All this talk about Mc'Ds and Starbucks coming just made me wonder what the expat actually eats here.
Myself it's pretty much Thai food all the time but even though I consider my pallet versatile I can not get it accustomed to some of the Issan delights.
Every now and then I indulge in some mash potato or baked beans but sticky rice, som tam etc is the norm.

This is a good idea for a topic "favorite Thai foods you can eat" or something like that. That
fried basil with the minced chicken ( ผัด กะเพรา ไก่ ) ( pad-gaprow-gai ) usually with a couple
fried eggs thrown on top I find very tasty. But I can't subsist solely on their diet and I'm
not sure how they do (healthy portions of hot chilies I suspect) Sometimes I pick up some
broccoli & carrots at the supermarket and have a cold salad. Mom was right, eat your vegetables.

When in Pattaya where there is a big choice, including McDonalds, maybe half my meals are American sandwiches. The SUBWAY subs or bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwiches are favorites. You can get a 6-inch tuna sub for 89 baht; other subs for about 135 baht. Good BLTs can be had for 60 baht.

When in Udon the open-air Thai restaurant close to my hotel gets the biggest share of my patronage. Always get the fried rice, but then they have maybe six or seven varieties of fried rice. And they also have a good noodle soup. Cost of fried rice is around 30 baht. In the U.S. fried rice is about 500 baht at a Thai restaurant.

gapow ghia kia dow is also my favorite Cali

i don't do isan.

thai, usually at maya restaurant along with that banana split, or home, partial to tom kha, yellow or red curry/panang/masaman, sweet and sour if stomach not cooperating. and occasional soup, once or twice a month, and a kha moo, usually at food court at mall, or kha moo take away across from 7-11 near bus station, good stuff. just 100 baht worth of meat and juice, rice we can do at home

western.........big 3, irish clock, nobi's, tj's, that about it for western out. take away pizza co. 2/1, hard to beat. do a lot of sandwiches in the house, especially when hot. most italian and steaks and burgers are done at house if for dinner. me and ree usually have a lite lunch every weekday while out on scooter.

Ree did a nice bbq fish last night. that and chickens, pork chops, anything bbq, all done at home at fraction of cost and quality/hygiene top notch, no swatting flies. we can both whip up most side dishes, baked, mashed pot, baked beans, along with her som tam and different variations of thai side dishes. little over stocked on bbq sauce, so i see ribs and baked beans in the future.

i'm starting to cut back on Thai, bit more western, but mostly at home, Ree and gem are about 50/50.

I eat at home 80-90% of the time.My wife cooks meats dishes with various greens ,garlic , chilis and sauces,Tom Yams with pork and chicken,various types of noodle dishes(not soups).I buy roast chicken from Tesco,make tuna salads with eggs,broccoli,onions and lettuce,ocassional meatloaf with onions,bread,eggs and beef or pork,roast Pork,I like the BBQ Taplia fish ,many other dishes,mostly Thai/Isaan cruisine.
When we go out,we usually prefer Thai resturants,I think they are better value and more tasty too!
I find falang food served in most resturants not to my taste and quality.Although I try to stay away from the tasty ''fat'' stuff which I am sure has quality in some resturants like Nobis,TJ's and the IR!

Mostly Thai food, no Issan. Farang food typically make myself but will dine out maybe 3-4 time a month. I live near Big C so frequently eat at the food court, tasty (to my liking anyway), inexpensive and quick. An entree, small drink and ice cream will set me back 50bt.

Very little Issan either, at home a mixture of Falang (if I cook) or Thai (if TG cooks). Out & about Irish Clock or Nobi's probably once a month just to remind me of what Falang food should tastes like. Restaurant of choice would be one opposite AEG, but more than happy with BBQ fish (& many of the other offerings) from/in Night Market. Agree with papa that Big C food hall is a good value eating venue where both TG & me can always find something to eat - although usually totally different meals - which has advantages.
Just plenty of choice (to my thinking) in and about Udon so hard to get bored with food. However, as others have mentioned, the heat (of the sun, not the dishes ) does reduce my appetite considerably & it is good to have just a nice cheese/ham salad now and again - pity no one seems to sell "new potatoes"

roy , youve really opened a can of worms with this one . i will eat pretty much any thing thats walked swam or flown at one time or another . not a great lover of vegatables , although i do appreciate they add colour to any dish . i will try anything once , except bugs !!!!! i mean anything with more than 4 legs is never normal !!!!!! but then im not keen on them alive either, in fact , i prefer them dead , as long as their not on my plate !!!! at home i will eat anything my wife cooks as long as its not too spicy and not burnt . although shes not a great cook , she can do a speg bol the way i like it , and she trys , bless her . she also does a pretty good english fry up , best ive ever had in thailand . when im out i would say i go 40% thai , 30% chinese thai , 20% english and 10% italian . not a great lover of isaan food though , but there are a couple of dishes i do like , tender young beaver being my favourite !!!! my weakness is definately sweets , or puddings . not the fancy girly ones , but proper mans puddings like my mum used to make , stodgy with plenty of custard . but there becoming just a fond memory to me now , untill that new place opens . the mere thought of a rhubarb crumble and custard is making me dribble on the keyboard . i realise i dont have the healthiest of diets , and im not that bothered about living forever , so if i do die young , im gonna die happy !!!!!

Mostly vegetables with tofu. For variety, I like tofu with vegetables.

When out, fried mixed vegetables, cheese on toast, and rarely pizza.

Fast food holds little attraction for me.

Great topic, Roy. I eat whatever the wife puts in front of me. usually Lao/Thai food. She comes back from the market with what looks like a bunch of grass and leaves, and cooks it up with spices, chili peppers, a little pork or chicken along with rice and we've got an amazing meal. Once in a while we have spaghetti, which is about the only western food she likes --other than KFC, which she loves amd I detest - - go figure. Occasionally I get a craving for a good cheeseburger or American breakfast so we head down to Mojo's. I miss American food, like barbecue, steak, pizza, hoagies (subs), etc. but have resigned myself to the fact that they ain't gonna happen here due to the lack of decent beef and bread. I had a head start on Thai food before coming here, as I had a lot of Thai expat friends and usually did a lot of Thai cooking. I usually ate about 50% Asian and 50% American, whereas here it's about 98% Thai/Lao.

don't forget 5 star chicken in big c parking lot if very hungry. make sure it is prime time, so not getting leftover lunch or dinners the day before, then upstairs for a few side dishes. one of the larger bbq chicks for same price as the small ones everyone else tries to pawn off.