Fat-thai: SGV's premier Thai cuisine resource

A couples of months back I did a feature review on some papaya salad (som tam) that thai restaurant, Cha-Da, serves up daily.

Well today you’re in for a different kind of treat with my exclusive interview with Sindy. We discuss topics like juggling life between Thailand and the US, a day in the life of operating a successful business and thai food of course.

F-T: Where are you from?
S: Thailand, Bangkok
F-T: How old are you
S: 35
F-T: How’d you get started at Cha-DA
S: Its my uncle’s project and business he started years ago.
F-T: How’s it like traveling from Bangkok to California, what do you miss?
S: I’ve been doing the 14-plus hour trip for about 5 years now. It isn’t too bad. I miss most is my friends and family. Los Angeles is spaced out too much and its boring here at night. Night is my only free time.
F-T: Do you enjoy being a server?
S: I do it all actually. Depending if we’re busy or understaffed, i’ll even go back and cook. Today I cooked most of the time.
F-T: How tiring is it working at Cha-Da.
S: Very, I’m helping out here at my uncles business. We have another Cha-Da in Pasadena. I travel from Pasadena to West Covina often. I even cook California rolls and Sushi at the Pasadena locations. I’m expert level! I work daiy 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

F-T: What’s your favorite Thai dish?
S: (Long pause) I think pat-see-ew pork. Pork goes well with that long flat noodle. It’s my favorite.

F-T: Who makes the best pad-see-eww pork?
S: Well my chefs of course. They original form Thailand working in the US with workers visas. That’s what gives our place that authentic touch.

F-T: What’s the special ingredient that makes your pad-thai so juicy and special.

S: Unlike other places, we source only the freshest tamarind. Its flash frozen from thailand and sold in cubes. If you don’t get the freshest ingredients, the base for the pad-thai sauce will be fishy or oily; sometimes even dry. If you see pad-thai noodles in other places that bleed off a lot of oil, that’s a clear indicator that they skip fresh tamarind.

F-T: What’s your best seller here:
S: Not thai related but Boba Milk tea.

F-T: Is Thai food the best tasting food out there?
S: Yes (Jokingly) Actually, Italian, if prepared right, is the absolute best.

F-T: Thanks for the interview, do you have any closing comments.
S: Come checkout our lunch deals at Cha-Da restaurant!

Hey Guys,

I’ll admit that here at fat-thai, I haven’t had Thai food in about a week, some sort of record for me. But I always need my Thai fix. enter the The Last life in the Universe, the Sundance award winning film by Thai writer/director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.

The film revolves around two protagonist Kenji and Noi who both are strange and depressed. Both have suffered family tragedies and because of fate or luck the events has brought them together.

The foreign film explores loneliness, OCD and suicidal thoughts, but in a non-glamorizing sorta way; nor is the film a documentary on suicide. It simply uses these less-talked-about issued to develop the main characters. I don’t know why but I really get Kenji and Noi. The film also does a good way to show how strange circumstances could lead incompatible people together to explore each other; but this isn’t a chick flick.

I’m fascinated by Japanese and Thai cultures and this film is notable because it changes between Thai, Japanese and English. It also gives insight into a bit of Bangkok lifestyle.

The film can be seen for free on the website that rhymes with flu-tube. Notice how many times Kenji says Kap.

In Thai you have two very commonly used expressions Kap (for men) Ka (for ladies).

You’ll almost always use these words at the end of greeting or requests from others when you’re being polite.

For instance you can say:

Sa Wat Dii Kap. (How are you?)

Sabai Dii Ka (I’m good thanks)

Or

Yu Tii Nai Kap (Where you from)

Tii Nai Rian Mt. SAC  (I Study at Mt. Sac.) Rian means to study. 

You can almost always recognize thai language by the ending of Ka or Kap with a falling down accent and stress sounds.