What is the difference between Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai cuisine?
Wow, I saw a lot of good tries, but none that seemed to speak from experience. My mother is Thai and I’ve Vietnamese friends. There is some difference between them, but both are VERY different and distinctive from Chinese food (and Korean and Japanese are VERY, very different!) and I’ll tell you why. Chinese food, the stuff you get from the take-out, isn’t really “Chinese” cuisine. It’s Americanized Chinese. Real Chinese is different and is most similar to Thai, as it can be very sweet. Sweet-toothed people love real Thai and Chinese food (or should). If you’ve ever been to the R&G Lounge in San Francisco, then you’ve eaten real Chinese food. The flavors of each dish are very bold, whether they’re salty or sweet or full of ginger; it can also be very daunting, as you will find yourself subject to “entire” animals on the plate (like entire catfish or entire fried quail, with the head). It is NOT the “chow mein” you get from your corner restaurant. Thai does use lots of the same ingredie
