Wait... I'm Eating WHAT?!? - First Time Trying ISAAN FOOD in Thailand!

[@peteonretreat2023]

This night was so much fun and after looking into Isaan food I've found there's a bunch of other dishes I want to try. Because of the background music playing at the restaurant, this video is NOT monetized, if you would like to support me you can here: www.buymeacoffee.com/peteonretreat

[@Stashmo]

Copyright concerns?

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@Stashmo yeah, the songs playing in the background. KZbin recognized and flagged them but the artists allow their use. Just means I can’t monetize this video but I can have it on my channel. Since the artist do allow their songs it’s not a copyright strike.

[@brendataylor8388]

I hope your Japan trip went well and I’m looking fwd to some new content😉. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[@peteonretreat2023]

Japan was amazing, just started editing it today. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@betweendrinks8885]

My wife grows those snails in her hobby farm - 200 baht a kilo !! Your a brave man experimenting- ( remember Pete ) “ things are not always as it appears / well done !! And kudos to you . Your Thai is also getting there ! The working girls must love volunteering for great banquets - your a cool customer- great fun

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you, my Thai has a long way to go but I’m better closer every week. I’m really glad I didn’t know the snails were raw until weeks later lol!

[@Thailandlover05]

Thai people love to eat snails,and another sea food. Living in Thailand 🙏🇹🇭♥️.

[@danderson8463]

Last two food vids have been great Pete, and your friends seem like fun. It's bedtime but now I'm craving South Indian garlic chilli chicken, damn you 😆

[@peteonretreat2023]

These videos have been a lot of fun. I might have to keep going with them.

[@StevenCasper]

Great video, thanks. Keep having fun. 👍

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m really happy with this one, thank you 🙏🏼

[@davidhumber6955]

Pete .. I want to thank you for all the awesome inspiration you have given me ! I’m hoping to make the move to Thailand in 2025, this has been cooking in my head since 1987 when I visited the kingdom and vowed to return. I hope that you will share more of you amazing journey with us soon sometimes a little break is good for the soul and too also reassess. Thank you again, maybe get to buy you lunch one day! David Chattanooga Tn.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thanks David… I think I’ll be back but I also thought I’d be back by now lol You can absolutely make the move here. Committing is the first step.

[@andreww3621]

You can't beat Thai cuisine. So many different options and variations of the same dish. I love Indian, Greek, Italian, and Mexican but Thai is my #1

[@peteonretreat2023]

I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of Thai cuisine. There’s so much more out there for me to experience.

[@MikeHoncho884]

Reminds me of Steve Martin in the Jerk with the snails on the plate! “Don’t look honey there’s snails on your plate“ lol

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m glad I didn’t know they were raw… and were chopped up with a bunch of other stuff.

[@Grimreapervlogs]

Great video mate. Nothing something I'd eat hahaha but glad you liked it

[@peteonretreat2023]

While the snails were a bit chewy, it was absolutely delicious. Kinda glad I didn’t know it was raw until afterwards lol

[@edwardruiz8920]

@@peteonretreat2023 I couldn't have done them.

[@stevehayes8755]

Great video Pete you’re a brave man trying the raw snails , the rest looks amazing along with your two beautiful companions . Great fun😅

[@edwardruiz8920]

The snails are a no go for me.

[@peteonretreat2023]

I mean… they were really good 😊 Thank you 🙏🏼

[@WalkingmanPattaya]

Good one Pete. Pan, on the left has a lovely smile, smirk, and laugh. Some Spicy dishes! Laab moo is great. I only get 1 chili in som tam salad .Always order enough food for 1 or 2 more people is how Thais do it 555 Songs in the background very familiar here. Seems dumb to not be able to monetize, but am not in the biz... Kudos for doing something real and fun to watch

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you 🙏🏼 Pan is awesome, I love her to pieces. That som tam had like 20 in it. I’m just happy the video isn’t striked meaning, I can still have it on my channel. I just can’t monetize it. If it was striked I couldn’t even have it on my channel so I’m happy overall plus I really don’t make much money here. The channel is mostly for my friends and family and has become a digital diary for myself.

[@Stashmo]

What’s the story on Ping Pong’s name? Looks like your friendship provides a relaxing and low-key/pressure respite for them.

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@Stashmo I’m not sure the full story… it’s a somewhat common nickname here. All Thais get a nickname from their parents when they’re babies. Their true names are long and the nickname or “cheu len” is just part of life here. The names are supposed to be cute, fun and to bring good luck. They always mean something in Thai and are often animals, things in nature, flowers… They are sometimes comically ironic because they are given to babies. A person named cow or pig can grow up to be be very petit or a person named pearl can end up being very dark skinned.

