Chinese versions of street food apps released
Tasting Thai food like a local is one thing travellers should try when visiting the Kingdom. To facilitate the experience, especially for Chinese tourists, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thailand Foundation have released Chinese language versions for the apps Street Food Bangkok, Street Food Chiang Mai and Street Food Phuket.
The Chinese versions come after Street Food Bangkok was first made available in English in March 2015.
The three apps were developed by the Thailand Foundation — a non-profit organisation founded in 2007 with support from the Foreign Ministry to promote Thai art, culture and general way of life.
Each app features popular street food with images such as pad Thai, khao kha moo (stewed pork leg with rice) and hoi tod (fried mussels pancake), which was recently listed as one of the eight most popular dishes by the World Street Food Congress.
The app also has a search engine. It allows you to find dishes you may want to try, such as som tam, Muslim food and even desserts such as ripe mango with sweet coconut-milk sticky rice. Street Food Bangkok has more than 120 recommended restaurants and stalls, covering 25 types of dishes. Street Food Chiang Mai, meanwhile, has a list of 80 food outlets offering 18 types of dishes. Lastly, Street Food Phuket has 90 eateries featuring 33 types of local meals.
When you select seafood, for instance, the app will link you to recommended restaurants and vendors. Each vendor has brief information about opening time and a cooking tip to explain why the dish of the restaurant is special.
Each app also provides short directions in Thai in case you want to take a taxi and show the directions to the driver. The “Get Directions” function is also added to offer a self-guided route via GPS map.
The Thai Foundation expects that the Street Food apps will help foreign visitors enjoy their stay in the big city and affirm the country’s image as one of the world’s 23 best cities for street food, as listed by CNN for the second year. The apps are available for free download both at the App Store and on Google Play.