While it's true that more Western-style fast food restaurants exist in Thailand than ever before, the everyday fare is still for the most part one of vegetables, rice, and fruit, supplemented by quantities of meat and fish that are small by Western standards. Nevertheless, a good many Thais are well aware that they are indeed fortunate to grow up with a cuisine that is not only delicious but also highly nutritious. Many even feel the need from time to time, to restrict their diets to let the system detoxify. Every year for 9 days beginning in late September, a percentage of the population foregoes all meat, fish, alcohol, and stimulants such as tea and caffeine. However in many homes all over the country, families dress in white and live quietly and chastely, foregoing all forms of entertainment.
Many people also practice abstinence from sex.
It is the opportunity to set aside material urges, and let the body and spirit rest. Tofu cooked to taste astonishingly like red pork and other meat dishes is prepared, and a marvelous variety of Thai vegetables is on display in ways not often seen. This is Thai culinary inventiveness at its finest. Spicy dishes that excite the palate are also eschewed during Gin Jeh, so for visitors with sensitive tastebuds it is an excellent time to get adventurous. 3 tblsps unsalted peanuts 1 or 2 red hot chillies 1 tsp.