Why Thai restaurants are everywhere
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- čas přidán 3. 01. 2024
- Because Thailand's government wanted there to be.
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Johnny Harris is an Emmy-winning independent journalist and contributor to the New York Times. Based in Washington, DC, Harris reports on interesting trends and stories domestically and around the globe, publishing to his audience of over 3.5 million on CZcams. Harris produced and hosted the twice Emmy-nominated series Borders for Vox Media. His visual style blends motion graphics with cinematic videography to create content that explains complex issues in relatable ways.
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Gastrodiplomacy is exactly what I do every day in my bathroom.
Sounds like a blast
Top comment 😂😂😂
😂😂
my King 👑🙏👏
😂😂😂
Fun fact, Pad Thai the dish was created as an answer to WWII and floods in the 1930s in order to minimize rice consumption. It has since become a national dish and is beloved world wide.
Similar story with instant Ramen. It was invented after ww2 when Japan couldn't farm because of nuclear fallout so they had to import wheat from the US as grain. Instant Ramen was the only thing close to Japanese that they could come up with that was based on Wheat as every other solution tasted horrible
Isn't pad Thai Noodle, rice noodle????
It may be a national dish. However try phad krapao instead. It's more common than pad Thai. I kinda hate to say it but phad Thai is something Thais don't eat often.
@@vanadium1603Japan did experience a nuclear fallout in ww2.
(Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have had one but not the entirety of Japan)
I had no idea this is really cool!!
This is the type of diplomacy I want to see in the world.
right?
Too bad it's coming from a military dictatorship of a country.
We have a McDonalds and Starbucks in every country.
Matpat did this a few years ago bruv
Britain would have been absolutely neglected lmao
America: spends billions on military might
Thailand: here is some delicious food
To be fair a big bowl of grits isn't going to get me to go to America.
Maybe the smokehouse BBQ, but that's about it.
Burgers are all around the world and a lot of american innovations
😂😂😂😂
Theres probably some serious connections between mcdonalds and some greasier politicians.
American chains are all over the world, many dominate local markets.
We spend Billions to prop up countries we trade with.
The shock of seeing a Thai place I know on the B-roll footage almost killed me lmao
He knows where you live
Same here
@@cursedcat6467👴🏻👉🏻⛓️👴🏿⛓️😵
That's how countries should spread their influence instead of wars 😢
I'm not mad about this. That mango rice dessert is crazy good.
Do you mean mango sticky rice?
It’s the absolute best
@@MurtadZ86they said they weren’t mad
Mango sticky rice is indeed heavenly
There are actually three base restaurant “styles” that Thai restaurant owners must choose from, ranging from casual to upscale. Everything from the menus down to the decor in the restaurant. The Thai government also routinely audits restaurants for adherence to the proper protocols, food quality etc. So if you ever wonder why Thai food is shockingly consistent at restaurants regardless of the city or country, that’s why!
You are absolutely correct. Many people don't know this.
Wow! That's really awesome. Global quality control. That's so cool.
Sounds like they’re just franchising a business as a country and using their citizens as employees
But what Johnny is saying is blatantly false. Thai restaurants have been loved and enjoyed in the United States (at least on the west coast) since the 1980’s and Phad Thai just so happens to be really good. Especially with peanut 🥜 sauce 😋
The Thai government isn’t behind this! The United States is a melting pot and we know good food when we try it.
@@howto1537 sorry, you’re wrong :) the Global Thai program is well documented and is a real thing. No one is saying Thai restaurants didn’t exist prior to the program, just that it increased the number by providing stimulus funds and startup logistics for new restaurants.
On behalf of my fellow Canadians thank you Thailand. Y'all literally the best chefs with the best food.
I agree with you
It worked. I love Thai food and want to go to Thailand!
Ya come it's good I don't regret moving here one bit.
Delicious 🤤
It's not actually that great, but it's ok. I lived there for a bit for work. Imho, there are much better cuisines from other countries, but everyone has different tastes.
Their snacks are definitely subpar.
But it's always nice to travel and experience things in other countries.
Welcome bruv eat lots of food before you left ok?
weird, id still go to Thailand for some other cheap things
This happened in Australia too starting around 2002 and I always wondered why! Every town and suburb used to have at least one token Chinese restaurant going all the way back to the early 80s, and then Thai (specifically serving up pad thai and roti) slowly started taking their place. Then Japan came knocking, then Malay & Korean, and now the barn door is wide open. Mystery solved!
