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Right, but I'm not sure exactly how those metrics have a linear relationship to quality of Thai food (not to mention, Washington is incredibly productive and versatile in what it can grow since it has so many diverse climates - maybe not the same volume as Central Valley due to a smaller size, but you can get what you need.)
Basically, I don't think having a larger port (when both places have really large ports), a slightly more productive agricultural area (when both places have two of the top agircultural areas in the Country), and a lower latitude will somehow make the Thai food in LA better. I grew up in California and live in Washington now, and both places have equally top notch produce and meats, and in both places there is easy access to any Asian cooking spice or ingredient you would need. The point about the larger Thai population in LA is definitely valid, though - but Seattle is no slouch, with a high Southeast Asian population and relatively high Thai population, as well as a strong presence of those cultures throughout the City.
In any case, as someone who has eaten ample amounts of Thai food in every major West Coast City (minus San Diego), I can say with confidence that SF, Seattle, and LA all have comparably excellent Thai food. Seattle in general has outstanding Southeast Asian food all around. Aside from seafood, it's easily that region's biggest culinary strength. Portland has a ton of Thai restaurants too, some great, but I've found there are also quite a few mediocre ones there as well.
The port is closer and has greater volume and so can conceivably get first dibs on stuff from Thailand faster and more cheaply than Seattle can. The more productive agricultural area has a much longer growing season (as the lower latitude does make large differences there) and can grow a greater variety of foods all of which is important as fresh ingredients are essential to good thai cooking which relies a lot more on fresh herbs and the like for its curries than dry spices. These are all why LA has such great cheap and mid-budget food in general and not just for thai. Also LA's thai and southeast asian)communities are generally an order of magnitude larger. I think Seattle is great all around for food and all things, but LA's thai is noticeably more varied and it's easier to find thai food closer to that of various regions of thailand (though that's not necessarily what people want).
It's not a world of difference and it doesn't mean a great thai place can't pop up elsewhere. However, if we're talking about overall best then it's LA.
The port is closer and has greater volume and so can conceivably get first dibs on stuff from Thailand faster and more cheaply than Seattle can. The more productive agricultural area has a much longer growing season (as the lower latitude does make large differences there) and can grow a greater variety of foods all of which is important as fresh ingredients are essential to good thai cooking which relies a lot more on fresh herbs and the like for its curries than dry spices. These are all why LA has such great cheap and mid-budget food in general and not just for thai.
Do you have anything to back this up? What is the difference in travel time by sea between Thailand-LA/Long Beach and Thailand-Seattle/Tacoma? Does the greater overall volume in Ports of LA/Long Beach really mean that LA gets "first dibs" on specialty products from Thailand? From what I understand, much of what gets imported into these ports are bulk agricultural and manufactured products that end up going to other places across the country. I honestly think volume to ports has no bearing on greater accessibility to specialty products from Thailand (not to mention, specialty products are often flown in, not delivered by sea).
Finally, do you have any evidence to back up that the Central Valley really provides a greater variety of food during more of the year than Eastern Washington? Living in Seattle after spending most of my life in California, and being a huge consumer of fresh produce of all types, I can say that fresh local produce is of equal quality and equally accessible in both areas. Even if it turns out the Central Valley does provide this amazing bounty and variety that Eastern WA lacks (which I greatly doubt), Seattle is literally a half-day (12-13 hour) drive from the agricultural centers of the Central Valley. All to say that, I really see no evidence that LA has fresher and better produce/herbs than Seattle for Thai cooking.
I love the food in LA, by the way. I'd argue it is the best place in the country for low- and mid-budget ethnic food overall, since it is so diverse with so many nationalities represented and there are so many authentic cuisines available (not to mention, a strong demand for these cuisines from the 17 million+ population in the metro area)
However, I think in terms of Thai food (and other Southeast Asian cuisines) Seattle can match LA in quality and variety, and I definitely think the differences you mention in travel time, port volume, and agricultural supply have no bearing on the quality of Thai food. Both are West Coast port cities that do massive trading with Asia, both have access to some of the best fresh produce in the country, and both have easy accessibility to specialty products from Thailand.
