thai food... you complete me

It appears my blog has been somewhat cynical as of late. Mixed in there's a wee bit of wit and my brand of humor but definitely bordering (okay, way over) the line of dripping with sarcasm. So I thought I would write about something which I am completely genuine about-- food. Specifically, Thai food.
My love for this ethnic food is... perhaps indescribable. If I had to eat one meal every day for the rest of my life (other than Saltines) it would be yellow curry for the entree and mangoes and sticky rice for dessert. If you haven't experienced Thai food, whoa! You are missing out and need to rectify that sore grievance pronto! Thai food has this quality of spiciness and sweetness. And, *Bonus*, not only that it’s high percentage of vegetables used and coconut milk means it is, in fact, somewhat beneficially healthy as well as delectable in your mouth and tummy.

CuRRY

Curry is my favorite. Wherever I go I must order curry, or at least ensure someone else will (since we usually eat the dishes family style). My frequent-Thai-eating friends know me well in that I always always order yellow curry. Always. There are 3 "colors" of curry: yellow, green, and red. Yellow is the bomb.com and more on the sweet mellow side. I really can't get enough of it-- it always tastes perfect to me. Green is spicy and very flavorful, typically with lots of bell peppers (it's my second favorite). Red... I'm not a huge fan but it can be good. To me it just seems spicy and not very flavorful. There are endless combinations and types of curries: pineapple, masaman (its base is peanuts, giving a nutty quality to the taste), panang, and many others. Curry is best with chicken as the meat, in my opinion, because it doesn't overpower the flavor but adds protein.

oN The MeNu
There are many stir-fry type dishes when viewing a Thai menu. Some restaurants have close to 25! Vegetables are a huge part of every Thai dish. The sauces have a wide range and rarely disappoint. Noodles are another part of Thai food dishes. I do like pad-thai but, don't hate me, I am not a gigantic fan of pat-si-ew. The taste is wonderful… but the texture of the wide-egg noodles gets to me, quickly.

JaSMiNe

Another factor in the amazing-ness of Thai food is the prominence of jasmine rice with nearly every dish. I use to think “rice is rice”. Oh no. It is not. Compared to Rice-a-Roni or minute-rice, Jasmine slaughters them all. Only if you’ve truly experienced the subtle hint of sweetness can you fathom the incredibleness. Ah. Just thinking about it makes me happy. I could eat the rice plain.

DeSSeRT
Perhaps the best part of Thai food is the dessert. Oh. My. Heavens.
1. Mangoes and Sticky Rice: a sweet juicy ripe mango is cut in slices, served atop sweetened specially cooked rice (I think they combine sweet and condensed milk with coconut over the rice). There is always room for this dessert in my belly.

2. Coconut Ice Cream: creamy coconut milk is incorporated into pure ice cream, topped with slivers of real coconut and raspberries. Divine!

3. Roadies: crepe-like pancake tortilla thing drizzled with sweet and condensed milk or nutella. Gloria!

The other thing about Thai food is that I never get sick of it. Ever. My brother went to Thailand for medical school research and upon his return not only got me hooked on Thai food but taught me how to make a few dishes. One week during the summer I went a little crazy and had a curry binge, making and eating it 5 times within 7 days.
Also, I don’t get full. After a bowl of spaghetti or an enchilada I’m good. But Thai food I can shovel down like there’s no tomorrow, and still want more. I’ve mastered a smidgen of self-control over time and can tell when I should stop before my stomach explodes, but it is not an easy task.

To close I have recommendations of Thai places to try:
1. Spicy Thai. Provo, UT (on University Ave. up north by Magelby’s, before you hit Riverwoods). My brother and I went there earlier this week and it’s the best! Seriously. The curry was ah-mazing—spicy, good consistency, and well priced. They have lunch specials but dinner isn’t bad. For a bowl of curry and rice it was around $8.00. The mangoes and sticky rice was divine. The best I have ever had. Mmmm.
2. Thai Ruby. Provo, UT (south east of BYU campus). The great thing about this place is it’s within walking distance of my apartment. The food is good and atmosphere is seemingly authentic and cool. Unfortunately it is a little pricier, with dishes being around $11 or $12.
3. Simply Thai. Sandy, UT (by Seagull Book and Tape, off 10600 South exit). The owner of this place is adorable. She is the mother of one of my brother’s medical school friends so she loves when my family comes in. The curry is thicker but delicious, and you get a WHOLE lot for around $13. It isn’t as spicy as other Thai places I’ve tried and is slightly “Americanized” with sugar. This is where they have the coconut ice cream that makes you want to die and go to heaven. Or at least take another bite.