Reuters had an enlightening article today about how in Thailand, authentic Thai food is endangered because of “changing tastes wrought by globalization.” And most lamentably “culinary shortcuts (that) have ended up changing Thai flavors, and placing some dishes in danger of extinction altogether.”
The story goes on to say that “Convenience and cost are two reasons why Thai food is changing, spurring many locals to bemoan what they think of as the death of their renowned local cuisine.”
“They say the balance of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and spicy flavors meant to underpin Thai dishes has been replaced by something saltier and a lot sweeter than it should be”.
So there you go: A glimpse into a future where all foods are Taco Bell (yes, that's from Demolition Man, the only watchable movie Stallone ever made after Rocky and Rambo).
Not that South Park has anything to do with this trend, but the title of the article “Mee Krob Anyone?” also reminded me of Cartman's out-of-the-blue and hilarious monologue on the sticky sweet Thai noodle appetizer. Enjoy it below!
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.