Don't come to Thailand unless you like Thai food. You can find Western food in big cities, but you won't find it in small towns. Fortunately, Thai food is my favorite cuisine on the planet. I love it, which is imperative for living in Kamphaeng Phet (KPP).
"Sen Me Ghai" - Thin noodle in broth with chicken. My absolute favorite dish in KPP.
"Yum Wun Sen" - Glass noodle with minced pork. Close second on my favorite dish.
Thai people can cook. I've had the most dynamite meals since living here. In KPP, the only way to eat is at an outdoor kitchen. Restaurants aren't really a thing. You can find food stalls at the night market, on the side of the road, off the back of a scooter, or in someone's house. There's no such thing as a menu (and if there was, it wouldn't be in English), so learning how to order in Thai is imperative if eating is important to you.
The food is bomb, and it's dirt cheap. For less that $1 / meal, you can eat farm-fresh Thai food that will blow your mind.
"Tom Yum" soup. If you don't like spice, stay away from this.
Obligatory Pad Thai, which every Westerner knows how to order.
Pad = Fried
But, be careful. Thai food is not created equal. If you have texture issues (see below) or phobias of weird things in general (like chicken's feet), you have to learn what to stay away from... and FAST.
- "Texture Issues" are when things taste weird in your mouth due to the texture of the food you're consuming. Example: a tomato is both hard and soft. When you bite into it, the internal juices squirt into your mouth, but the skin is still hard. So, you're sucking on something squishy and chewing on something hard. (Yes, I know how that sounds. Get your mind out of the gutter.) I simply don't want that contradicting texture in my mouth, thus I have issues with some foods.
For instance, who wants to consume this gelatinous ball of fluid filled with mystery puss?
WTF is this?
It's mind blowing that Thailand can create 5-star cuisine off the back of a scooter that also happens to serve crispy roaches and mystery meat on a stick.
Since when are hot dogs with hair sprouting out the top a delicacy?
Meat sticks are a big seller. What meat? No one knows. Could be fish, pork, chicken, or any combination of any part of an animal you can think of.
What is this? Why is this pink? WHO IS EATING THIS???
I miss a lot of food in the states. Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle top the list with good sushi being a close second. That's just another item you can't get here... unless you consider processed cheese thrown on top of some rice with a crab stick of an unidentified origin edible.
Breakfast is a whole different ballgame. Thai people do eat breakfast. But, it's the same meal as their lunch and dinner. Rice and meat. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast don't exist. I'm not a huge breakfast eater, but not having access to any breakfast food makes me want an All-Star from Waffle House more than I want to sleep in my heavenly bed... and that's a HUGE statement considering how much I cry for my bed every night.
YUM, rice and meat! AGAIN!!!
Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Same same same.
By all means, come to Thailand and enjoy the most amazing Thai dishes of your life. If you're feeling adventurous, try the insects, chicken's feet, blood cubes, puss balls, mystery meat sticks, processed dog-shit sushi, and countless other things Thai's consider edible.
***BONUS: Thai's do not eat dogs. Most other Southeast Asia countries do (Cambodia, China, Vietnam). So, at least you won't be eating dog while you're here... unless it was imported.