title: Apple Store

text: Several publications and analysts predicted the failure of Apple Stores. However, the Apple retail program established its merits, bypassing the sales-per-square-foot measurement of competing nearby stores, and in 2004 reached $1 billion in annual sales, the fastest of any retailer in history. Sales continued to grow, reaching $1 billion a quarter by 2006. Then-CEO Steve Jobs said that "People haven't been willing to invest this much time and money or engineering in a store before", adding that "It's not important if the customer knows that. They just feel it. They feel something's a little different." In 2011, Apple Stores in the United States had an average revenue of $473,000 for each employee. According to research firm RetailSails, the Apple Store chain ranked first among U.S. retailers in terms of sales per unit area in 2011, almost doubling Tiffany, the second retailer on the list. On a global level, all Apple Stores had a combined revenue of US$16 billion. Under the leadership of Ron Johnson, the former senior Vice President of Retail Operations, the Apple Stores have, according to an article in "The New York Times", been responsible for "[turning] the boring computer sales floor into a sleek playroom filled with gadgets". The Apple Stores have also been credited with raising the company's brand equity, with Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at New York University Stern School of Business, stating that the Stores are the "temple to the brand which is this unbelievable experience called an Apple Store, and then you have this very mediocre experience called an AT&T or Verizon connect your phone experience for Samsung and the other Android players".


title: Apple Store

text: Apple has since re-established ties with major big box retailers like Best Buy and Staples. Authorized Apple resellers have a dedicated store-within-a-store section, offering a distinctive Apple-style experience to showcase products. The relationship with Best Buy calls for the company to send Apple Solutions Consultants (ASCs) to train Best Buy employees to be familiar with Apple's product lineup.


title: Apple Store

text: In an interview with Funke Mediengruppe in May 2021 Deirdre O'Brien commented, "Apple is sticking to its plan to open more stores around the globe in the future."


title: Apple Store

text: Apple Stores have considerably changed the landscape for consumer electronics retailers and influenced other technological companies to follow suit. According to "The Globe and Mail", "Apple’s retail stores have taken traffic, control and profits away from Verizon as well as electronics retailers, such as Best Buy, that once looked at wireless phones as a lucrative profit source". "CNET" has reported that the "Apple retail experience hurts Best Buy" and noted, "Buy a MacBook at the Apple Store and it's hard to go back to the Best Buy Windows laptop buying experience". The publication also wrote that "Apple salespeople are generally more knowledgeable, the products themselves are generally higher quality, and the stores are more appealing, aesthetically and practically."


title: Apple Store

text: In October 2009, reports surfaced that Steve Jobs and his retail team would help "drastically overhaul" Disney Stores. His involvement was described by "The New York Times" as "particularly notable", given his work on the "highly successful" Apple Stores and his election to Disney's board of directors in 2006.


title: Apple Store

text: In August 2009, the "London Evening Standard" reported that Apple's first store in the United Kingdom, at Regent Street, was the most profitable shop of its size in London, with the highest sales per square foot, taking in £60 million a year, or £2,000 per square foot.


title: Apple Store

text: Many other electronics retailers from around the world such as Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi started to follow the designing trend of Apple Store.


title: Apple Store

text: In May 2016, Apple significantly redesigned its Union Square Apple Store in downtown San Francisco, adding large glass doors for the entry, open spaces with touch-sensitive tables and shelves for product displays, and rebranded rooms for the store. "The Avenue" is the central location for hardware, as well as for receiving advice from salespersons and "Creative Pros" with specialized knowledge of music, photography, creativity, and apps. The "Genius Bar" becomes the "Genius Grove", a tree-lined area for help and support. "The Forum" features a large video screen and offers game nights, sessions with experts in creative arts, and community events. "The Plaza", while limited to select locations, offers a "park-like" space outside the store featuring free 24/7 Wi-Fi access and will host live concerts on some weekends. Designed by Jony Ive and Angela Ahrendts, the idea was to make Apple Stores into "town squares", in which people come naturally to the store as a gathering place, and to "help foster human experiences that draw people out of their digital bubbles". The new design will be adopted to every store Apple has, and while renovation is undergoing, stores are either relocated or temporarily closed.


title: Apple Store

text: In April 2017, Apple announced that its "Today at Apple" educational sessions, which launched with its Union Square redesign in 2016 and offer more than 60 free hands-on sessions for creative skills, will also be expanded to all of its stores.


title: Apple Store

text: Starting May 2018, a Video Wall was added to stores around the world, and upgrade some stores like Apple Palo Alto.


title: Apple Store

text: All Apple Stores feature a Genius Bar, where customers can receive technical advice or set up service and repair for their products. The Genius Bar provides hardware service on products that are not classified vintage or obsolete. However, in most cases the Geniuses will at least attempt to assist customers with older hardware.


title: Apple Store

text: The Genius Bar at Apple Stores offers same-day service for both OLED/LCD screen and lithium-ion battery replacement. If the in-house technician needs to send the affected device to an Apple Repair Center, most repaired or replaced iPhones will be returned or ready for pickup in approximately 3 business days.


title: Apple Store

text: In May 2017, Apple launched a new program called Today at Apple. Customers can come in and receive free training from a Creative in more than 60 different sessions. Topics include basic device knowledge, Apple's professional film, and music editing software, coding for kids, and tools for using Apple products in classroom-based learning.


title: Apple Store

text: Apple Store openings and new product releases can draw crowds of hundreds, with some waiting in line as much as a day before the opening. The opening of New York City's Fifth Avenue store in 2006 was highly frequented, and had visitors from Europe who flew in for the event. In June 2017, a newlywed couple took their wedding photos inside the then-recently opened Orchard Road Apple Store in Singapore.


title: Apple Store

text: In 1993, Apple opened a store at its Apple Campus in Cupertino, California. At the time, the store was the only place in the world where Apple merchandise could be purchased, including T-shirts, mugs, and pens. In June 2015, the store was closed for renovations, and in September it was reopened, offering a new design and, for the first time, selling iPhones.


title: Apple Store

text: In July 2011, an American expatriate blogger who lives in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming reported on her discovery of what she called "the best ripoff store we had ever seen"—a fake Apple Store, complete with the glass exterior, wood display tables, winding staircase and large promotional posters found in legitimate Apple Stores, and with employees wearing lanyards and the same T-shirts as actual Apple Store employees. "The Wall Street Journal" reported that the store had "gotten widespread international attention for the remarkable lengths to which its proprietors seem to have gone to mimic the look and feel of a real Apple Store." The fake Apple Store was mentioned by U.S. presidential contender Mitt Romney in the . Chinese law prohibits retailers from copying the look and feel of competitors' stores, but enforcement is lax.


title: Apple Store

text: According to "The Wall Street Journal", unauthorized Apple resellers are found throughout China; the blogger's original post noted that two such stores were located within walking distance of the first knockoff, one of them with a misspelled sign reading "Apple Stoer". An employee of the first knockoff confirmed that the store was not one of the 13 authorized Apple resellers in Kunming. In a follow-up report, Reuters indicated that local authorities in Kunming had closed two fake Apple Stores in that city due to lack of official business permits, but allowed three other such stores to stay open, including the one that had attracted international attention. The operators of that store had applied for a reseller license from Apple. At the time of the report, only four legitimate Apple Stores had opened in China, with two in Beijing and two in Shanghai.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: Marvel Studios: Assembled is an American anthology television docuseries of specials created for the streaming service Disney+. Produced by Marvel Studios, each special goes behind-the-scenes of a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series or film in with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: The series was first announced in February 2021. "Marvel Studios: Assembled" premiered on March 12, 2021, with subsequent specials releasing shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release. It received positive responses for showcasing how each project came together, particularly with the technical aspects and franchise connectivity.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: The series goes behind-the-scenes of a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or with the creatives, exploring the process of creating each series or film.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: "Marvel Studios: Assembled" was announced in February 2021 as a television documentary series of specials to go behind-the-scenes with an "in-depth examination" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series and films in the franchise's slate of content. Each "making of" special follows the filmmakers and the cast and crew members during the production of each project, with exclusive on-set footage used to compile the specials in the series. "Assembled" was announced to premiere on March 12, 2021, with a special for "WandaVision" (2021), with specials for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021), the first season of "Loki" (2021), and "Hawkeye" (2021), along with the film "Black Widow" (2021), also revealed. Later in March, ahead of the premiere of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", its special was revealed to release on April 30, 2021. Shortly after the premiere of "Loki" in June, that series' special was revealed to release on July 21, 2021. The first three specials debuted one week after the release of each series' finale. In September 2021, the "Black Widow" special was revealed to be releasing on October 20, 2021, while a special for "What If...?" was announced for October 27. In November, a special for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was announced to be releasing on November 12, 2021, to coincide with the Disney+ release of that film as part of the service's "Disney+ Day" celebration.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: In December 2021, it was announced that "Hawkeye" special would be released on January 19, 2022, though this was moved to February 9, 2022, in January 2022. At the same time, the special for "Eternals" (2021) was announced to be released on February 16. In April 2022, a special for "Moon Knight" (2022) was revealed to be releasing on May 11, 2022, ultimately releasing on May 25. In June 2022, a special for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022) was revealed to be releasing on July 1, 2022, before being pushed back and releasing a week later on July 8. In July, a special for "Ms. Marvel" (2022) was revealed to be releasing on August 3, 2022. The following month, it was announced that the special for "" (2022) would be released on September 8, 2022, for Disney+ Day. In October, a special for "" (2022) was revealed to be releasing on November 3, 2022.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: Commentators called "Assembled" a companion series to fellow Marvel Studios docuseries "", which releases before a series or film to help inform viewers about relevant events to that series or film, while Hoai-Tran Bui and Ethan Anderton of "/Film", and "ComicBook.com" Charlie Ridgley each noted the similarities to the "" documentary series for the Disney+ "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian". Ridgley and Matt Miller at "Game Informer" noted "Assembled" allowed Marvel Studios to provide more insight on how their content is produced and answer questions audiences may have regarding them. David Wolinsky of "GameSpot" felt "Assembled" was a "promising follow-up" to "Marvel's Behind the Mask" (2021), a fellow documentary series that showcased the inspiration behind Marvel's comic book heroes.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: "Marvel Studios: Assembled" premiered on March 12, 2021, on Disney+. Additional specials are released shortly after a Disney+ series' completion or a film's Disney+ release.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: With the release of the special for "WandaVision", Anderton recalled how Marvel Studios had gone from making the MCU as the "largest episodic experiment ever", according to that series' star Paul Bettany, into a "full fledged success" with its interconnectivity and felt "Assembled" allowed Marvel Studios to "dive into every aspect" of their upcoming productions, including the "spoiler-filled details" that were kept under wraps. Elaine Low, writing for "Variety", said the "WandaVision" special was a "delightful deep dive" that explored the "massive scale and breadth" of the visual effects used for its episodes and the production design. Lucas Pearce at "The People's Movies" felt that special was a "great way to close the gap" between that series' finale by showing how it "all came together".