He gave no evidence or sources. While
this did happen, it was picked up by major news outlets nearly a year ago, that’s the only reason he’s covering it. I was under the impression this guy cared about the content he made, but he’s just pumping out no-brain nonsense like almost every other creator today
@@geese5170 what an odd take
@@vanilla-plus he’s an independent journalist. I had to independently research to find if what he said in the video is even true or not. He’s failing at his job, or lending too much to the imagination as a journalist
@@geese5170 it's a CZcams short, you're not supposed to get peer reviewed white papers.
It's very smart in Thai food some of the most delicious food in the world and there's such cool different regional varieties in Thailand. I was lucky enough to live in Chiang Mai Thailand for about 3 years so I got a chance to travel around and experience the incredible foods of Thailand
Did you get to ride an elephant when you lived there? Or is that only for the tourist
thai food ia good but its definitely not some of the best asian cuisine imo since its mainly just street food.
south korean cuisine is where its at if you want more then one side dish.
@@adaml2932 No, it's pretty rare, actually. That's like saying everyone in the UK speaks in BBC accents.
@@adaml2932you can ride them if you want, I've never been and i live in chiangmai like the op but both the tiger place and elephant place are more for tourists and I am suspicious of how well the animals are treated. The elephant sanctuaries are apparently pretty good though.
@@notjimpickens7928 I agree that Thai food is just okay.
I lived in Thailand for work for a bit, but I actually preferred some of the Indian food there.
Their seafood salad, mango sticky rice, and tom yum were cheap and decent, but I hated the smell of fermented fish sauce (smells kinda like a dairy farm mixed with wet dog and dirty socks), and it took a few weeks for my nose to get desensitized. I took a bite of a mango snack from 711 and am forever haunted by the taste... I can't think about it without feeling sick. There are a lot of snacks that I think a lot of Americans would find gross.
But it is cool that Thailand's government supported and invested in their people's restaurants abroad. Good way to promote their country and get people to have a favorable view of them.
It also worked in making Thai food prolific globally compared to their other SEA neighbours with equally rich cuisines like Indonesia and Malaysia. Ask most people especially in the West and odds are they know what Thai food is generally like but not many can name Indonesian and Malaysian food.
And it worked!!! I visited Thailand and loved it. Beautiful nice country. So far Thailand is my favorite country that visited so far.
What city or cities did you go to? Anything you’d recommend doing or check out while there?
@@MehulPatelLXC Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Ko Tao Island. Truly recommend hiking and trying local street food for sure. Once there you'll have endless activities, don't forget to take a cooking class which is so much fun and delicious Thai cuisine you'll taste after.
China: Panda diplomacy
Japan: Anime diplomacy
Thailand: Food diplomacy
What next 😂
Israel: Hollywood diplomacy
Indonesia: Language diplomacy (?)
Pakistan: Mango diplomacy
India: *Rice Diplomacy* 🇮🇳❤❤
USA: sponsoring coups and invasion diplomacy 💀
Thailand is a good country regardless of anything. I am glad I lived there and I will do it again in the future.
Maybe unless you need to work and make $$$ there. Not saying specifically about Thailand just many tourists hotspots looks good until….
nah I am learning Japanese, but i would love to take a japanese girl to thailand, the place is just chill. The funny thing is every city is good because they are very different. Phuket is completely different to Bangkok when it comes down to life. @@johnl.7754
We all know why you went to Thailand
@@TheAlchemist1089 feel free to assume, I could not care less
@@TheAlchemist1089 lol. If it's a guy, it's very clear. Very few men go there with pure intentions.
Makes sense, there's at least three thai restaurants that show up on my menulog, and I live in an in-between suburb (which means inbetween two clusters of suburbs). The fact that I've got reach to more than three within the coast area I live, in Australia, is wild.
There's literally always one in every food court. It's insane, and it tastes goooood
Ireland achieved this without government sponsored programs with Irish pubs everywhere.
In the US? Where in the US?
Yeah and the Irish pub fights too
My family took me to Thai restaurant in the early 90s in a suburb of Atlanta. Massaman was my favorite dish. But we could not find such exotic options in Milwaukee. Thai food has been with us for decades in our big cities.
That’s the most genius thing I’ve ever heard
This has probably brought in Billions in tourism to Thailand
And let's be fair, this also heads off one of the biggest issues with tourists: if the food isn't familiar they either refuse to eat it and instead spend their money on McDonald's, or they try it and complain the whole time.
Today's Fact: In 1994, a man named OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder charges in the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend; years earlier, he had starred in a series of commercials for Hertz, in which he was shown running through an airport.
it was probably his son thats my personal opinion
@@havi8-0-9it was probably a random homeless dude (I think his name was Daniel Bakerson or something like that) who he gave fake money to, so he followed him around for 8 months, 3 weeks, a 2 days before finally doing the deed and blaming it on him.
