I am excited to introduce you to “The Thai-In,” a web series focused on travel, food, people, and how Thai food and culture tie-in to all of it. We will be exploring local foods and customs across the globe, while focusing on local eats and customs.
As a NYC born and raised Thai-American, the food and cultures of the world have always been in my back yard. Having a chef for a father provided me with the perfect guide to learning about people and the joys of gastronomy. We had sit down dinners for most of my life and it was at those dinners where I learned that the true essence of food and dining is about people and sharing wonderful experiences with them. It became an addiction. All I wanted to do was travel, meet people, and eat. If there is one thing I have learned from all my travels, it is not to follow food and trends. Follow people, for they will lead you to great food. You will never go wrong following people as they are the greatest sources for new experiences. This is the very essence of the The Thai-In. I want to share my great experiences with all of you as I travel and eat my way through city by city, continent by continent, bite by bite, one meal and one conversation at a time.
Our first adventure takes us to Philly. Along with Chef Chuck Valla, Thaithentic chef and master of Northern Thai cuisine, we explore just a little bit of what this very American city has to offer. Philadelphia has always held a special place in my heart as fellow sports rival town, but never would I have imagined what kind of bustling food scene existed here. The food talent in this town rivals that of NYC, without much of the trendy tax factored into your food. It’s impossible to find the best of anything as Philly is city of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood usually being the favorite spot of those living there. When we tried to explore different neighborhoods, we found something startling. Not only was the food delicious in every neighborhood, they could be as different and varied as two different cities. Here are a few of the places that we covered in this episode:
Federal Donuts
www.federaldonuts.com
Philip’s Steaks
2234 W Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19145
Taproom on 19th
www.taproomon19th.com
Nick’s Old Original Roast Beef Restaurant
www.nicksroastbeef.com
American Sardine Bar | Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant …
www.americansardinebar.com
John’s Roast Pork
www.johnsroastpork.com
The Dandelion
thedandelionpub.com
Village Whiskey
philadelphia.villagewhiskey.com
Little Pete’s
219 S 17th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House 美味兰州手拉面 …
nanzhounoodlehouse.com
Reading Terminal Market
www.readingterminalmarket.org
You really can’t really talk about food in Philly without mentioning Philly cheesesteaks as Philly is a very sandwich centric town. However, we found something even more local and has it roots right in Pennsylvania Dutch country. We’re talking about scrapple. Scrapple is made from the unused leftovers of pork grinded into gelatinous form, then breaded and fried. Scrapple was created with the idea that the entire animal should be used in butchery so that no food would be wasted. This way of thinking is very much in line with much of Thai culinary thinking so Chef Chuck concocted a unique creation. Behold, Thai Scrapple! Using only pork meat, pork liver, garlic, rice, and roasted rice power, Chef Chuck creates a uniquely Thai version of the Pennsylvania classic.
The adventure continues each month and we hope you will enjoy these videos as much as we love making them. Let us know where you’d like us to go next on The Thai-In!
Sawadeekrup!