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: Regarding the special for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", Anderton felt as that series was more straightforward than "WandaVision", it was less compelling or enthralling, but highlighted the technical aspects of that production he found "surprising", such as showcasing the use of real skydivers for some frames, and the use of visual effects for some backgrounds in action scenes and on Sam Wilson's Captain America suit. He particularly highlighted stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan joking around together and a single take scene of Daniel Brühl in character as Baron Helmut Zemo promoting a Sokovian clothing store called Suit-kovia for a "makeshift commercial", which was filmed at the Brass Monkey nightclub set that was used for the series' Madripoor setting.


title: Marvel Studios: Assembled

text: In November 2022, the documentary special "Director by Night" was released, going behind the scenes of the Marvel Studios Special Presentation "Werewolf by Night" (2022) with its director and composer Michael Giacchino.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that unlike many other cuisines, Thai cooking is "about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all."


title: Thai cuisine

text: Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: "tom" (boiled dishes), "yam" (spicy salads), "tam" (pounded foods), and "gaeng" (curries). Deep-fries, stir-fries, and steamed dishes derive from Chinese cuisine.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In 2017, seven Thai dishes appeared on a list of the "World's 50 Best Foods", an online poll of 35,000 people worldwide by "CNN Travel". Thailand had more dishes on the list than any other country: tom yam goong (4th), pad thai (5th), som tam (6th), massaman curry (10th), green curry (19th), Thai fried rice (24th) and nam tok mu (36th).


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai cuisine and the culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand's neighbors, especially India, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, have mutually influenced one another over the course of many centuries.


title: Thai cuisine

text: According to the Thai monk Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku's writing, ‘India's Benevolence to Thailand’, Thai cuisine was influenced by Indian cuisine. He wrote that Thai people learned how to use spices in their food in various ways from Indians. Thais also obtained the methods of making herbal medicines from the Indians. Some plants like sarabhi of the family Guttiferae, panika or harsinghar, phikun or "Mimusops elengi" and bunnak or the rose chestnut etc. were brought from India. According to a book 'Mae Krua Hua Pa' (first published in 1908) by Lady Plian Bhaskarawongse (ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรวงษ์), she found that Thai cuisine had had a strong gastronomical cultural line from Sukhothai (1238–1448) through Ayuttthaya (1351–1767) and Thonburi period (1767–1782) vis-à-vis Siamese governmental officers' daily routines (such as royal cooking) and their related cousins. Thai food during the Thonburi period tended to be more similar to that from the Ayutthaya period, except the addition of Chinese food resulted from her prosperous international trade.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Western influences, starting in 1511 when the first diplomatic mission from the Portuguese arrived at the court of Ayutthaya, have created dishes such as "foi thong", the Thai adaptation of the Portuguese fios de ovos, and "sangkhaya", where coconut milk replaces cow's milk in making a custard. These dishes were said to have been brought to Thailand in the 17th century by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a woman of mixed Japanese-Portuguese-Bengali ancestry who was born in Ayutthaya, and became the wife of Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek adviser to King Narai. The most notable influence from the West must be the introduction of the chili pepper from the Americas in the 16th or 17th century. It, and rice, are now two of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. During the Columbian Exchange, Portuguese and Spanish ships brought new foodstuffs from the Americas including tomatoes, corn, papaya, pea eggplants, pineapple, pumpkins, culantro, cashews, and peanuts.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states (often sharing the same cultural background and ethnicity on both sides of the border) as well as climate and geography. Northern Thai cuisine shares dishes with Shan State in Burma, northern Laos, and also with Yunnan Province in China, whereas the cuisine of Isan (northeastern Thailand) is similar to that of Southern Laos, and is also influenced by Khmer cuisine from Cambodia to its south, and by Vietnamese cuisine to its east. Southern Thailand, with many dishes that contain liberal amounts of coconut milk and fresh turmeric, has that in common with Indian, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai cuisine is more accurately described as five regional cuisines, corresponding to the five main regions of Thailand:


title: Thai cuisine

text: In addition to these regional cuisines, there is also Thai royal cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351–1767 CE). Its refinement, cooking techniques, presentation, and use of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the central Thai plains. Thai royal cuisine has been influenced by the Khmer royal cuisine through the Khmer palace cooks brought to the Ayutthaya Kingdom during its conquests of the Khmer Empire. Thai royal cuisine has become very well known from the Rattanakosin Era onwards.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Typically, Thai royal cuisine has basic characteristics that are close to the basic food prepared by general people. However, Thai royal cuisine focuses on the freshness of seasonal products. Other than that, it is crucial that the way in which Thai royal food is cooked, should be complex and delicate.


title: Thai cuisine

text: La Loubère, an envoy from France during the reign of King Narai, recorded that the food at the court was generally similar to villager food. What makes Thai Royal cuisine different food is its beautiful presentation. For example, they served fish and chicken with the bones removed, and the vegetables were served in bite-sized portions. In addition, if beef is used, it should be tenderloin only.


title: Thai cuisine

text: There are many types of Thai royal cuisine such as "ranchuan" curry, "nam phrik long rue", "matsaman" curry, rice in jasmine-flavored iced water or "khao chae", spicy salad, fruit, and carved vegetable.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai chef McDang, himself descended from the royal family, asserts that the difference between royal Thai cuisine and regular Thai cuisine is fiction. He maintains that the only difference between the food of the palace and that of the common people is the former's elaborate presentation and better ingredients.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai food was traditionally eaten with the hand while seated on mats or carpets on the floor or coffee table in upper middle class families, customs still found in more traditional households. Today, however, most Thais eat with a fork and spoon. Tables and chairs were introduced as part of a broader Westernization drive during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. The fork and spoon were introduced by King Chulalongkorn after his return from a tour of Europe in 1897 CE.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Important to Thai dining is the practice of "khluk", mixing the flavors and textures of different dishes with the rice from one's plate. The food is pushed by the fork, held in the left hand, into the spoon held in the right hand, which is then brought to the mouth. A traditional ceramic spoon is sometimes used for soup, and knives are not generally used at the table. It is common practice for both the Thais and the hill tribe peoples who live in Lanna and Isan to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand (and only the right hand by custom) which are then dipped into side dishes and eaten.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Chopsticks were foreign utensils to most ethnic groups in Thailand with the exception of the Thai Chinese, and a few other cultures such as the Akha people, who are recent arrivals from Yunnan Province, China. Traditionally, the majority of ethnic Thai people ate with their hands like the people of India. Chopsticks are mainly used in Thailand for eating Chinese-style noodle soups, or at Chinese, Japanese, or Korean restaurants. Stir-fried noodle dishes such as drunken noodles, pad see ew, and "pad Thai", and curry-noodle dishes such as "khanom chin nam ngiao", are also eaten with a fork and spoon in the Thai fashion.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai meals typically consist of rice ("khao" in Thai) with many complementary dishes shared by all. The dishes are all served at the same time, including the soups, and it is also customary to provide more dishes than there are guests at a table. A Thai family meal would normally consist of rice with several dishes which should form a harmonious contrast of flavors and textures as well as preparation methods. Traditionally, a meal would have at least five elements: a dip or relish for raw or cooked vegetables ("khrueang chim") is the most crucial component of any Thai meal. "Khrueang chim", considered a building block of Thai food by Chef McDang, may come in the form of a spicy chili sauce or relish called "nam phrik" (made of raw or cooked chilies and other ingredients, which are then mashed together), or a type of dip enriched with coconut milk called "lon". The other elements would include a clear soup (perhaps a spicy "tom yam" or a mellow "tom chuet"), a curry or stew (essentially any dish identified with the "kaeng" prefix), a deep-fried dish, and a stir-fried dish of meat, fish, seafood, or vegetables.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In most Thai restaurants, diners will have access to a selection of Thai sauces ("nam chim") and condiments, either brought to the table by wait staff or present at the table in small containers. These may include "phrik nam pla/nam pla phrik" (fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilies and garlic), dried chili flakes, sweet chili sauce, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, Sriracha sauce, and even sugar. With certain dishes, such as "khao kha mu" (pork trotter stewed in soy sauce and served with rice), whole Thai peppers and raw garlic are served in addition to the sour chili sauce. Cucumber is sometimes eaten to cool the mouth with particularly spicy dishes. They often feature as a garnish, especially with one-dish meals. The plain rice, sticky rice or the "khanom chin" (Thai rice noodles) served alongside a spicy Thai curry or stir-fry, tends to counteract the spiciness.


