Since it was prepared in the kitchen, I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could imagine that the chicken, already cooked, was being tossed in with a handful of seasonings and then sautéed in the curry sauce. The rice, abundant here in Thailand, was probably kept on a steaming pot and scooped out once the chicken was ready. Then both were assembled on the plate, loaded up on a tray, and presented to me in a savory cloud of spicy goodness.
The food is connected to the local environment because in contrast to eating Indian food in the U.S., the spices are more readily available here so there is less of a transportation cost. Less transportation means less pollution. There is also more of demand here than in the U.S. so there is less of a possibility that food is wasted. People in Thailand love spicy dishes and even though the green curry was not as spicy as I imagined, curry is still widely available here. This goes to show that the demand for curry is being met. The local curry shops are genuine and cater to people who love curry or who eat curry as part of their everyday meal, while the restaurants back in the U.S. cater mostly to American audiences.
