Whenever Americans think of oriental cuisine it seems they automatically visualize Chinese food, but the Orient has many other cultures each with their own distinctive styles of cooking. Of course it is only natural for people to automatically equate Chinese food as synonymous with oriental cuisine since it has been the dominant type of oriental cooking readily available to Americans ever since the first Chinese immigrants started to arrive in droves on the west coast in the 1800's. There is much more depth and variety to oriental food than just the Chinese food that we are familiar with, however. One of my personal favorites is Thai food, and in particular, a dish called phad Thai. Phad Thai is a traditional Thai dish that exemplifies Thailand's resilient culture and the distinctive style of cooking which is inherent to their people.

In order to gain an understanding of Thai cuisine, it is necessary to first have a rudimentary understanding of the strong cultural identity that inspired their unique style of cooking. Geographically Thailand is wedged between two cultural powerhouses, China, and India. These two countries managed to have a large impact on Thai society,

Phad Thai is a favorite among the Thai people, and there are almost as many variations on the dish as there are people who know how to make it, but despite subtle changes from one recipe to another it still has the same basic ingredients in it. The staple ingredients of Phad Thai are rice noodles, fish sauce (nam pla), and egg. These ingredients are the backbone of the dish, and without these ingredients the dish would not be phad Thai. At this point the diversity of the recipes for the dish manifests itself, and the ingredients can vary from person to person, but the result is almost always the same, an extremely tasty dish from innocuous ingredients. Some of the other things commonly used in the recipe include, but are not limited to: chili powder, chili sauce, curry, bean sprouts, tofu, lime, basil, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, peanut oil, peanut butter, scallions, lemon grass, and a meat such as shrimp, or chicken. These ingredients are then combined in a wok, and through some synergistic magic become one homogenously flavored dish that is tastier by far than the sum of its parts. This delicate, and unique dish is just one of many incredible dishes that Thai cuisine has to offer, but it is a favorite among Thai people for a reason; it is one of the tastiest dishes that a cuisine laden with sumptuous flavors has to offer.

Thai cuisine has

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