title: Thai cuisine

text: When time is limited or when eating alone, single dishes, such as fried rice or noodle soups, are quick and filling. An alternative is to have one or more smaller helpings of curry, stir fries and other dishes served together on one plate with a portion of rice. This style of serving food is called "khao rat kaeng" (lit., "rice covered with curry"), or for short "khao kaeng" (lit., "rice curry"). Eateries and shops that specialize in pre-made food are the usual place to go to for having a meal this way. These venues have a large display showing the different dishes one can choose. When placing an order at these places, Thais will state if they want the food served as separate dishes or together on one plate with rice ("rat khao"). Very often, regular restaurants will also feature a selection of freshly made "rice curry" dishes on their menu for single customers.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai cuisine, as a whole, features many different ingredients ("suan phasom"; ), and ways of preparing food. Thai chef McDang characterises Thai food as having "intricacy, attention to detail, texture, color, and taste.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices. Common flavors in Thai food come from garlic, galangal, coriander/cilantro, lemongrass, shallots, pepper, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and chilies. Palm sugar, made from the sap of certain "Borassus" palms, is used to sweeten dishes while lime and tamarind contribute sour notes. Meats used in Thai cuisine are usually pork and chicken, and also duck, beef, and water buffalo. Goat, lamb, and mutton are rarely eaten except by Muslim Thais in Southern Thailand. Game, such as wild boar, deer and wild birds, are now less common due to loss of habitat, the introduction of modern methods of intensive animal farming in the 1960s, and the rise of agribusinesses, such as Thai Charoen Pokphand Foods, in the 1980s. Traditionally, fish, crustaceans, and shellfish play an important role in the diet of Thai people. In 2006 the per capita consumption of fish was 33.6 kg. Anna Leonowens (of "The King and I" fame) observed in her book "The English Governess at the Siamese Court" (1870):


title: Thai cuisine

text: "The stream is rich in fish of excellent quality and flavour, such as is found in most of the great rivers of Asia; and is especially noted for its "platoo", a kind of sardine, so abundant and cheap that it forms a common seasoning to the labourer's bowl of rice."


title: Thai cuisine

text: Freshwater varieties come from the many rivers, lakes, ponds, and paddy fields inland, and seafood from the tropical seas of the southern half of the country. Some species, such as the giant river prawn, need brackish water as juveniles but live out their lives in freshwater once mature. Aquaculture of species such as Nile tilapia, catfish, tiger prawns, and blood cockles, now generates a large portion of the seafood sold in, and exported from Thailand.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Like most other Asian cuisines, rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. According to Thai food expert McDang, rice is the first and most important part of any meal, and the words for rice and food are the same: "khao". As in many other rice eating cultures, to say "eat rice" (in Thai ""kin khao""; pronounced as "gin cow") means to eat food.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Rice is such an integral part of the diet that a common Thai greeting is ""kin khao reu yang?"" which literally translates as "Have you eaten rice yet?".


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai farmers historically have cultivated tens of thousands of rice varieties. The traditional recipe for a rice dish could include as many as 30 varieties of rice. That number has been drastically reduced due to genetic modifications.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Non-glutinous rice ("Oryza sativa") is called "khao chao" (lit., "royal rice"). One type, which is indigenous to Thailand, is the highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice (""). This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Once the rice is steamed or cooked, it is called "khao suai" (lit., "beautiful rice"). Non-glutinous rice is used for making fried rice dishes, and for congee, of which there are three main varieties: "khao tom" (a thin rice soup, most often with minced pork or fish), "khao tom kui" (a thick, unflavored rice porridge that is served with side dishes), or "chok" (a thick rice porridge that is flavored with broth and minced meat).


title: Thai cuisine

text: Other varieties of rice eaten in Thailand include: sticky rice ("khao niao"), a unique variety of rice which contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. Thai Red Cargo rice, an unpolished long grain rice with an outer deep reddish-brown color and a white center, has a nutty taste and slightly chewy compared to the soft and gummy texture of jasmine rice. Only the husks of the red rice grains are removed which allows it to retain all its nutrients and vitamins, but unlike brown rice, its red color comes from antioxidants in the bran. Black sticky rice is a type of sticky rice with a deep purple-red color that may appear black. Another unpolished grain, black sticky rice has a rich nutty flavor that is most often used in desserts.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Noodles in Thailand are usually made from the flour of rice, wheat, or mung bean. Perhaps one of the oldest type of noodle in Thailand is "khanom chin", which is a fresh type of rice vermicelli made from fermented rice, and eaten with toppings like green curry ("kaeng khiao wan") with chicken or in green papaya salad ("som tam"). Other noodle varieties were subsequently introduced by Chinese migrants to Thailand, as is testified by their Sino-Thai name "kuaitiao" (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว; Chinese: 粿條; pinyin: gǔotiáo). The three most common rice varieties of "kuaitiao" are "sen yai" (เส้นใหญ่) wide flat noodles, "sen lek" (เส้นเล็ก) narrow flat noodles, and "sen mi" (เส้นหมี่; or rice vermicelli), which are round and thin. A fourth popular variety, "bami" (บะหมี่; Chinese: 薄麵; pinyin: báomiàn) is made from egg and wheat flour and is usually sold fresh. "Bami" are similar to the Teochew "mee pok". A fifth type, "wun sen" (วุ้นเส้น; lit. "jelly strands"), called cellophane noodles or glass noodles in English, are thin round noodles made from mung bean flour which are sold dried. Lastly, and least common in noodle shops, are "silver needle noodles" "kiami" (เกี้ยมอี๋), a somewhat thick round rice noodle similar in size and shape to bean sprouts. Thai noodle dishes, whether stir fried like "phat Thai" or in the form of a noodle soup, usually come as an individual serving and are not meant to be shared and eaten communally.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Rice flour ("paeng khao chao") and tapioca flour ("paeng man sampalang") are often used in desserts or as thickening agents.


title: Thai cuisine

text: An ingredient found in many Thai dishes and used in every region of the country is "nam pla", a clear fish sauce that is very aromatic. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine and imparts a unique character to Thai food. Fish sauce is prepared with fermented fish that is made into a fragrant condiment and provides a salty flavor. There are many varieties of fish sauce and many variations in the way it is prepared. Some fish may be fermented with shrimp or spices. Another type of sauce made from fermented fish is "pla ra". It is more pungent than "nam pla", and, in contrast to "nam pla", which is a clear liquid, "pla ra" is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To add this sauce to a "som tam" (spicy papaya salad) is a matter of choice. "Kapi", Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used in the famous chili paste called "nam phrik kapi", in rice dishes such as "khao khluk kapi" and it is indispensable for making Thai curry pastes. "Tai pla" is a pungent sauce used in the southern Thai cuisine, that is made from the fermented innards of the short mackerel ("pla thu"). It is one of the main condiments of "kaeng tai pla" curry and is also used to make "nam phrik tai pla". Far removed from the nearest sea, from northern Thailand comes "nam pu", a thick, black paste made by boiling mashed rice-paddy crabs for hours. It is used as an ingredient for certain northern Thai salads, curries, and chili pastes. It too has a strong and pungent flavor.