[@David.Gee68]

Well done Squire, I couldn't eat snails lol Lovely dinner companions too.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Some Thais straight up eat them right out of the shell…I couldn’t do that but chopped up and mixed with all this other delicious stuff was easy for me.

[@hikikomorigaming2419]

Wait for your new videos.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Me too 😞

[@mangostickyrice555]

Thumbs up 👍 Pete

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@Ncseventeen1976]

I was gust thinking this morning that I haven't seen any of your videos lately. And it's not my imagination, looks like you haven't made one in a month. Hopefully your just taking a break or traveling. Hope your still enjoying Thailand and plan on doing some more videos in the future.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Everything is good and hoping to put out a video Sunday talking about my disappearance. Can’t believe it’s been a month already!

[@Eeasy-wq4ss]

Good to go Pete 👍

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@denniskortheuer9861]

One of my favs! i love how open you are to trying the different dishes. RAW snails! Wow! All those chilies! Was there anything a veggie could eat? Watching this before my first food of the day. Hungry but i don't think you had anything i could eat. What was the long, stringy white stuff? Noodle of some kind? do you know what it's made of? Rice? For that matter, is wheat part of Thai cuisine? So adventurous!

[@peteonretreat2023]

I attached a small article in the description that talks about the cuisine each Thai region is known for and it says Isan (Isaan has many acceptable spellings) is known for heaping plates of veggies among other things listed (like their (koi) raw meat dishes). I didn’t really look at the menu since it was all in Thai (or possibly even in Isaan) so I’m not sure what they have really. I’ll have to ask my friends when I see them next.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Fir the noodles, I assume they’re rice. Thai food doesn’t traditionally use wheat that I’m aware of but I believe the south has developed their own roti style Indian bread. Wait, I’m pretty sure some regions have wheat noodles influenced from Chinese food. I just learned recently that they’ve only been using chilis for a few hundred years as they were brought here from America. I guess a few hundred years is a long time.

[@nathanmoncayo]

Hope all is well g, love from Los Angeles SGV

[@peteonretreat2023]

All is well… just haven’t been doing the KZbin thing. I’m going to try to put out a vlog this week

[@edwardruiz8920]

The papaya salad = yum!

[@peteonretreat2023]

That stuff is killer!

[@bijanbayne3259]

This is just an anecdotal observation based on two visits of about a month each- but it doesn't seem there are almost any Isaan women in metro Bangkok. The general population looks much more phenotypically Chinese. Also seems the case in Hua Hin (though not quite as extreme). One thing I might to my next trip, is stay in Phuket f/ a few nights. I hear Lao and Isaan have some language crossover

[@peteonretreat2023]

Very interesting and I think you’re observation has some merit to it. As I understand, skin tone has played a part in the Thai society for a while and I believe the lighter phenotypically Chinese were often of higher class and education. I can see how this would make them more abundant in the Bangkok area but I really don’t know.

[@bijanbayne3259]

@@peteonretreat2023 Yes, one would expect a lot of Bangkok residents to be working in professions where more education is required, more office work than Pattaya or Jomtien. And in the larger hotels & stores, possibly better English. Though Pattaya does have businesses where English is a plus

[@flyfliker]

your friends are great. what are their ages and occupations?

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me disclosing their ages but for the sake of their privacy and because I haven’t asked I’ll say mid 20s/30s. They are both servers.

[@howardstern666]

Love Isaan food! I'm a big fan of liver and intestine.

[@peteonretreat2023]

I haven’t tried their liver yet… or have I? My friend had a mookatah style party over the holiday this week. I saw liver on the table with the uncooked meats and my plate was constantly being refilled so I probably tried it unawaringly.

[@howardstern666]

@@peteonretreat2023 Oh, you probably tried it without knowing! They tend to sneak it into many dishes, especially larb and soups. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

[@Thailandlover05]

​@@howardstern666thai people love to snake,you can't think as well, what are the items they eat. Living in Thailand,i make vlog about living in Thailand.♥️🇹🇭🙏

[@Chef_Boy_RD]

You know it’s spicy when Thai girls are sweating! That papaya salad looked like it was super spicy. Thai food is my favorite cuisine… wish I was there!

[@peteonretreat2023]

Right? I mean we were eating outside too but it was all pretty spicy.

[@kevinp8108]

@Chef_Boy_RD - when you're ordering food in Thailand, never say "a little spicy" because Thai spicy and foreign spicy are two different things so you will end up with spicy!

[@Chef_Boy_RD]

@@kevinp8108 I went to culinary school with a guy from Laos and he would smother his food in cayenne pepper when he ate.

[@kevinp8108]

@@Chef_Boy_RD - If it's not spicy then it's not good!

