Apr
21
What do Thais eat for Breakfast?
By Richard Barrow 
Thursday 21st April, 2005 | 271 words | Category: Enjoy Thai Food | 25 feedbacks »
People often ask me what I eat for breakfast and whether it is the same as Thai people. For myself, I cannot eat anything spicy for breakfast. It is just too early in the day. I much prefer to eat a breakfast that I grew up on. That is egg and bacon on toast or corn flakes. Also, some marmalade or marmite on toast and a cup of coffee. Maybe a glass of orange juice too. I know some Thai people that just eat whatever was left over from the night before. However, a traditional breakfast dish in Thailand is "johk" ( โจ้ก ). This is a thick rice soup with pork. In the above picture you can see that a bowl costs only 20 baht (50 cents) and that it costs an extra 5 baht for an egg.
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This rice soup is quite similar to another one called Khao Tom. But, the latter is more of a soup, whereas johk is closer to porridge. The rice is cooked in chicken broth (above left). At this stall, you can see that she has prepared the mince pork already, shaping it into balls and cooking it in boiling water for about five minutes. The rice is poured into a serving bowl and the pork balls added together with some liver and kidney. If you like she will also crack an egg into the soup which ends up being only partly cooked. Shredded ginger (bottom left) is added as garnish.
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If you are Thai, maybe you would like to tell us what you eat for breakfast. I wonder what monks eat for breakfast? I'll have to ask Phra Nattawud.
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25 comments
Comment from: thibodi
to answer to the final question, I think monks, when they take their only one meal of the day may eat rice alone...
2005-04-21 @ 23:03
Comment from: TK
My Thai Breakfast (If I have times to eat at all) varies from;
- Pa-Tong-Ko (That thing that make from flour and fry in hot oil, if you know what I means, with a cup of milky coffee or tea)
- Johk (as in your Blog) with minced pork and egg but no ginger please.
- Don't know what I should called this in English, Tom-leuad-Moo = It is clear soup with pig's heart / liver / kidney / intestines and pig's blood plus some green veg (Tam-Leung)
- Khao-Tom with Thai Omelette + salted fish.
Sometimes we eat leftover, and sometimes we don't eat at all or may be just a glass of milk.
Sometimes we also have either Full English Breakfast (usually Sat or Sun, because it takes time to eat :P) or Continental Breakfast (doughnut, pancake, jam sanwich, with orange juice, etc).
Now I am in UK and my breakfast is MAMA :P
I think monk eat whatever people give to them.
- Pa-Tong-Ko (That thing that make from flour and fry in hot oil, if you know what I means, with a cup of milky coffee or tea)
- Johk (as in your Blog) with minced pork and egg but no ginger please.
- Don't know what I should called this in English, Tom-leuad-Moo = It is clear soup with pig's heart / liver / kidney / intestines and pig's blood plus some green veg (Tam-Leung)
- Khao-Tom with Thai Omelette + salted fish.
Sometimes we eat leftover, and sometimes we don't eat at all or may be just a glass of milk.
Sometimes we also have either Full English Breakfast (usually Sat or Sun, because it takes time to eat :P) or Continental Breakfast (doughnut, pancake, jam sanwich, with orange juice, etc).
Now I am in UK and my breakfast is MAMA :P
I think monk eat whatever people give to them.
2005-04-22 @ 01:53
Comment from: Wit
I agree with TK that monks eat whatever they are given during alms round but I have two questions for Phra Nattawud or anyone that might know really.
Is there a standard of what people offer monks to eat like rice and curries or do they offer anything?
Also lay people often give monks way more food (like I saw at Wat Thai here recently during Songkhran)than they could possibly eat for a month let alot two meals for one day. What do they usually do with all the left over food?
I've made johk here before for breakfast but with goong (shrimp) instead. A bit thick so it took some getting used to eating it but very tasty.
Wit
Is there a standard of what people offer monks to eat like rice and curries or do they offer anything?
Also lay people often give monks way more food (like I saw at Wat Thai here recently during Songkhran)than they could possibly eat for a month let alot two meals for one day. What do they usually do with all the left over food?
I've made johk here before for breakfast but with goong (shrimp) instead. A bit thick so it took some getting used to eating it but very tasty.