title: Thai cuisine

text: "Nam phrik" are Thai chili pastes, similar to the Indonesian and Malaysian sambals. Each region has its own special versions. The words ""nam phrik"" are used by Thais to describe many pastes containing chilies used for dipping, although the more watery versions tend to be called "nam chim". Thai curry pastes are normally called "phrik kaeng" or "khrueang kaeng" (lit. curry ingredients), but some people also use the word "nam phrik" to designate a curry paste. Red curry paste, for instance, could be called "phrik kaeng phet" or "khrueang kaeng phet" in Thai, but also "nam phrik kaeng phet". Both "nam phrik" and "phrik kaeng" are prepared by crushing together chilies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. Some "nam phrik" are served as a dip with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. One such paste is "nam phrik num", a paste of pounded fresh green chilies, shallots, garlic and coriander leaves. The sweet roasted chili paste called "nam phrik phao" is often used as an ingredient in "tom yam" or when frying meat or seafood, and it is also popular as a spicy "jam" on bread, or served as a dip with prawn crackers. The dry "nam phrik kung", made with pounded dried shrimp ("kung haeng"), is often eaten plain with rice and a few slices of cucumber. French diplomat Simon de la Loubère observed that chili pastes were vital for the way Thai people eat. He provides us with a recipe for "nam phrik" with "pla ra" and onions in "Du Royaume de Siam", an account of his mission to Thailand published in 1691.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The soy sauces which are used in Thai cuisine are of Chinese origin, and the Thai names for them are (wholly or partially) loanwords from the Teochew dialect: "si-io dam" (black soy sauce), "si-io khao" (light soy sauce), "si-io wan" (sweet soy sauce), and "taochiao" (fermented whole soy beans). "Namman hoi" (oyster sauce) is also of Chinese origin. It is used extensively in vegetable and meat stir fries.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Satay is also common in Thailand, grilled or skewered meat served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce made from roasted or fried peanuts.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. The characteristic flavor of kaffir lime leaves ("bai makrut") appears in many Thai soups (e.g., the hot and sour "tom yam") or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai lime ("manao") is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves or rind is frequently combined with galangal ("kha") and lemongrass ("takhrai"), either kept whole in simmered dishes or blended together with liberal amounts of chilies and other aromatics to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil, distinctively redolent of cloves, and with stems which are often tinged with a purple color, are used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as green curry. Other commonly used herbs in Thai cuisine include "phak chi", (coriander or cilantro leaves), "rak phak chi" (cilantro/coriander roots), spearmint ("saranae"), holy basil ("kraphao"), ginger ("khing"), turmeric ("khamin"), fingerroot ("krachai"), culantro ("phak chi farang"), pandanus leaves ("bai toei"), and Thai lemon basil ("maenglak"). Spices and spice mixtures used in Thai cuisine include "phong phalo" (five-spice powder), "phong kari" (curry powder), and fresh and dried peppercorns ("phrik thai"). Northern Thai "larb" uses a very elaborate spice mix, called "phrik lap", which includes ingredients such as cumin, cloves, long pepper, star anise, prickly ash seeds and cinnamon.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Besides kaffir lime leaves, several other tree leaves are used in Thai cuisine such as "cha-om", the young feathery leaves of the "Acacia pennata" tree. These leaves can be cooked in omelettes, soups and curries or eaten raw in northern Thai salads. Banana leaves are often used as packaging for ready-made food or as steamer cups such as in "ho mok pla", a spicy steamed pâté or soufflé made with fish and coconut milk. Banana flowers are also used in Thai salads or as a vegetable ingredient for certain curries. The leaves and flowers of the neem tree ("sadao") are also eaten blanched. "Phak lueat" (leaves from the "Ficus virens") are cooked in curries, and "bai makok" (from the "Spondias mombin") can be eaten raw with a chili paste.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Five main chilies are generally used as ingredients in Thai food. One chili is very small (about ) and is known as the hottest chili: "phrik khi nu suan" ("garden mouse-dropping chili"). The slightly larger chili "phrik khi nu" ("mouse-dropping chili") is the next hottest. The green or red "phrik chi fa" ("sky pointing chili") is slightly less spicy than the smaller chilies. The very large " phrik yuak", which is pale green in color, is the least spicy and used more as a vegetable. Lastly, the dried chilies: "phrik haeng" are spicier than the two largest chilies and dried to a dark red color.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Other typical ingredients are the several types of eggplant ("makhuea") used in Thai cuisine, such as the pea-sized "makhuea phuang" and the egg-sized "makhuea suai", often also eaten raw. Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in "phat phak ruam" (stir fried mixed vegetables) and "rat na" (rice noodles served in gravy), it was never used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and was rarely seen in Thailand. Usually in Thailand, khana is used, for which broccoli is a substitute. Other vegetables which are often eaten in Thailand are "thua fak yao" (yardlong beans), "thua ngok" (bean sprouts), "no mai" (bamboo shoots), tomatoes, cucumbers, "phak tam lueng" ("Coccinia grandis"), "phak kha na" (Chinese kale), "phak kwangtung" (choy sum), sweet potatoes (both the tuber and leaves), a few types of squash, "phak krathin" ("Leucaena leucocephala"), "sato" ("Parkia speciosa"), "tua phū" (winged beans) and "khaophot" (corn).


title: Thai cuisine

text: Among the green, leafy vegetables and herbs that are usually eaten raw in a meal or as a side dish in Thailand, the most important are: "phak bung" (morning glory), "horapha" (Thai basil), "bai bua bok" (Asian pennywort), "phak kachet" (water mimosa), "phak kat khao" (Chinese cabbage), "phak phai" (praew leaves), "phak kayang" (rice paddy herb), "phak chi farang" (culantro), "phak tiu" ("Cratoxylum formosum"), "phak "phaai"" (yellow burr head) and "kalamplī" (cabbage). Some of these leaves are highly perishable and must be used within a couple of days.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Several types of mushroom ("het") also feature in Thai cuisine such as straw mushrooms ("het fang"), shiitake ("het hom"), and white jelly fungus ("het hu nu khao").


title: Thai cuisine

text: Flowers are also commonly used ingredients in many Thai dishes, either as a vegetable, such as "dok khae" ("Sesbania grandiflora") and "huapli" (the flower bud of the banana), or as a food coloring, such as with the blue-colored "dok anchan" (the flowers of the "Clitoria ternatea", which can also be eaten raw or fried).


title: Thai cuisine

text: Fresh fruit forms a large part of the Thai diet, and are customarily served after a meal as dessert. The Scottish author John Crawfurd, sent on an embassy to Bangkok in 1822, writes in his account of the journey:


title: Thai cuisine

text: "The fruits of Siam, or at least of the neighbourhood of Bangkok, are excellent and various, surpassing, according to the experience of our party (...) those of all other parts of India." The Siamese themselves consume great quantities of fruit, and the whole neighbourhood of Bangkok is one forest of fruit trees.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Fruit is not only eaten on its own, but often served with spicy dips made from sugar, salt, and chilies. Fruits feature in spicy salads such as "som tam" (green papaya salad) and "yam som-o" (pomelo salad), in soups with tamarind juice such as "tom khlong" and "kaeng som", and in Thai curries such as "kaeng kanun" (jackfruit curry), "kaeng pet phet yang" (grilled duck curry with pineapple or grapes), and "kaeng pla sapparot" (fish and pineapple curry). Fruits are also used in certain Thai chili pastes, such as in "nam phrik long rue" made with "madan" (a close relative of the mangosteen), and "nam phrik luk nam liap", salted black Chinese olive chilli paste.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Although many of the exotic fruits of Thailand may have been sometimes unavailable in Western countries, Asian markets now import such fruits as rambutan and lychees. In Thailand one can find papaya, jackfruit, mango, mangosteen, langsat, longan, pomelo, pineapple, rose apples, durian, Burmese grapes and other native fruits. Chantaburi in Thailand each year holds the "World Durian Festival" in early May. This single province is responsible for half of the durian production of Thailand and a quarter of the world production. The "Langsat Festival" is held each year in Uttaradit on weekends in September. The "langsat" ("Lansium parasiticum"), for which Uttaradit is famous, is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.


title: Thai cuisine

text: From the coconut comes coconut milk, used both in curries and desserts, and coconut oil. The juice of a green coconut can be served as a drink and the young flesh is eaten in either sweet or savory dishes. The grated flesh of a mature coconut is used raw or toasted in sweets, salads and snacks such as "miang kham". Thais not only consume products derived from the nut (actually a drupe), but they also make use of the growth bud of the palm tree as a vegetable. From the stalk of the flowers comes a sap that can be used to make coconut vinegar, alcoholic beverages, and sugar. Coconut milk and other coconut-derived ingredients feature heavily in the cuisines of central and southern Thailand. In contrast to these regions, coconut palms do not grow as well in northern and northeastern Thailand, where in wintertime the temperatures are lower and where there is a dry season that can last five to six months. In northern Thai cuisine, only a few dishes, most notably the noodle soup "khao soi", use coconut milk. In the southern parts of northeastern Thailand, where the region borders Cambodia, one can again find dishes containing coconut. It is also here that the people eat non-glutinous rice, just as in central and southern Thailand, and not glutinous rice as they do in northern Thailand and in the rest of northeastern Thailand.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, and strawberries, which do not traditionally grow in Thailand and in the past had to be imported, have become increasingly popular in the last few decades since they were introduced to Thai farmers by the Thai Royal Projects, starting in 1969, and the Doi Tung Project since 1988. These temperate fruit grow especially well in the cooler, northern Thai highlands, where they were initially introduced as a replacement for the cultivation of opium, together with other crops such as cabbages, tea, and arabica coffee.


title: Thai cuisine

text: According to the Thai government's "The Eleventh National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012–2016)", Thailand is number one in the world in the application of chemicals in agriculture. The report stated that, "The use of chemicals in the agricultural and industrial sectors is growing while control mechanisms are ineffective making Thailand rank first in the world in the use of registered chemicals in agriculture."


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Thai Pesticide Alert Network (ThaiPAN), a food safety advocacy group, annually tests Thai farm produce for contamination. In their June 2019 report, the group found that of 286 samples, 41% of produce was found to contain unsafe levels of chemicals. The group surveyed both wet markets and retail stores across the nation. Contaminants were found in 44% of samples from retail stores, and 39% of samples from wet markets. Vegetables with the highest levels of contamination were Chinese mustard greens, kale, hot basil, parsley, chilis, and cauliflower. Fruits with the highest contamination were tangerines, rose apples, guavas, and grapes. Contamination levels decreased from 2018, when 46% of samples were found to be contaminated, and 2016, when more than 50% of tested produce was found to be unsafe.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In prior years, "Q-Mark" goods showed a higher prevalence of contamination, 61.5%, than they did during ThaiPAN's March 2016 survey, 57%. Q-Mark is Thailand's National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) mark of quality.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In a survey of hydroponically-grown vegetables, ThaiPAN, in late-2017, tested 30 hydroponic vegetables purchased at Thai fresh markets and supermarkets. Of 30 vegetables tested, 19 contained noxious chemical levels above maximum limits. Three samples were contaminated, but at levels below the legal maximum. Eight samples were free of harmful chemicals.


