The lush green foliage of Thailand soon attracts the visitors. If you live in an urban high-rise building city, grass is probably the turf of lawns you can’t afford. In my case I was extremely happy when I had time to walk down the road and lay down on the park’s grass.
Grass is a popular dish in Thailand
Living in Thailand has shown me that grass is more than the green stuff beneath my
feet. Most of the appeal of Thai food comes from a mix of carefully selected herbs,
roots, leaves, and seeds- yes they all come from grass, that can be found literally at
every corner. A typical Thai meal consists of different dishes, which may include soup, salad, stirfry, curry, and dipping sauces. Steaming white rice is always on the table. Many of these dishes, if not all fill your nose with the tantalizing odors and your eyes with the
appealing colors, thanks to the way Thais use grass in preparen them.
The story behind it: Thailand is located at a crossroads of Asia. For centuries Chinese,
Laotians, Cambodians, Indonesians, Europeans, and others traveled through Thailand, and many of them took up living there. These people brought the foods of their homelands with them, and the tastes and aromas of all those different victuals have
remained in Thailand. Sometime in the distant past, Indian travelers showed the
Thai people how to use herbs combined with curry when cooking. In the 16th century,
the Portuguese brought mediterranean herbs ,chilies and perhaps tomatoes.
Today, the cuisine of Thailand is very extensive, but most Thai meals have a delicate balance and emphasis on the five fundamental taste senses: sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy. Much of the balance is achieved by Thai’s liberal use of herbs and spices. What about medicine? In the northern regions Thais prefer a doctor of traditional Thai medicine. It is only a matter of preference , since each town in Thailand count with a efficient clinic or hospital. Still is common that when a member of the family is ill it happens the following: a friend of the family knows a doctor, who owns and operates an herb shop around the corner. They strongly believe that the doctor can concoct an herbal tea that will cure what ails him. Many foreigners avoid this type of treatment because they fear Thailand standards regulating either herbs or practitioners of traditional Thai medicine are too little or are not enough. Grass covers and adorns much of Thailand. And what a beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing sight is a green meadow or a well-kept lawn!
Keeping its versatility in mind, I am not surprised to learn that for Thais a house without green – si kiao, is not a house.