Wit
2005-04-22 @ 04:31
Comment from: thibodi
okay, I thought only rice was allowed...anyway, I'm always surprised by the thai breakfast such as chick soup and so, or my favourite, khao phat mouu
2005-04-22 @ 04:54
Comment from: Wit
Khao phat muu is another good one too. Easy to fix and it takes care of left over rice. I used to make that a lot for lunch to take to work. :)
Wit
Wit
2005-04-22 @ 05:59
Comment from: Alice
For a Thai girl living in California I don't have time for breakfast. But when I do it's Kao Tom with salted eggs and pickled cabbage (from the can). Ummmm-yum. The other day my aunt brought cinnamon toast sticks from Burger King for the monks at the Wat Thai of Los Angeles...
2005-04-22 @ 06:27
Comment from: SiamJai
Is there a standard of what people offer monks to eat like rice and curries or do they offer anything?
Anything, as far as I know. When I did tak bat (offering food for the monks) during Magha Bucha, we asked the vendor for nine bags of... anything, and they just picked whatever food was closer to their hand. Other Thais around us did the same. So, it's completely random, I'd say.
2005-04-22 @ 10:38
Comment from: Ben
You know what's funny...I was just craving this the other day, unfortunately, I'm at the Uni right now so therefore I cannot have any homemade "jok". :(
2005-04-22 @ 11:14
Comment from: SiamJai
Also lay people often give monks way more food (like I saw at Wat Thai here recently during Songkhran)than they could possibly eat for a month let alot two meals for one day. What do they usually do with all the left over food?
That's a good question, Thaiphile! I just read an article about it the other day. Here is what the head abbot of a temple near the Chao Phraya has to say about it:
When there was leftover food from the monks' morning alms rounds, the abbot would invite these people [Bangkok's poor and needy] to have lunch in the temple. "This is better than throwing food away. We are trying to maximise our resources," he explains.
The whole article can be found in the Bangkok Post online archives. It's quite touching. :-)
2005-04-22 @ 11:50
Comment from: tennispaul24
More and more thai people now a days are converting to English style breakfast so it varies. When I'm in thailand I have pa-tong-koh along with Ovaltine some mornings, other mornings ill have johk, and others ill have an american dish with bacon or what not.
It seems like in the mornings there is a lot more food to choose from also not just breakfast. So you can pratically get anything you want. Mainly because the stores prepare food for people to buy as alms when the monks come. I know some of the best desserts that can also be found in the morning.
I was ordinated as a monk according to thai tradition for my 20 birthday and many people will offer you most anything it doesn't even have to be food. Some people give money, flowers, etc. As someone said earlier, monks do receive a lot of food because they cannot turn down anything. Often times the food that monks receive will be too much for them to carry and some people from the Wat or volunteers have to come and relieve them.
As someone mentioned earlier, the leftover food is often given to the poor and at the particular Wat I was at also gave food to the local school kids.
It seems like in the mornings there is a lot more food to choose from also not just breakfast. So you can pratically get anything you want. Mainly because the stores prepare food for people to buy as alms when the monks come. I know some of the best desserts that can also be found in the morning.
I was ordinated as a monk according to thai tradition for my 20 birthday and many people will offer you most anything it doesn't even have to be food. Some people give money, flowers, etc. As someone said earlier, monks do receive a lot of food because they cannot turn down anything. Often times the food that monks receive will be too much for them to carry and some people from the Wat or volunteers have to come and relieve them.
As someone mentioned earlier, the leftover food is often given to the poor and at the particular Wat I was at also gave food to the local school kids.
2005-04-22 @ 16:00
Comment from: Ben · http://skyrider007.modblog.com
I prefer pork JOKE (without vegetables) over KHAO THOM. Though I usually eat ommlette and bacon with French hot vanilla I bought from La Fayette in Paris (v. healthy).
2005-04-22 @ 16:25
Comment from: oakmonster · http://www.oakmonster.com
Stop it people! I'm sitting here at work, pretending to look busy...it's Friday after all...and I had just finished my french toast.
And now I'm frelling STARVING! You people make me hungry!!! :)
I miss fresh Johk soooo much! I did haul over a huge load of instant Johk, but you know nothing is like the real thing. My attempt to make fresh ones ended up in the garbage disposal. Johk is the item my maid/nanny eagerly buys for me during my stay back in Thailand.