title: Thai cuisine

text: On 22 October 2019, the 26-member National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) changed paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos from Type 3 toxic substances to Type 4, effectively prohibiting their production, import, export, or possession. Their use will be prohibited as of 1 December 2019. On 27 November 2019, the NHSC amended that timetable, moving the date for the ban of paraquat and chlorpyrifos to 1 June 2020. They lifted the ban on glyphosate with restrictions on usage: glyphosate will be used only on six major crops: corn, cassava, sugarcane, rubber, oil palms, and fruit. It is not permitted in watershed areas and other sensitive environment zones, and farmers must submit proof of use including the type of crops and the size of their farms when purchasing glyphosate. Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who chairs the NHSC, said the committee reached its decision after reviewing information provided by the Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Health. NCHS member Jirapon Limpananon, chair of the Pharmacy Council of Thailand, announced her resignation from the NCHS Wednesday night following the meeting.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Whereas many Thai dishes are now familiar in the West, the vast majority are not. In many of the dishes below, different kinds of protein, or combinations of protein, are interchangeable as the main ingredient. Beef ("nuea"), chicken ("kai"), pork ("mu"), duck ("pet"), tofu ("taohu"), fish ("pla"), prawns or shrimp ("kung"), crab ("pu"), shellfish ("hoi"), or egg ("khai") can, for example, all be used as main ingredients for "kaeng phet" (red curry). Thus "kaeng phet kai" is red curry with chicken and "kaeng phet mu" is red curry made with pork.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Khao chao (; lit. "morning rice/food"), breakfast dishes, for Thais are limited. Very often, a Thai breakfast can consist of the same dishes with rice which are also eaten for lunch or dinner. Single dishes such as fried rice, noodle soups, and steamed rice with something simple such as an omelette, fried/grilled pork or chicken, or a stir fry with vegetables, are commonly sold for breakfast from street stalls as a quick take-out.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The following dishes are viewed as being specific breakfast dishes but they can also be found at any other moment of the day:


title: Thai cuisine

text: The term ahan chan diao (; lit., "single dish food") represents truly single-plate dishes as well as dishes that are served ""rat khao"" (lit., "poured on rice"): one or more dishes served together with rice on one plate. Some eateries offer a large selection of (pre-cooked) dishes; others specialize in only a one dish, or a few dishes, with rice.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Ahan Phak Klang (; lit. "central region food") is most often eaten with the non-glutinous jasmine rice.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Ahan Isan (; lit. "Isan food") generally features dishes similar to those found in Laos, as Isan people historically have close ties with Lao culture and speak a language that is generally mutually intelligible with the Lao language. The staple food of Isan is glutinous rice and most of the Isan food is spicy and cooked with local ingredients found on the farms all through northeastern Thailand. Isan people primarily get their income from farming. Rice, sugar cane, pineapple, potato, and rubber are all farmed in this region.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Ahan Phak Nuea (; lit. "northern region food") shares certain dishes with neighboring Shan State, in Burma, and with Laos. As in northeastern Thailand, glutinous rice, not jasmine rice, is eaten as the staple food.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Ahan Phak Tai (; lit. "southern region food") shares certain dishes with the cuisine of northern Malaysia. Southern Thais, just like the people of central Thailand to the north, and the people of Malaysia to the south, eat non-glutinous rice as their staple food.


title: Thai cuisine

text: (; ) lit. 'sweet things'). Although most Thai meals finish with fresh fruit, sometimes sweet snacks, often eaten between meals, will also be served as a dessert.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Ice cream was introduced to Thailand during the reign of King Rama V when the first ice cream machine was imported to Thailand. Ice cream in the second half of the 19th century was made of coconut water blended with ice. At first, ice could not be produced in Thailand. That led to importing ice from Singapore. Ice cream was then an upper-class treat, but over time ice cream became more widely available and the product was improved by replacing coconut water with coconut milk.


title: Thai cuisine

text: There were two types of ice cream in Thailand. First, ice cream in the palace was made of coconut juice with roasted tamarind on top. Second, ice cream for the public was coconut ice cream with the scent of the Nommaeo flower with a slight sweet taste. The ice cream "tube" was born during the reign of Rama VII. Its ingredients were contained inside a zinc tube which was shaken until it solidified, then skewered stick to serve as a handle. It was sold by mobile vendors using dry ice and salt to keep the ice cream cold. Eventually, ice cream was manufactured and sold in small cups.


title: Thai cuisine

text: According to the "Bangkok Post", "aitim tat" (; "cut ice cream"), was very popular 30 years ago (1986). It came in rectangular bars of various flavors, sliced into pieces by the vendor, who then inserted two wooden sticks into the pieces to use as holders. "Aitim tat" was made from milk, coconut milk, flour, sugar, and artificial flavour. The price was one or two baht, depending on the size.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Pop Company in the 1970s set up the first ice-cream manufacturing plant in Thailand. The company used a duck logo, resulting it the nickname "aitim tra pet" (; "duck brand ice cream"). It was sold in front of Chaloemchai Theater. Its most popular offering was called "banana split", with three flavors of ice cream, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Other alcoholic beverages from Thailand include Hong Thong, Phraya, Regency, Mekhong and Sang Som. Several brands of beer are brewed in Thailand; the two most prominent brands are Singha and Chang.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Edible insects, whole or in chili paste and as ingredients in fortified products, are common in Thailand. Some claim that Thailand is the world leader in edible insects. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that there are about 20,000 cricket farms alone in 53 of Thailand's 76 provinces.


title: Thai cuisine

text: A wide range of insects are eaten in Thailand, especially in Isan and in the north. Many markets in Thailand sell deep-fried grasshoppers, crickets ("ching rit"), bee larvae, silkworm ("non mai"), ant eggs ("khai mot") and termites. The culinary creativity even extends to naming: one tasty larva, which is also known under the name "bamboo worm" ("non mai phai", "Omphisa fuscidentalis"), is colloquially called "express train" ("rot duan") due to its appearance.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Most insects reportedly taste fairly bland when deep-fried. In contrast to the bland taste of most of these insects, the "maeng da" or "maelong da na" ("Lethocerus indicus") has been described as having a very penetrating taste, similar to that of a very ripe gorgonzola cheese. This giant water bug is famously used in a chili dip called "nam phrik maeng da". Ant eggs and silkworms are eaten boiled in a soup in Isan, or used in egg dishes in northern Thailand.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The street food culture of Southeast Asia was introduced by coolie workers imported from China during the late 19th century. As a result, many Thai street foods are derived from or heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine. Street food was commonly sold by the ethnic Chinese population of Thailand and did not become popular among native Thai people until the early 1960s, when the rapid urban population growth stimulated the street food culture, and by the 1970s, it had "displaced home-cooking."


title: Thai cuisine

text: The quality and choice of street food in Thailand is world-renowned. Bangkok is often mentioned as one of the best street food cities in the world, and even called the street food capital of the world. The website VirtualTourist says: "Few places in the world, if any, are as synonymous with street food as Thailand. For the variety of locations and abundance of options, we selected Bangkok, Thailand, as our number one spot for street food. Bangkok is notable for both its variety of offerings and the city's abundance of street hawkers."


title: Thai cuisine

text: There is scarcely a Thai dish that is not sold by a street vendor or at a market somewhere in Thailand. Some specialize in only one or two dishes; others offer a complete menu that rival that of restaurants. Some sell only pre-cooked foods, while others make food to order. Foods that are made to order tend to be dishes that can be quickly prepared: quick stir fries with rice, such as "phat kaphrao" (spicy basil-fried minced pork, chicken, or seafood) or "phat khana" (stir fried gailan) and quick curries such as "pladuk phat phet" (catfish fried with red curry paste).


title: Thai cuisine

text: Noodles are a popular street food item as they are mainly eaten as a single dish. Chinese-style noodle soups, fried noodles, and fermented Thai rice noodles ("khanom chin"), served with a choice of different Thai curries, are popular. Nearly everywhere in Thailand, you will see "som tam" (green papaya salad) and sticky rice sold at stalls and roadside shops. This is popularly eaten together with grilled chicken, but if the shop does not sell any themselves, someone else nearby will. In most cities and towns there will be stalls selling sweet "roti", a thin, flat fried dough envelope, with fillings such as banana, egg, and chocolate. The "roti" is similar to the Malay "roti canai" and Singaporean "roti prata", and the stalls are often operated by Thai Muslims. Sweets snacks, collectively called "khanom", such as "tako" (coconut cream jelly), "khanom man" (coconut cassava cake), and "khanom wun" (flavored jellies), can be seen displayed on large trays in glass covered push-carts. Other sweets, such as "khanom bueang" and "khanom khrok" (somewhat similar to Dutch "poffertjes"), are made to order.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In the evenings, mobile street stalls, often only a scooter with a side car, drive by and temporarily set up shop outside bars in Thailand, selling "kap klaem" ("drinking food"). Popular "kap klaem" dishes sold by mobile vendors are grilled items such as sun-dried squid, meats on skewers, or grilled sour sausages, and deep-fried snacks such as fried insects or fried sausages. Peeled and sliced fruits are also sold from street carts, laid out on a bed of crushed ice to preserve their freshness. "Salapao", steamed buns filled with meat or sweet beans and the Thai version of the Chinese steamed "baozi", are also commonly sold by mobile vendors.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Food markets in Thailand, large open air halls with permanent stalls, tend to operate as a collection of street stalls, each vendor with their own set of tables and providing (limited) service, although some resemble the regular food courts at shopping malls and large supermarkets, with service counters and the communal use of tables. Food courts and food markets offer many of the same foods as street stalls, both pre-cooked as well as made to order. Night food markets, in the form of a collection of street stalls and mobile vendors, spring up in parking lots, along busy streets, and at temple fairs and local festivals in the evenings, when the temperatures are more agreeable and people have finished work.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The dishes sold at wet markets in Thailand tend to be offered pre-cooked. Many people go there, and also to street vendors, to buy food for at work, or to take back home. It is a common sight to see Thais carrying whole communal meals consisting of several dishes, cooked rice, sweets, and fruit, all neatly packaged in plastic bags and foam food containers, to be shared with colleagues at work or at home with friends and family. Due to the fact that many dishes are similar to those that people would cook at home, it is a good place to find regional, and seasonal, foods.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Although the Vegetarian Festival is celebrated each year by a portion of Thailand's population, and many restaurants in Thailand will offer vegetarian food during this festival period, pure vegetarian food is usually difficult to find in normal restaurants and eateries in Thailand. All traditionally made Thai curries, for instance, contain shrimp paste, and fish sauce is used as salt in many Thai dishes. At shops and restaurants that specifically cater to vegetarians, substitutes for these ingredients are used. Meat dishes are also commonly part of the alms offered to Buddhist monks in Thailand, as vegetarianism is not considered obligatory in Theravada Buddhism, but having an animal killed specifically to feed Buddhist monks is prohibited.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In most towns and cities, traditional Buddhist vegetarian fare, without any meat or seafood products of any kind and also excluding certain strong tasting vegetables and spices, is sold at specialized vegetarian restaurants which can be recognized by a yellow sign with in Thai script the word "che" () or "ahan che" () written on it in red. These restaurants serve what can be regarded as vegan food. Many Indian restaurants of the sizable Thai-Indian community will also have vegetarian dishes on offer, due to the fact that vegetarianism is held as an ideal by many followers of the Hindu faith. Indian vegetarian cuisine can incorporate dairy products and honey. Due to the increased demand for vegetarian food from foreign tourists, many hotels, guesthouses and restaurants that cater to them will now also have vegetarian versions of Thai dishes on their menu. Pescatarians would have very few problems with Thai cuisine due to the abundance of Thai dishes which only contain fish and seafood as their source of animal protein.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai cuisine only became well-known worldwide from the 1960s on, when Thailand became a destination for international tourism and US troops arrived in large numbers during the Vietnam War. The number of Thai restaurants went up from four in the 1970s London to between two and three hundred in less than 25 years. The earliest attested Thai restaurant in the United States, "Chada Thai", opened its doors in 1959 in Denver, Colorado. It was run by the former newspaper publisher Lai-iad (Lily) Chittivej. The oldest Thai restaurant in London, "The Bangkok Restaurant", was opened in 1967 by Mr and Mrs Bunnag, a former Thai diplomat and his wife, in South Kensington.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The global popularity of Thai cuisine is seen as an important factor in promoting tourism, and also increased exports of Thailand's agricultural sector. It is a result of deliberate "gastrodiplomacy". In June 2009, the Tourism Authority of Thailand organised a conference to discuss these matters at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. TAT Governor Seree Wangpaichitr said, "This conference was long overdue. The promotion of Thai cuisine is one of our major niche-market targets. Our figures show that visitors spent 38.8 billion baht on eating and drinking last year, up 16% over 1997."