But thats just my personal opinion
@@Men_Of_Culture33 honestly cant tell if thats sarcasm or not but his son threatened her (i think) with a knife before
@@havi8-0-9Personally R.Kelly didn’t do it. It’s just the system trying to bring down black, independent, geniuses. You see, it all started when the lizard people took control of the Underground Railroad. Just take this into consideration.
Wait... so wtf does the fact that OJ filmed a commercial for Hertz that featured him running through an airport have to do with him murdering his ex-wife and her friend in 1994?!?
I can play this game too, watch: Today's fact: The Earth travels around the sun once a year but in the past people didn't know this and that's why the Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci is considered to be a masterpiece.
Great pick-up guys.
Merv glad to have you onboard 🥳🥳🥳
So cool! This makes every Tom Yum Veg that much more meaningful
This explains so much. I live in a place where Olive Garden is the foreign food option. Except for the Thai place, which is surprisingly authentic and bumpin....
Hamas did this too with hummus and pita
Same in Ireland.
And its working!
There are a row of resteraunts in dublin city from Asia and Eastern Europe with an open front for diners.
You can order from your phone to your table from any of those resteraunts!
That third restaurant picture you used from the start of the video is the one in my home town! Never thought I’d see anything from my town on your channel!
Jet Tila, a popular Thai chef is well known. He worked for the Thai government in the US helping Thai chefs train & open restaurants. He was also "quality control" for the embassy. He would check on the quality of the food offered in an attempt to keep up their good image. I remember learning this years ago
That's brilliant and I hope it catches on. I would love to learn more about other cultures through their food!
Interesting one of my favorite restaurants with this Thai restaurant after 45 years they finally retired and closed it down late last year. It was so good the best Thai food ever the old elderly couple wanted to retire though it was too sad as well. It’s been there since the 80s.
Happy new year johnny
We’ve got a whole bunch in Australia too, well it depends on your area but my specific area has a lot oddly for an area not a state capital
I drove in such a remote town in Vermont and in the middle of nowhere stands a Thai restaurant. Blew my mind.
I absolutely love this idea and I'm so thankful for!!!❤
When visiting Australia there are many Indian Turkish Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants as well
Was literally talking about this very thing yesterday and thought… Johnny should make a video on this and voila!
The first time this phenomenon struck me is in 2016. I was visiting family in the tiny Alaskan village of Delta Junction (population around 900), and there was a Thai restaurant in town! I was not expecting to have delicious Thai food in the middle of Alaska!
Wild, I love me some Pad Thai, in which I totally bought into this and had no idea .
The US does gastrodiplomacy with the likes of McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut…kinda worked too.
A Thai Express restaurant recently opened here in Guyana. Something out of the ordinary but it's good
Thai express isnt even a Thai compant, just saying
Bourdain talks about this in his early 2000s works
So true for Australia!
Thank you, Thailand. You have an amazing food!
I legitimately think it's a fantastic idea, I love Thai cuisine and it's that love of it that made me travel there and experience the culture for myself. It's awesome and such a great way to celebrate a culture. 😁
personally, i love thai food and i always have. i was born in 2002 so it seems fitting, but as long as i can remember the delicacies of thailand have always been a staple of any celebration in my family 😊 thank you thailand for the amazing food and culture you've given the world
As a Canadian I can confirm Thai food around where I am slaps and is pretty good almost every single time.
I love Thai food. I was enticed in with a Thai green curry and it was so good I went back every day for a week trying different dishes and I love it all.
That explains why they've a lot of Thai restaurants and shop on Vicar Lane in Leeds, UK.
I'm living for it ! Their food is absolutely delectable
Fascinating in a good way for a change
The first time I tried Thai food was in 2002.
Ahead of trend as per usual.
My favorite cuisine to this day.
I'm rather thankful for this, i love my local Thai food place
My sister brought me to eat the best pad tai in Roi et Thailand. It was amazing. Haven't yet found any Thai restaurants in Sweden that make it that good
That’s actually a good way to introduce your culture. Through food. Very smart and delicious ❤
Thank you Thailand, I love your food!
I am very thankful to Thailand for going out of their way to share their wonderful food with the world! If only more countries tried this!
I live in a neighbouring country and our idea of signature Thai food is tom yum, always. Pad Thai to me is just kuey teow with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts.
LMAO! Was just talking about a Thai restaurant that opened in a small town, that had maybe one other restaurant. Food is amazing.
