Lonely Planet World Food Thailand (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

From pulse-pounding Bangkok to tranquil villages moored along the Mekong River, Thai cuisine is as rich and diverse as the culture it sustains. This unique culinary guide takes you to the heart of the kingdom's food culture. Here you will discover what Thais mean by im jai (full heart), and expression that fuses culinary satisfaction with contentment in life.

• the essential guide to the culture of food & drink in Thailand
• an exploration of the regional influences that make up Thai cuisine
• descriptions of utensils required for authentic Thai cooking
• the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick-reference glossary and useful phrases for every food & drink occasion
• tantalising photography & recipes

Customer Review: More than a Cookbook
I bought this book thinking it was just a cookbook, and was surprised to find much more. Eating is an essential part of life in Thailand, and Joe Cummings gives deep insight into Thai culture -- specifically how "being Thai" comes out in the preparation and enjoyment of food. If you're buying the LP guide to Thailand and are going there for the first time, also buy this book. You'll get a much more in depth description of the Thai way of life, as well manners & etiquette for a foreigner. And you'll want the recipes when you return!!
Customer Review: Read, Learn, Eat, and Enjoy
You will enjoy & learn a lot from this book. One of the most pleasurable experiences I've ever had in Thailand is eating the food. There is such a wide variety food you can eat in Thailand. As you begin to fall in love with this cuisine, you will want to eat new and more varied dishes. Ordering can be challenging as you evolve into more advanced Thai foods. Yes, you can point and gesture, but if you want to more fully enjoy the culinary delights of real Thai food, you need to know what it's called, and say how you want it cooked or mixed to your spice preferences. There is a lot of important etiquette tips, that will help you if you're invited to eat in a home of a family in a village, or with associates in the city. The regional, colloquial, and relevant slang is included. This means, the author has been there and done it, having lived in Thailand for for the most of 25 years, along with superb homework & research. The photographer, Jerry Alexander helps the reader identify visually with some of the foods that are described. The dictionary at the end included many useful phrases in addition to the food vocabulary. One error though, is that the letter "G" in Thai is listed as a "K" which is only the case when it is a stop final, at the end of a word, or syllable cluster. Read, learn, eat, and enjoy.

- helps to keep cholesterol on a healthy level

- alleviating boredom and regulating or eradicating phlegm,

- increasing mental abilities,

- Aiding digestion,

The benefits of green tea in our body are so remarkable that it is believed that the key to a longer life may be brewing in your cup. By understanding the large amount of benefits that this natural compound offers, you will have the ability to balance out different elements in your body, and will begin to live healthier inspite of the drink minimal health risks. Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea Counted among the various health benefits of green tea are such things as :

Green tea helps to keep cholesterol on a healthy level by its inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and promote its excretion from the body. Of course, it cannot be forgotten that if you have high cholesterol levels, green tea may be effective in helping to maintain the good cholesterol while getting rid of the bad cholesterol. Recent research suggests that beneficial antioxidants in green tea play a role in reducing the negative effects of bad cholesterol, lowering triglyceride levels and increasing the production of good cholesterol.

Supplements containing green tea extracts are a completely natural way of reducing weight with very little risk of any side effects. Supplements are better because they don't have caffeine, and one capsule is equivalent to five cups of tea (depending on capsule potency). It is found that you can get more powerful antioxidants by taking supplements rather than green tea itself.

- helps in fighting bladder cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer.

The health benefits of green tea are so obvious and so wide-ranging that it's surprising it isn't compulsory. The antioxidants that are responsible for most of the health benefits of green tea are called polyphenols and these are considered to be the most effective of all the antioxidants. The health benefits of green tea have been discussed for well over 1,000 years. These cultures believe that green tea has health benefits for the entire body, from the cardiovascular system to the skin, the brain to the digestive tract.

A Longer Life May Be Brewing In Your Cup

- improving eyesight and kidney function,