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Thaksin administration (2001–2006) launched the "Kitchen of the World" campaign early in its tenure to promote Thai cuisine internationally, with a yearly budget of 500 million baht. It provided loans and training for restaurateurs seeking to establish Thai restaurants overseas; established the "Thai Select" certification program which encouraged the use of ingredients imported from Thailand; and promoted integration between Thai investors, Thai Airways, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand with Thai restaurants overseas.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The "Global Thai" program, launched in 2002, was a government-led culinary diplomacy initiative. It aimed to boost the number of Thai restaurants worldwide to 8,000 by 2003 from about 5,500 previously. By 2011, that number had swelled to more than 10,000 Thai restaurants worldwide.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The program was explained in "Thailand: Kitchen of the World", an e-book published to promote the program. The point of the e-book: "In the view of the Export Promotion Department, Thai restaurants have a good business potential that can be developed to maintain a high level of international recognition. To achieve that goal, the department is carrying out a public relations campaign to build up a good image of the country through Thai restaurants worldwide."


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Department of Export Promotion of the Thai Ministry of Commerce offers potential restaurateurs plans for three different "master restaurant" types—from fast food to elegant—which investors can choose as a prefabricated restaurant plan. Concomitantly, the Export-Import Bank of Thailand offered loans to Thai nationals aiming to open restaurants abroad, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand set up an infrastructure for loans of up to US$3 million for overseas food industry initiatives, including Thai restaurants.


title: Thai cuisine

text: One survey conducted in 2003 by the Kellogg School of Management and Sasin Institute showed that Thai cuisine ranked fourth when people were asked to name an ethnic cuisine, after Italian, French, and Chinese cuisine. When asked "what is your favourite cuisine?", Thailand's cuisine came in at sixth place, behind the three aforementioned cuisines, and Indian and Japanese cuisine.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In the list of the "World's 50 most delicious foods", compiled by CNN in 2011, "som tam" stands at place 46, "nam tok mu" at 19, "tom yam kung" at 8, and massaman curry stands on first place as most delicious food in the world. In a reader's poll held a few months later by CNN, "Nam tok mu" came in at 36, Thai fried rice at 24, green curry at 19, "massaman" curry at 10, and Thai "som tam", "pad Thai", and "tom yam kung" at six, five, and four.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In 2012, the British "Restaurant Magazine" included Nahm Bangkok of chef David Thompson in its yearly list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thai chefs of the Thailand Culinary Academy took second place in the Gourmet Team Challenge (Practical) of the FHC China International Culinary Arts Competition 14 in Shanghai, China on 14–16 November 2012. They won the IKA Culinary Olympic 2012 competition held in Erfurt, Germany between 5–10 October 2012, where they received four gold and one silver medal.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In 2011, the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Northwestern United States, was presented to Andy Ricker of restaurant "Pok Pok" in Portland, Oregon, and for Best Chef in the Southwestern United States to Saipin Chutima of restaurant "Lotus of Siam" in Winchester, Nevada.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Three restaurants that specialize in Thai cuisine, but are owned by non-Thai chefs, have received Michelin stars:


title: Thai cuisine

text: Culinary tours of Thailand have gained popularity in recent years. Alongside other forms of tourism in Thailand, food tours have carved a niche for themselves. Many companies offer culinary and cooking tours of Thailand and many tourists visiting Thailand attend cooking courses offered by hotels, guesthouses and cooking schools.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Thai government believes that a substandard Thai restaurant meal served abroad "...sabotages the country's reputation." To ensure the quality of Thai food abroad, the government has over the years initiated a series of programs designed to create universal standards for Thai food.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In 2003 the Ministry of Finance sent officials to the US to award certificates to deserving restaurants. On their return the project was abandoned.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Soon thereafter, the Ministry of Labor created "Krua Thai Su Krua Lok" ('Thai kitchen goes global'). Its centerpiece was a 10-day Thai cooking course for those who wanted to prepare Thai food overseas. The effort was short-lived.


title: Thai cuisine

text: After some officials had a bad Thai meal abroad, in 2013 the Yingluck administration had the idea of standardising Thai food everywhere. The National Food Institute (NFI) came up with a program called "Rod Thai Tae" ('authentic Thai taste'). A parallel effort was called the "Thai Delicious" project.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Thailand's National Innovation Agency (NIA), a public organization under the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology, spearheaded a 30 million baht (US$1 million), effort by the government to:


title: Thai cuisine

text: The agency has posted 11 "authentic" recipes for tom yum gung (nam sai), tom yum gung (nam khon), pad Thai, Massaman curry, kaeng kiew wan (green curry), kaeng lueng (southern Thai sour curry), Golek chicken sauce, khao soi, sai oui (northern Thai sausage), nam prik noom (green pepper chili paste), and nam prik aong (northern Thai chili paste). These recipes were featured at a gala dinner promoting "Authentic Thai Food for the World", held at the Plaza Athénée Hotel Bangkok on 24 August 2016 at which Thailand's Minister of Industry was the honored guest. By 2020, Thai Delicious plans to post over 300 Thai food recipes.


title: Thai cuisine

text: To determine authenticity, Thai researchers developed the "e-delicious machine", described as "...an intelligent robot that measures smell and taste in food ingredients through sensor technology in order to measure taste like a food critic." The machine evaluates food by measuring its conductivity at different voltages. Readings from 10 sensors are combined to produce a chemical signature. Because the machine cannot judge taste, the food is compared with a standard derived from a database of popular preferences for each dish. For tom yam, the spicy soup flavored with Kaffir lime leaves and coriander, researchers posted notices at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, requesting 120 tasters. The tasters—students, university staff, and area workers—were paid a few baht for their opinions. They were served 10 differently prepared soups and rated each one. The winning soup was declared the standard, and its chemical characteristics were programmed into the machine. When testing food, the machine returns a numerical score from one to 100. A score lower than 80 is deemed "not up to standard". The machine cost about US$100,000 to develop. Restaurants that follow officially sanctioned recipes can affix a "Thai Delicious" logo to their menus. Each machine sold for 200,000 baht. This project was shelved.


title: Thai cuisine

text: The Thai Delicious project has been criticized, the main rationale being that "Standardisation is the enemy of Thai food." Some observers think, however, that the quality of Thai food, at least in the US, is declining with its increased popularity, a state of affairs that Thai Delicious aims to fix.


title: Thai cuisine

text: In August 2018, Thailand's Ministry of Commerce kicked off a project called "Thai Select". It issues certificates in three grades to domestic Thai restaurants: gold (five stars); red (four stars); and orange (three stars). The goal is to enable tourists to Thailand to choose a worthy restaurant.


title: Thai cuisine

text: Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat announced in 2018 that between 2020 and 2024, his ministry will investigate ways to preserve authentic Thai cuisine from the increasing influence of foreign dishes. "Unique in its preparation with recipes handed down for generations, Thai culinary art needs better protection against foreign influences which are now changing the look and taste of certain local dishes," he warned. The plan will conform to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The 2003 convention intends to protect the "uses, representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognised as an integral part of their cultural heritage".


