Not so hot Thai

I’m preparing for Thailand. I’ve got guidebooks galore scattered throughout my bedroom. I’ve been listening to Thai language tapes, hoping to learn enough Thai in a month and a half to prove myself not just another lame tourist. And, I have a plan to ready my taste buds and stomach for Thailand as well. For the next several weeks, I’m going to eat the spiciest food I can handle. Let that sweat roll down my forehead. Let my eyes tears up. Let my tongue burn. Those Thais will never know that I’m not one of them.

Today I had the first meal in my See How Much Heat I Can Really Handle training regimen. When I told Scott of my plan, he gave me a look, but we went to have dinner at Thep Phanom, the Thai place on the corner of Fillmore and Waller, to test it out.

I chose a dish off their “Some Like It Hot” section of the menu. It was a beef, chicken, pork, and bamboo shoots stir-fry with southern Thai spices. Scott chose the poached salmon with special red curry. My stir-fry dish came out first, and it was not so hot. It was tasty and fragrant from the wilted basil leaves. The meat was tender too. But it was far from spicy. There was just the vaguest hint of it, and each bite got progressively more spicy, but it was nothing. It didn’t wake my taste buds. It didn’t make me sweat. It didn’t do anything to make me believe that its spot on the “Some Like It Hot” section was warranted. It also seemed like something I could make at home.

Scott’s poached salmon was good too but nothing special. The salmon was moist and tender. And, the red sauce, which looked more of a pink color, was thick and tasted of coconut. We found capers sprinkled throughout the sauce and questioned whether or not capers were common in Thai food.

It was a decent meal but I was disappointed. I wanted spice, I wanted heat, I wanted dishes I wouldn’t believe myself to be able to make at home. The next meal in my See How Much Heat I can Really Handle stomach and tongue training will have to take place somewhere else.