with peanut sauce and cucumber salad. Peanut sauce is something that can be bought from a grocery store; just make sure you read the ingredients to make sure that it's actually vegetarian. Cucumber salad, though, is something that you'll have to make yourself. Slice a seedless cucumber and a small red onion into thin pieces. Toss with rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt, and put in the refrigerator for around thirty minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. In the meantime, cut up tofu into bite size pieces and thread onto bamboo skewers that have been soaking in water for at least fifteen minutes. Brush the tofu with a mixture of soy sauce and chili paste to flavor it. (Use less chili paste if you don't like a lot of spice.) Grill the skewers and serve with the peanut sauce and cucumber salad.

A final choice when trying your hand at creating a variety of vegetarian Thai recipes is to make Pad Thai. While it looks like it would be hard to make, it's actually pretty easy. All you need to do is cook up some flat rice noodles and toss in a mixture of sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Add a bunch of vegetables (mushrooms, shredded carrots, bean sprouts), and some scrambled egg and cubed tofu, and stir-fry until the whole dish is warm. Sprinkle the whole dish with ground up peanuts, and you have a dish fit for a restaurant, but without any meat or meat-based sauces.

You can make similar substitutions in any Thai recipe to create your own at-home version of vegetarian Thai recipes. Anytime a recipe calls for meat, you can substitute with tofu. And, instead of using oyster sauce or fish sauce, you can mix up some soy sauce with some Thai chili paste to give yourself a similar flavor without any meat. With these easy recipes, you'll always be able to enjoy your favorite vegetarian Thai recipes without any concern about any meat getting mixed in.