title: Thai cuisine

text: On average, Thai people consume 4,300 mg of sodium per day, twice the WHO's recommended maximum. Thai street food is one of the top three contributors to high salt intake. The Public Health Ministry has embarked on a program to reduce the population's salt consumption by 30 percent.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Kishimoto had originally created Hinata as a person who would not fight across the story, but in the end he chose to portray her as a kunoichi. In the making of the series, Kishimoto had decided Hinata would marry Naruto; however, the plot regarding their romance was conceived by screenwriter Maruo Kyozuka. Hinata's design has been modified by Kishimoto throughout the franchise's story in order to fit the character's growth. She is voiced by Nana Mizuki in the original animated series and Stephanie Sheh in the English adaptations. Critical reception to the character has been mostly positive due to her actions in the series and her bigger role in "The Last" — her interactions with Naruto and her engagement in a conflict with the film's villain have been praised. Hinata has also been popular with the "Naruto" reader base, placing high in some polls. Merchandise based on Hinata have been released, including action figures, key chains and figurines.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: In creating Hinata Hyuga, Masashi Kishimoto originally designed a sketch which was shown to one of his assistants. In this sketch, Hinata was not a ninja and instead wore a fashion dress. Kishimoto remarked he had created this design for fun, emphasizing that he wanted Hinata to have a different personality. Nonetheless, the final design changed drastically, with Hinata becoming a ninja and a modern girl at the same time.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: In 2017, Kishimoto said in an interview that he had decided on Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata getting married from the early stages of the manga. He felt that their relationship was meant to be as Hinata had been supportive of Naruto since the beginning, even before Iruka Umino; however, this angered his wife, who wanted Naruto to end up with Sakura Haruno instead. As the character's popularity was increasing, Kishimoto decided that Hinata would have a bigger role in the final arc. As a result, he conceived the idea of killing Hinata's cousin, Neji Hyuga, in order for her to offer support to Naruto while being protected by Neji before his death. Animator Chengxi Huang behind multiple "Naruto" series took a liking to this couple ever since he started working in "Naruto Shippuden", often aiming to draw scenes of the two and most notably a scene from the final arc when Hinata slaps Naruto to calm him following the death of Neji Hyuga. In the making of the film, he thanked Kishimoto for accepting to do "The Last" where the couple was explored furthermore. He later created a video which showed a nude Hinata and Naruto in bed together, posted to his work Instagram, but removed it after the video received fan backlash for being inappropriate for the demographic.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: In the film "" (2014), Hinata knits a red scarf for Naruto. This was based on how Kishimoto's wife had actually once done for him, which brought laughs to the staff while developing the film. Screenwriter Maruo Kyozuka said he wanted to depict a love triangle between Naruto, Hinata, and Toneri Otsutsuki in "The Last". Hinata's character was also developed in the film, with Kyozuka saying that she had to put aside her feelings for Naruto to accept Toneri's proposal so that she could rescue Hanabi Hyuga, her sister. Kishimoto felt embarrassment when it came to the romance in the film, stating that he was not sure if he would be able to look at the scene depicting Naruto and Hinata's kiss. Nevertheless, he felt a combination of satisfaction and sadness due to the couple's development, stating that he considered them his children.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: For the series' Part II, Hinata was designed to look like a woman who is beautiful but avoids using make-up and is more focused on fighting.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Hinata's appearance was altered when she became a young adult. The clothing she wore varied from girlish clothing to clothing that brought about an adult atmosphere. The character viewed being able to move her feet as important, so she wore clothes with low heels. To make her more like an adult woman, Kishimoto designed her with a strong image in mind. However, drawing Hinata with a pretty and feminine face was difficult, so he largely left the task to Tetsuya Nishio, who was in charge of aiding the author with the character designs. Also, he conceptualized her with a fixed design behind her waist so that her pouch would not get in the way. Different from always being embarrassed in front of Naruto, Hinata wore a languorous expression, which is characteristic of a woman that is deeply in love.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: For the film "" (2015) and the following projects, Hinata was further redesigned. Kishimoto made her hair shorter since it had become a hindrance for her due to her interactions with her growing children. Her clothes were created in order to fit her growth as a mature woman and mother while still retaining the fashion she likes.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Nana Mizuki, Hinata's Japanese voice actress, was surprised by the focus her character received. After seeing Hinata as a young adult, Mizuki commented that she was amazed by how womanly and mature Hinata had become. She expressed similar feelings regarding Hinata's interactions with Naruto's young adult self. The character's attributes such as her personality and her unwillingness to give up regardless of the situation were what made Mizuki like Hinata. Her favorite scene in the film was Naruto's love confession to Hinata. Mizuki was happy for what this meant to her character, but she did not enjoy the moment when Hinata took Toneri's side.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Stephanie Sheh, Hinata's English voice actress, originally auditioned for both Hinata and Sakura Haruno. She felt pleasure when she received Hinata's role as she found her relatable due to her self-esteem issues. She stated that she wanted her character to end up with Naruto due to her feelings for him.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Hinata, the eldest of Hiashi Hyuga's two children, is raised as the heiress to Hyuga clan's main household due to Hiashi being the elder between him and his twin brother, Hizashi, and thereby making Hiashi head of the clan while Hizashi is demoted to the Branch House whose only purpose is to serve the upper branch. Hinata is nearly kidnapped at a young age, though saved by her father; this serves as the catalyst of the Hyuga Affair, which ends with Hizashi willingly taking the place of Hiashi to compensate for the death of the head ninja who tried to kidnap Hinata so that a breach in the treaty between the Hyuga clan's village of Konohagakure and Kumogakure is prevented. Growing up, Hinata is trained by Hiashi, but he begins to have doubts about her ability to lead the clan after seeing her struggles during their sessions. As a result, he apparently disowns her, having her younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, as the heiress. Hinata also meets Naruto Uzumaki during her youth, developing an interest in him after he defends her while she is being bullied because of her eyes. That event and Naruto's refusal to give up against adversity inspire Hinata to become a stronger person. However, Hinata's admiration for Naruto gradually turns into romantic feelings.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Hinata is introduced in Part I of the "Naruto" manga during the Chunin Exams, a series of tests that are meant to upgrade her status as a rookie, along with her teammates — Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. She reaches the third examination, where she is forced to fight her cousin, Neji Hyuga. Despite her fears, Naruto encourages her to battle him. She is nearly killed in combat, and Naruto decides to avenge her. At the end of Part I, after Naruto leaves to be trained by Jiraiya, Hinata vows to become a stronger person. In Part II, two-and-a-half years after the events of Part I, Hinata has been promoted to Chunin and reunites with Naruto, fainting at seeing him for the first time in years. Hinata and her team aid Team Kakashi on a collaborative mission to find both rogue ninja Sasuke Uchiha and his brother, Itachi Uchiha, though the mission is ultimately a failure. After the Akatsuki terrorist leader, Pain, attacks Konohagakure and overwhelms Naruto in combat, Hinata attempts to save the latter while finally admitting her feelings for him. Though, impaled by Pain as means to force Naruto to see the world from his perspective, Hinata survives and her injuries are healed soon afterward by Sakura Haruno. When the Fourth Great Ninja War begins, Hinata is placed in the same division as Neji, and she joins Naruto in the battle against the Ten-Tails after her cousin sacrifices himself to protect them. She manages to defeat the clone of the Ten-Tails but later gets caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, imagining a relationship with Naruto before being released. After Naruto is able to defeat and reform Sasuke, Hinata and everyone else are released from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. She later attends Neji's funeral alongside Naruto and the rest of the Konohagakure shinobi. In the following years, Hinata and Naruto marry and have two children, a son named Boruto Uzumaki and a daughter named Himawari Uzumaki.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: The events of "The Last: Naruto the Movie" take place two years after the Fourth Great Ninja War in the series' Part II. At the age of 19, Hinata hopes to give Naruto a red scarf she knitted herself as a gift of love. Soon after this, Toneri Otsutsuki infiltrates Konohagakure and kidnaps Hinata's sister, Hanabi, in order to use her as his new eyes. Hinata joins Team Kakashi and Shikamaru Nara on the mission to save her sister. During their journey through the abandoned Shinobi village of the Otsutsuki Clan, Naruto returns Hinata's feelings for him. Despite this, Hinata has been contacted by the spirit of her ancestor, Hamura Otsutsuki, to aid him as the "Byakugan Princess"; thus, she allows herself to be captured by Toneri under his belief that they will be getting married. In truth, it is so that she can destroy the . However, Toneri discovers the deception and mind-controls Hinata after destroying the scarf she originally created for Naruto. Naruto's team finally catches up, and a massive attack on Toneri's palace begins. The team splits, with Naruto disrupting the wedding ceremony just as Toneri was about to kiss Hinata, while the others secure Hanabi. Hinata carries out Hamura's will by helping Naruto destroy the Tenseigan and stop Toneri. In spite of this, Toneri's Tenseigan chakra cloak grants him the power to slice the moon in half, placing Hinata in a giant bird cage. Naruto enters Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, and a huge duel ensues. Near the end, Naruto grasps the last remaining shred of Hinata's scarf and channels his chakra to deliver a punch strong enough to pin Toneri against the wall and depower him, stopping the moon from falling. Hinata takes Hanabi's eyes back from Toneri and returns them to her sister. Soon after, Hinata and Naruto reaffirm their mutual love as they enter into a relationship that leads to their marriage and the start of their family.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: In "Boruto: Naruto the Movie", Hinata tries to make the best of Himawari's birthday by planning a party in Naruto's absence due to his new duties as Hokage. She then watches Boruto while he competes in the Chunin Exams, being approached by Naruto to use her Byakugan to confirm his suspicions that their son is cheating by using a particular ninja tool. After Momoshiki Otsutsuki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki attack and subsequently kidnap Naruto, Hinata tries to rescue him by chasing after them, only to be swept aside and wounded; she is then healed by Sakura. While Hinata is against Boruto joining Sasuke's rescue team, she eventually gives in. With Naruto then rescued, Hinata tends to the damage of Boruto's jacket before he declines.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Besides " The Last: Naruto the Movie" and "Boruto: Naruto the Movie", Hinata appears in five other "Naruto" feature films; in "Naruto Shippuden the Movie" (2007), she and Shino briefly cross paths with Team 7; in "" (2008), Hinata, Naruto and Sakura are on a mission to escort Amaru and Shinno to their respective villages, with Hinata incorrectly confirming the death of Amaru and being captured along with the villagers, though later being freed by Amaru; in "" (2009), she goes in search of Naruto and Sakura who are themselves looking for Kakashi Hatake, and she joins Neji in attacking the flying beast fusion of Ni, Ichi and San, afterward combining their attacks to destroy it; in "" (2011), Hinata works in a team to bring Naruto back from the Blood Prison; in "" (2012), taking place prior to the Fourth Great Ninja War, Hinata fights off an attack from the Akatsuki while an alternate version of her, who wears less clothing and has more confidence and assertiveness, appears in the Genjutsu World created by Obito Uchiha, who has used the tailed beasts in his possession. A light novel titled "Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze" (2015), written by Tomohito Ōsaki and illustrated by Kishimoto, details a date between Hinata and Naruto, the pair trying to save Sakura after her kidnapping by Kido Tsumiki but being too late to rescue her as Sakura has already saved herself.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Hinata is a popular character among "Naruto" fans, ranking tenth in the first annual character popularity poll, sixth in both the second and third, 12th in the fourth, ninth in the fifth, 13th in the sixth, and tenth in the seventh. Amy McNulty of "Anime News Network" complimented the voice work of Stephanie Sheh for "simultaneously conveying the character's shyness, anxiety and determination". Hinata merchandise has been released, including figurines. In a poll from 2021, Hinata was voted as the fourth most popular character in "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations".


