I have often been asked to explain the difference between Thai and Chinese food. The best answer I can offer is this; when you go to Chinese restaurant, you will not taste Thai flavors; but if you go to a Thai restaurant, you will find some Chinese flavors. Thai food is a blend of many cultures. The recent introduction of Thai cuisine to the West has bought to world attention one of the most prized cultural contributions of this once-isolated land. It is no longer a hidden treasure. With the close of the Vietnam War and the exile of multitude of refugees from Southeast Asia, Thailand began exporting the necessary ingredients to prepare Thai cuisine. Although Vietnamese and Thai cuisine share many of the same ingredients, it is the unique thai style of preparation that gives Thai food its character.

After 1976, Thai citizens in the United states began opening Thai restaurant. Soon there were Thai restaurants in cities all across the nation. I was inspired to participate in sharing the beauty of the Thai culture here in America. With seed money from parents, my sister and I opened the Emerald of Siam in 1983 in Richland, Washington. With the help of three of my children, it remains a thriving business to this day.

Source : Thai Cooking in a Sufi's Kitchen