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@kevinp8108I’m generally good with ordering medium spicy… but even that varies a ton from place to place and even depends on which cook is working that day.

[@what.i.see.photography7077]

Hey Pete, long time no post, hope all is well with you ?

[@peteonretreat2023]

All is well… hoping to put out an update this week.

[@louis20122]

To be honest, these dishes are as delicious as the Indian foods.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Honestly, some of these were better than our previous Indian food dinner.

[@chrisdavies5395]

Where you gone Pete, long time without any vlogs

[@peteonretreat2023]

I edited 2 that I didn’t really like and now I’m just out of the cycle again. Been living life and things are good. I’m going to try to get back into it this week.

[@chrisdavies5395]

Glad you are doing well. Keep living the dream. Have to wait 17 months until I hit 50 then I will get my retirement visa. Until then a couple of holidays a year will have to make do. Keep living the dream, stay safe and happy,

[@iROChakri]

Thai food, esp Isan, food is the best hagaga

[@peteonretreat2023]

It really is the best

[@Alancampbell69]

Looks good but I would pass on the snails 😅

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’ll try just about anything… but most of the bugs. Not happening

[@spiffymongo4030]

How are you, P Funk? Still bassin?

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m good thanks 🙏🏼 Strumming acoustic guitars for now… thinking of bassin’ up to start jamming more though. Just can’t play live anywhere in Thailand without a work permit/visa

[@edwardruiz8920]

Bugs = no yum! (I guess my own cultural bias)

[@peteonretreat2023]

Yeah… I haven’t done bugs and say that I won’t. I’m ok if they’re in a dish but not if they’re alone like they sell at the food carts. Isaan is known for rice stuffed rat and a bunch of raw meat dishes that I’d try.

[@Stashmo]

So, what’s the geographic origin of the Thai food you’ve been eating all along? Have you been intentionally avoiding Isaan food? How can you tell what regional-style food a restaurant serves? Signage?

[@peteonretreat2023]

Great questions as always. I just added a link to an article in the description that discusses the different regions and their foods. What most people know as Thai food is from the central regions of the country. I hadn’t been avoiding Isaan food at all, I just didn’t know where to get it. It’s far less common here and I still only know of 2 places in town. They are both pretty big and next door to each other on a busy street headed out of town to the highway. All of the writing (signs and menu) is in thai (or possibly in Isaan) so it just looks like a Thai place to foreigners. It’s also not in an expat or tourist area, I don’t think any are.

[@Stashmo]

@@peteonretreat2023 Got it. So interesting.

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@Stashmo I’m glad you asked because now I have a better understanding of it all.

[@flyfliker]

Pete r u ok?

[@peteonretreat2023]

Absolutely ok, thanks for asking. I edited a Japan video and wasn’t happy with it and then shot a couple vlogs back in Thailand and weren’t happy with them either. I might try again tomorrow… my channel may be going away but I think I will be back.

[@jellycream1964]

Pete, why do you talk back to the ladies in an asian English accent?

[@peteonretreat2023]

Part of it I think is just me picking it up being around them. Many Americans pick up accents when they spend time aboard. I was told I had a Jamaican accent after just spending 2 weeks there. It’s a completely unintentional weird thing that I didn’t realize I was doing until watching these videos. I do intentionally omit some parts of speech now that understand why the Thais omit them… they simply don’t exist in the Thai language, but I had no idea how stupid I’ve been sounding until editing these videos. It’s something I’ll be trying to be cognizant of now that I know I’m doing it.

[@jellycream1964]

@peteonretreat2023 thanks for that explanation but ive caught myself doi g that too! It weird your right, i dont know why we do it! Ive caught myself doing it to Hispanic people also

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@jellycream1964 I’ve been thinking about it all day now. It’s not so much an Asian accent. It is more just speaking broken English (but a bit of accent comes in when repeating English words like they pronounce them) I think a contributing factor comes from when Thai people (in this case) don’t understand me. I will then talk slower and omit some words to simplify things. In a way I’m being programmed to speak this way and now I am skipping directly to the broken English. Knowing this, I now want to try to avoid doing that and see how it goes. Understanding what words don’t exist or are skipped in thai leads me to speak English like them too. There isn’t a word for “not” or “don’t” in Thai, you just say “no” for example. They also don’t use plurals or past/present/future tenses so that’s how you get a sentence like “you say you no like spicy.” I know Pan at least and probably the others understand “don’t” though even if they don’t use it when they speak with me.

[@davidlamphier2551]

Yo Pete hope you didn’t make a total retreat and see more of your stuff

[@peteonretreat2023]

Man, I almost went full retreat 😂 New video should be out in 12 hours!