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Reviewing one of the series' early story arcs, Carl Kimlinger of "Anime News Network" said that her fight stimulated her "determination to change" because of her weak personality. "IGN"s Charles White enjoyed Hinata's character arc in the first anime series, praising how she fought alone in order to save Naruto from the antagonist Jiga. During the series' final arc, Chris Beveridge of "The Fandom Post" liked the way Hinata supported Naruto and helped him to keep fighting against their enemies alongside her. Critic Yukari Fujimoto stated that Hinata, along with other female characters, prioritized love, treating it as more important than excelling as a ninja. After seeing her in the series' Part II for the first time, Jason Thompson enjoyed Hinata's design and expected that she and Naruto would form a couple in the future. For the finale, Ramsey Isler of "IGN" stated that while Hinata and Naruto ending up together was not a surprise, it nonetheless disappointed some fans who wanted Naruto to start a relationship with Sakura Haruno.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: Critical reception to the development of Naruto and Hinata's relationship in "The Last" was generally positive. Charles Solomon of "Los Angeles Times" regarded their relation in the film as an "awkward romance", while "Japanator.com" wrote that Hinata's struggles with romance were part of the film's favorable aspects. McNulty said that, while the romance might have come off as awkward at first, it became much more appealing to the viewers as the film went on. Brendan Ha of "Otaku USA" felt that while many readers had known Hinata's feelings for Naruto ever since her early appearances in the series, Naruto's feelings for her had never been seen and thus "The Last" helped to show them. Ha praised the way Hinata tried to confess her love to Naruto, making the film "touching". Beveridge found the two characters' development appealing, but he also stated that he wished the film had been condensed in order to focus on the main couple only. "UK Anime Network" writer Dan Rhodes agreed with Beveridge, saying the main storyline's focus was Hinata and Naruto's relationship rather than the appearance of the film's villain, whom he considered forgettable. Chris Homer, another "The Fandom Post" writer, felt that "Naruto" fans had wanted to see this particular pair together for over fifteen years and stated the film "delivers"; he also praised the relationship between Hinata and Sakura as the latter tried to help Hinata confess her love to Naruto. David West of "Neo" said that Hinata and Naruto's relationship was well executed, and he praised the inclusion of previous events from the series in which the two characters were together. He also enjoyed Hinata's role in the film and what happened between her and the antagonist.


title: Hinata Hyuga

text: In March 2018, Chinese animator Chengxi Huang posted a video of Naruto and Hinata embracing each other naked in bed, to his public work Instagram. The video received fan backlash for being inappropriate for the demographic. Huang's apology stated that the animation was simply practice, and that he wanted to portray the everyday life of a married couple but still deleted the video in response.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Nigeria is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with approximately 218.5 million people in an area of , and is also the country with the largest population in Africa and the sixth largest population in the world.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Approximately 50% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, with the rate of urbanization being estimated at 4.3%. Nigeria is home to over 250 ethnic groups, with over 500 languages, and the variety of customs, and traditions among them gives the country great cultural diversity. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, 25% of the population; along with the Yoruba, 21%; and Igbo, 18%. The Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Annang, and Ogoni constitute other Southern populations. The Tiv, Urhobo-Isoko, Edo and Itsekiri constitute Nigerian's Midwest. Over 1 million people living in Nigeria (0.5% of its total population, or 1 in every 200 people living in Nigeria) are from a continent other than Africa. 800,000 people living in Nigeria are from India, 100,000 people from the United States, 75,000 people from Lebanon, 60,000 people from China and 16,000 people from the United Kingdom.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Most of the population is a young population, with 42.54% between the ages of 0–14. There is also a very high dependency ratio of the country at 88.2 dependants per 100 non-dependants.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Three of the main religious groups are Muslim estimated at 45%, Christian at 45% and other indigenous beliefs at 10%. The predominantly Christian Igbo are found in the southeast. Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in Igboland, but Anglicanism is also strong, as are Pentecostal and other Evangelical denominations.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Persons of different ethnic backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are the most widely used Nigerian languages. Nigerian Pidgin is used widely as an unofficial medium of communication especially in the Nigerian cities of Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Benin and Port Harcourt.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Nigeria's population has been increasing rapidly for at least the last 5 decades due to very high birth rates, quadrupling its population during this time. Growth was fastest in the 1980s, after child mortality dropped rapidly. It has slowed slightly since then as both the birth rate and total fertility, rate have declined marginally since a 1978 peak. According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 185,989,640 in 2016, compared to only 37,860,000 in 1950. The proportion of children under the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.0%, 53.2% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% were 65 years or older. There is a large degree of population momentum, with 3.2 percent growth leading to the projected population.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: The federal government has not elected to implement the type of controversial family planning programs that have reduced population growth of other developing nations, a result of low political support for these programs and a cultural preference for large families as well as high levels of social instability. Rising educational levels and health care improvements may enable future parents to plan for smaller families.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: The former Nigeria's Chairman of National Population Commission, Eze Duruiheoma, delivering Nigeria's statement in New York on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration in the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development, said that "Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million. The World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world. Over the last 50 years, Nigeria's urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5% without commensurate increases in social amenities and infrastructure." He also stated that the population "grew substantially from 17.3% in 1967 to 49.4% in 2017."


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: ∗ UNICEFs State of the Worlds Children and Child info, United Nations Population Divisions World Contraceptive Use, household surveys including Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: The total population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase to almost one billion people, making it the most populated region outside of South-Central Asia. According to the United Nations, the population of Nigeria will reach 411 million by 2050. Nigeria might then be the 3rd most populous country in the world. In 2100, the population of Nigeria may reach 794 million. While the overall population is expected to increase, the growth rate is estimated to decrease from 1.2 percent per year in 2010 to 0.4 percent per year in 2050. The birth rate is also projected to decrease from 20.7 to 13.7, while the death rate is projected to increase from 8.5 in 2010 to 9.8 in 2050. Life expectancy is expected to increase from 67.0 years in 2010 to 75.2 years in 2050. By 2050, 69.6% of the population is estimated to be living in urban areas compared to 50.6% in 2010.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Registration of vital events in Nigeria is not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates ("UN World Population Prospects 2022").


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: note 1: on 30 September 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice for a Yellow Fever outbreak in Nigeria; a large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria began in September 2017; the outbreak is now spread throughout the country with the Nigerian Ministry of Health reporting cases of the disease in multiple states (Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu); the CDC recommends travelers going to Nigeria should receive vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before travel and should take steps to prevent mosquito bites while there; those never vaccinated against yellow fever should avoid travel to Nigeria during the outbreak


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: note 2: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Nigeria; as of 6 June 2022, Nigeria has reported a total of 256,148 cases of COVID-19 or 124.3 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 3,148 cumulative deaths or a rate of 1.5 cumulative death per 100,000 population; as of 22 May 2022, 12.97% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: note 3: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Nigeria is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. Significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Today millions of ethnic Nigerians live abroad, the largest communities can be found in the United Kingdom (500,000–3,000,000) and the United States (600,000–1,000,000 Nigerians), other countries that followed closely are South Africa, Gambia, and Canada respectively. There are between 90,000 and 100,000 Nigerians in Brazil, many of them living illegally without proper documentation. Additionally, there were around 100,000 Nigerians living in China in 2012, mostly in the city of Guangzhou, but have since declined to about 10,000 due to strict immigration enforcement by Chinese officials as many of them were known for engaging in illegal activities. There are also large groups in Ireland, Portugal and many other countries.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Inspiration for emigration is based heavily on socio-economical issues such as warfare, insecurity, economical instability and civil unrest.


title: Demographics of Nigeria

text: Between 1400 and 1900, of 1.4 million of 2 million emigrants were slaves sent to the Americas. This is due to the fact that the land now known as Nigeria was a central point for 4 slave trades during the 19th century. Though bondage represented a great deal, an estimated 30,000 Nigerian inhabitants would relocate to Kano City and Gambia to take advantage of financial opportunities afforded by fertile land and available natural resources. What's more, the presence of gold mines and rail lines along the Gold Coast, present-day Ghana, attracted an estimated 6,500 Nigerian citizens to attain financial gain and opportunity. The population of Nigerians in Ghana rose to roughly 149,000 before the 1969 alien expulsion order would displace nearly the entire population to surrounding countries.