Whaaat!!?? That is freaking hilarious! 😂 Great idea as well. I recall the Phad Thai places popping up everywhere in LA when i lived there... it was suddenly all the rage
Oh wow! That makes sense with the timeline in Australia, too.
In my town in Italy there's a restaurant that has a thai cook. It isn't a Thai restaurant, they make regional stuff, the cook just happens to be thai.
I've even heard of a Thai restaurant all the way up north in Svalbard, Norway. It's freaking amazing.
A lot of Thai women marry Scandinavian men, so there might be a decent population of Thai people living in that area as well.
Northern and remote parts of Scandinavia like Svalbard, Lapland and Faroe Islands have a big depopulation of younger women that leave for the bigger southern cities to get an education/career while the men usually stay working with fishing, mining or lumber. This deficit of women in many cases lead to the men marrying women from Southeast Asia and Thailand specifically because it’s the most popular non-European vacation destination for Scandinavians.
Thai restaurants are therefore in many cases the only or one of few restaurants available in small remote villages up north. And from experience the best and most authentic Thai food I ever tried was in the middle of nowhere in Swedish Lapland when passing through 😅
I ordered Pad Thai in a restaurant on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena California, USA. The waiter had had enough. I broke his spirit. The menu was gigantic. For a moment I thought he would cry.
I changed my order.
Colombia needs to do this
Merv seem confident and i know he is going to rock!
No. Its not only in US but also here so many in indonesia too, and the chefs surprisingly are native thailand
This is awesome. Theres this little place in DC on Florida and 6 NW called Thai Xing. Best thai food ive ever had. The owner was telling me about this one night i went there like January 2011.
Its a lot cooler than why there are so many ethiopian/somali restaurants in mpls and so many pho restaurants in st paul, which im pretty sure are both due to people moving to the US cause of war in their country (probably US led war)
Kind of a sick play tbh
It was a form of soft power to create presence in international stage. Thailand gets their diplomacy power from mainly tourism and rice trade. Having the country’s food everywhere around the world promotes both.
There are plenty in Australia too.
Man I love Thailand. Been twice for extended vacations, and I love eating, making Thai food. Panang curry, larb, oh its all real great.
May I invite you to Thailand to experience this awesomeness
It’s also like this in Sweden. Not sure for the same reason but that a slowly taking over all the old take away food stands in Stockholm. 😊
This soft power play introduced a lot of people to thai cuisine and I am so glad they did.
Interesting! My old small-ish town had a Thai Burger place lol served great coffee.
It’s actually called soft power, Korea does the same with KPop and its beauty industry
Thanks for their service
For over a year now, i'm eating pad thai 2-4 times per month. Great meal to bring at work.
I live next to a Thai-American community. I am a trailer park White kid. Comparing take-out prices from the 2000s to now, I didn't appreciate how affordable things were then and everything is way overpriced now.
In my town there’s two restaurants that are literally named like Rice by Mama 1 and Rice by Mama 2 😂
As an Iranian who lives in Thailand, this shit is cool
Chow fun is freaking amazing thank you Thailand i can never get enough of Chow fun....
That isn’t a Thai dish, though
@sl3848 I know it's Chinese but for some reason I never see it at any Chinese restaurant or fast food only at Thai places lol
Switzerland too!
This is fascinating. But 20 years ago, I had my first Thai restaurant experience. Five years later, I was in Thailand, enjoying their culture.
Hats of to you, wonderful video
What a brilliant idea!
Lmaoooooo ikrrrrr it blew my mind up as well when I found out 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
So Thailand’s strongest weapon is Jet Tila…..sounds like a sound strategy.
It was also to help tourism which is a major contributor to Thailands GDP. Thai food is my favourite food.
Yellow and green Thai curry might as well be my national emblem
It is awesome thank you💗💗💗
I, for one, am simply grateful that the Thai people have chosen to bestow such deliciousness on my country. Because Thai food is just AMAZING.
That second picture is actually from UK, Newmarket and does £16 all you can eat every Sunday!
"It's all Thailand?"
"Always has been"
such a chill move, and very profitable
Bless them for this I know a good govt program when I see one lmao as an American who loves Thai food and wants to visit Thailand and never knew that was the master plan all along lol
With Their restaurants and Muay thai kickboxing, Thailand has a huge cultural reach for their size
I don't like Thai food, but this is genius. I'm sure travel to Thailand has skyrocketed since they started this.
This is probably why thai food is in my top 5 favorite cuisines!
I've been around the world twice, I'm not an ethic food person, but some of the best food I have ever had was in Thailand.