So what was the point if this thread? Most people think LA has the best but you disagree however if someone mentions as Seattle having the best you wouldn't argue that right? You say SF, Seattle, and LA are equal then why not just have titled it "which city aside from Seattle, SF, and LA has the best Thai food"?
I'm not arguing against his opinion that LA has better Thai food. I'm just saying that his points about travel time by sea, port volume, and access to fresh produce being important factors in LA having better Thai food than Seattle are just not accurate.
I'm not arguing against his opinion that LA has better Thai food. I'm just saying that his points about travel time by sea, port volume, and access to fresh produce being important factors in LA having better Thai food than Seattle are just not accurate.
I agree, it might help just a tiny bit more as far as making the food cheaper, but the only leg up LA has is a greater population IMO, you really can't go wrong in either city, I think we should talk about what's the 4th best city for Thai since it seems most of the debate right now is coming down to irrelevance.
I agree, it might help just a tiny bit more as far as making the food cheaper, but the only leg up LA has is a greater population IMO, you really can't go wrong in either city, I think we should talk about what's the 4th best city for Thai since it seems most of the debate right now is coming down to irrelevance.
I'm not even sure how it would make the food cheaper - port volumes are not high because of specialty products. Both LA and Seattle are in top 6 in terms of port imports, but 99% of that is bulk commodities that are distributed across the country. Produce may be very incrementally cheaper in LA, but that really doesn't affect costs at Thai restaurants. In Seattle, the average price for lunch at a good hole-in-the-wall Thai place is $5-$6.
As for which is fourth of the places I've tried Thai food, I'd probably go with Portland. I did have some amazing Thai food in NYC in the East Village and in Brooklyn, but overall NYC's Thai is not consistant enough to be ranked that high.
I would say LA, specifically Thai Town in East Hollywood. Nothing I've found in the Bay Area (and I've looked all over SF and Oakland) has come close to the Thai food I had living while in LA, both in terms of flavor and price. In Thai Town, high quality dishes consistently average around $6-$8, compared to the $9-$12 prices I usually see around the Bay Area.
The port is closer and has greater volume and so can conceivably get first dibs on stuff from Thailand faster and more cheaply than Seattle can.
Even beyond that, the demand here is much greater because you have a very large Thai community that's spread out over multiple parts of LA, the SGV, the SFV, and OC. Demand is the biggest reason that foreign-made goods would end up here; the proximity which lessens delivery time and shipping cost just sweetens the deal.
There are a fair number of Thai (as well as Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) companies that have their sole distributors based in the LA area; go and check the packaging on your favorite Asian condiments, chances are good that their US contact info will be somewhere in California, most likely in SoCal.
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The more productive agricultural area has a much longer growing season (as the lower latitude does make large differences there) and can grow a greater variety of foods all of which is important as fresh ingredients are essential to good thai cooking which relies a lot more on fresh herbs and the like for its curries than dry spices. These are all why LA has such great cheap and mid-budget food in general and not just for thai. Also LA's thai and southeast asian)communities are generally an order of magnitude larger. I think Seattle is great all around for food and all things, but LA's thai is noticeably more varied and it's easier to find thai food closer to that of various regions of thailand (though that's not necessarily what people want).
And, in addition to radily available imported products, many "Asian" standbys, such as the ubiquitos Tuong Ot Sriracha by Hoy Fong foods that you see in practically every Thai and Vietnamese place in the US are made in the LA area. It's about as common as ketchup around here.
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It's not a world of difference and it doesn't mean a great thai place can't pop up elsewhere. However, if we're talking about overall best then it's LA.
That's been my experience. There are some really good Thai places in Seattle; Seattle's Thai and Ethiopian are IMHO their standout ethnic cuisines and they're generally pretty good, and their Vietnamese is increasingly awesome as well (for any Seattlites in the house, Pho Saigon on First Hill is really good).
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