CULTURE AND WAYS OF LIFE IN THAI AND VIETNAMESE STREET FOOD

Abstract

        Vietnam and Thailand are well-known for their street foods. These two countries have various types
of Street foods with their own specific characteristics and they are also popular among both locals
and foreigners. At present, street foods have important roles in daily life. They are interesting
sources for gastronomic culture and ways of life in both cultures. This study aimed to compare the attributes of Vietnamese and Thai street foods and to provide the knowledge of Vietnamese and Thai ways of life involving street foods. The results showed that street foods had important roles in both Vietnamese’s and Thai’s daily lives because street food efficiently answered to the need of capital living. Some Thai street foods which had been rewarded by Michelin Guide were very similar to Vietnamese’s ones; for example, Pad Tai and Pho xao (Vietnamese fried noodles - phở xào), noodle with fish balls and noodle with curry fish balls (mì cá viên cà ri), sukiyaki and Lau (Vietnamese Hot Pot - Lẩu), Thai’s rice with stewed pork leg and Vietnamese’s rice with caramelized pork belly and eggs (cơm thịt kho tàu), and Thai’s rice with steamed chicken and Vietnamese’s rice with steamed chicken (cơm gà Tam Kỳ). Vietnamese and Thai street foods reflect each country’s gastronomic cultures and ways of life, which hold both similarity
and differences.