Thread: Thais and potatoes

Why do Thais not like the humble potato?

I know it sounds like a TVF question, but c'mon....give the spud a break.

Even the Indians in Asia put them in a curry.

Does it help if you can count to potato?

Well, they use taro and kumara as a dessert food, so these starchy root crops may just be in the wrong headspace for them to consider eating spuds as a staple alongside their boiled fish.
My wife enjoys a boiled spud, but on it's own as a snack, not with a meal. When I add them to an Indian style curry, she picks them out.
Mind you, a proper Thai massaman curry has potatoes.

I don't know where you get that Thais don't like potatoes. I don't see that. Potatoes are on sale everywhere where I live. Thais put it in their curries etc.

^Yep, the Massaman curry is the only Thai dish containing spuds that I can think of.
Thais seem to relate the potato to obesity, despite gobbling tons of sugar and starched white rice..

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

I don't know where you get that Thais don't like potatoes. I don't see that. Potatoes are on sale everywhere where I live. Thais put it in their curries etc.

also the kids/teens that eat at KFC love chips/mash yet most of the supermarkets that sell spuds are all sprouting within 2-3 days.tesco lotus near the mall in korat seem to have got their act together,this past 2-3months selling royal project ones,but for good chips they got to have double frying,also Tesco own brand of European crinkle cut are not bad,good taste,better if you got beef dripping,i use CORN OIL.

Originally Posted by headhunter

better if you got beef dripping

Deep fry yer steaks, and there ya go, beef oil.

Originally Posted by headhunter

royal project ones,but for good chips they got to have double frying

Try boiling them as chips and then leaving them to go cold before frying. Works for me.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Try boiling them as chips and then leaving them to go cold before frying. Works for me.

Not sure which market spuds they were, but wifey somehow knew to lightly boil and leave for later chips and baking in jacket, excellent results. Also works with the better quality spuds (Royal?) at Makro when available.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Why do Thais not like the humble potato?

Probably because they are too filling to eat 10 times a day

Originally Posted by Dillinger

Probably because they are too filling to eat 10 times a day

Only 10 times?

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Try boiling them as chips and then leaving them to go cold before frying. Works for me.

never even thought about boiling spuds first,cause that's what I do every sunday before I roast them.

Originally Posted by headhunter

never even thought about boiling spuds first,cause that's what I do every sunday before I roast them.

Mynahs are really Picky HH, the only like their chips if they've been par boiled first, word to the wise.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

I don't know where you get that Thais don't like potatoes. I don't see that. Potatoes are on sale everywhere where I live. Thais put it in their curries etc.

Never really thought about it, but the only Thai dish I can think of with potato is massaman. Its funny because even the little van that goes around each morning has them, but cannot for the life of me think why now.......

In defence, they have adopted introduced hard squashes/pumkins/gourds into their cuisine for some time now......
Kind of a distant relative to the humble tuber.

I see sweet potatoes in Thai markets a lot these days.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Why do Thais not like the humble potato?

it's a key ingredient in massaman curry, french fries/chips and potato chips/crisps are sold in nearly every restaurant or shop, and then there's the mashed potatoes included with practically every meal at KFC.

^ My Missus eats none of that. She did say if her family come across spuds as a gift say; they bbq it and eat it with coconut milk

Originally Posted by Dillinger

My Missus eats none of that.

thanks for sharing.

presumably like the knuckleheaded OP, you seem to think that the tastes of the thais you know are representative of the 70 million thais that purchase billions of baht worth of potatoes every year.

in 2017, 11 billion baht was spent on potato chips/crisps alone. yeah, that's billion with a 'b'.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business...in-lays-snacks

Originally Posted by raycarey

it's a key ingredient in massaman curry, french fries/chips and potato chips/crisps are sold in nearly every restaurant or shop, and then there's the mashed potatoes included with practically every meal at KFC.

Ahmen Reachy, where would the tattie in Thailand be without good old uncle Sam

Originally Posted by NamPikToot

good old uncle Sam

Now, now go easy on me uncle. Was all the fault of the Orish. 1.5 million came to US to find unblighted spuds to eat and export back to UK. Fish over there was ok but ye can have fish without chips.

oh dear.

Originally Posted by raycarey

thanks for sharing.

presumably like the knuckleheaded OP, you seem to think that the tastes of the thais you know are representative of the 70 million thais that purchase billions of baht worth of potatoes every year.

in 2017, 11 billion baht was spent on potato chips/crisps alone. yeah, that's billion with a 'b'.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business...in-lays-snacks

When was the last time you saw a Thai eating a potato?

Don't include heavily salted crisps or KFC french fries in your answer.

I'm betting you spend a lot of time in KFC eating that good ole finger licking southern fried chicken and observing Thais eating potatoes.

Originally Posted by raycarey

thanks for sharing.

presumably like the knuckleheaded OP, you seem to think that the tastes of the thais you know are representative of the 70 million thais

Fairly much, yes. I don't see many chip shops around here..Go and research how much rice is bought here and contrast that to potatoes or how much a country of the same population- the UK spends on both if you're

You'll be telling us you don't like chicken next.

Thats chicken with a KFC

Originally Posted by raycarey

oh dear.

Come on Ray, take it like a lady. Funny how you dish it out but don't like it back.

Originally Posted by raycarey

oh dear.

I could be petty and post up the one you sent me first, but that would be stooping to your level.

Go start a thread of your own Reachy....