When I was growing up though, the weekday breakfast ranges from the standard of soft boiled eggs and toasts or Corn Flakes, to eggs and ham/bacon, rice and bacon, or rice with whatever leftover from last night that I fancied.
And now I'm frelling STARVING! You people make me hungry!!! :)
I miss fresh Johk soooo much! I did haul over a huge load of instant Johk, but you know nothing is like the real thing. My attempt to make fresh ones ended up in the garbage disposal. Johk is the item my maid/nanny eagerly buys for me during my stay back in Thailand.
When I was growing up though, the weekday breakfast ranges from the standard of soft boiled eggs and toasts or Corn Flakes, to eggs and ham/bacon, rice and bacon, or rice with whatever leftover from last night that I fancied.
2005-04-23 @ 01:34
Comment from: oakmonster · http://www.oakmonster.com
Oh one more thing. How could we forget Roti! The Indian derived creation that's wonderful anytime of day! Brandon is so obsessed with Roti and condensed milk and sugar since he had a taste of it last year. So much so that we requested that my mom helped us pack the frozen roti sheets for us to bring back.
2005-04-23 @ 01:37
Comment from: Alice
Hey Oakmonster did you know that you can get frozen Loti from Bangluck market in Hollywood or Van Nuys. 6 pieces for $1.69 check it out! No need to go all the way to Thailand or you can always get it at the Wat Thai in LA on Sat or Sun.!!! :)
2005-04-23 @ 06:05
Comment from: Catherine
Sometimes we eat rice soup for breakfast but normally we'll have omlett and rice.
2005-04-24 @ 04:35
Comment from: SamSingha
Thai breakfast? Khao khang (rice with curry dish) is also common. Another is Moo ping with Khao Neow (Thai BBQ pork with sticky rice) which can often be found at the market.
When I was growing up in Thailand, breakfast at home was not much differnt from dinner.
-S.C.-
When I was growing up in Thailand, breakfast at home was not much differnt from dinner.
-S.C.-
2005-04-28 @ 21:59
Comment from: addicted to rice
Since i'm from the north i want to add this for good thai breakfast >>>>
Khaoneo, gai tod and namprik
Sticky rice. fried chicken and chilli paste
sometimes we have Sai Ua which is grilled spicy sausage.
Khaoneo, gai tod and namprik
Sticky rice. fried chicken and chilli paste
sometimes we have Sai Ua which is grilled spicy sausage.
2005-07-18 @ 02:34
Comment from: Dude!
Well, I guess I don't know much about Thailand after all! I thought I did, but no. Maybe this will teach me some stuff about it. Please e-mail me some stuff if you'd like. I really need to know about it, since I am going on a missions trip there this summer!
My e-mail addy is:
run_the_table3003@yahoo.com
My e-mail addy is:
run_the_table3003@yahoo.com
2006-11-28 @ 07:09
Comment from: likhit
Monks eat whatever they want from what is offered to them. If you're only eating one meal a day there's really no such thing as "breakfast."
2007-11-10 @ 23:05
Comment from: William · http://www.zytex.com
There was a day Thai eat food without using spoons or fork.But later they adopted the system from western country and now they followed every culture of Americans and no marriage life in Thai. Just stauy with Fan 1 or 2 year then change like garments.
2008-03-19 @ 15:15
Comment from: Hoo Don · http://www.thaisabai.org
A few years back I was sat at a breakfast table in the Green Hotel Pattaya and my friend came and joined me along with his new Thai Lady. He ordered egg, toast and coffee for each of them. The toast was served separately to the eggs and came with butter and strawberry jam . I watched with fascination as the Thai lady struggled to master the buttering of the toast with a knife. When finally buttered she delicately placed the egg on top and then spread the jam all over the egg. I watched in wonderment as she ate the lot. Amazing Thailand. Does not answer your question but just thought I'd tell you. Hoo Don
2008-10-27 @ 02:26
Comment from: John · http://www.learnthaiculture.com
I think jok is the only Thai food I'm capable of eating for breakfast . . . in the morning I'm just not in the mood for adventurous food . . . I usually just eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
My thai girl loves to eat cornflakes+milk+banana for breakfast though. I'd eat it too but it's impossible to find lactose free milk around here =(
My thai girl loves to eat cornflakes+milk+banana for breakfast though. I'd eat it too but it's impossible to find lactose free milk around here =(
2008-11-12 @ 08:09
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