AB Level 1.29: Thai Vegetarian Diet

Focus: ขึ้น or ลง

• ขึ้น (khûen) is a verb that means "to ascend," and ลง (long) is a verb that means "to descend."
    * We use ^^ขึ้น (khûen)^^ in cases where something is "rising," "increasing," or "growing."
    * We use ^^ลง (long)^^ in cases where something is "dropping," "decreasing," or "shrinking."
• The word แพง (phaaeng) is an adjective meaning "expensive."
    * To say that the price is increasing or getting more expensive, we use แพงขึ้น (phaaeng khûen).
• The word for "cheap" is ถูก (thùuk).
    * The way to say "become cheaper" is ถูกลง (thùuk long). Be careful here.
    * Even though the "cheapness" is increasing, we use ลง (long) because the price is "decreasing."
    * Example:
      * ราคาน้ำมันพืชแพงขึ้นแต่ราคาน้ำมันรถถูกลง
        * (raa-khaa nám-man-phûuet phaaeng khûen dtàae raa-khaa nám-man-rót thùuk long.)

        ➤ "The price of vegetable oil has increased, but the price of gasoline has decreased."

• อ้วน (ûuan) is an adjective that means "fat" or "chubby," and ผอม (phǎawm) means "thin" or "slender."
    * If someone has gotten fatter or gained weight, we use อ้วนขึ้น (ûuan khûen).
    * If someone has become more slender or lost weight, we use ผอมลง (phǎawm long).
    * Example:
      * กางเกงยีนส์ทุกตัวคับไปหมดเลย ฉันอยากผอมลง
        * (gaang-geeng-yiin thúk dtuua kháp bpai mòt looei. chǎn yàak phǎawm long.)

        ➤ "Every pair of jeans is too tight. I want to slim down."

• ขึ้น (khûen) will always go with the adjective ดี (dii), meaning "good."
    * So ดีขึ้น (dii khûen) means "get better."
• On the other hand, we will use ลง (long) with the adjective แย่ (yâae), meaning "bad" or "terrible."
    * So แย่ลง (yâae long) means "get worse."
• Examples:
    * รู้สึกว่าสุขภาพดีขึ้น
      * (rúu-sùek wâa sùk-khà-phâap dii khûen.)

      ➤ "I feel healthier" or "I feel that my health has gotten better."
  * ฉันคิดว่างานของเขามีคุณภาพแย่ลง
    * (chǎn khít wâa ngaan khǎawng khǎo mii khun-ná-phâap yâae long.)

       ➤ "I think the quality of his work has gotten worse."

List of Common Thai Vegetables

Vocabulary & Phrases

• <<ถ้าอย่างนั้น (thâa yàang nán)<<
    * This is a phrase that means "in that case."
    * ถ้า (thâa) is the conjunction "if."
    * อย่าง (yàang) in this expression has the meaning of "manner" or "way."
    * The whole expression then is like saying "If it's like that" or "If it's that way."
• <<คราวหลัง (khraao-lǎng)<<
    * This phrase means "from now on."
    * คราว (khraao) means a "time" or an "occasion."
    * หลัง (lǎng) can mean "behind," but in this expression it means "after," so another way to translate คราวหลัง (khraao-lǎng) is "afterward."
    * Example:
      * คราวหลังผมจะไม่มาสาย (khraao-lǎng phǒm jà mâi maa sǎai.)

      ➤ "Next time, I won't be late."

• <<ไม่ต้องลำบาก (mâi dtâwng lam-bàak)<<
    * This phrase means "You don't need to bother" or "You don't need to go through the trouble."
    * ไม่ต้อง (mâi dtâwng) means "don't need to."
    * ลำบาก (lam-bàak) is an adjective meaning "difficult," "hard," or "troubled." .
    * In a sentence, this phrase can be followed by an action to specify what the listener doesn't need to bother with.
    * Example:
      * ไม่ต้องลำบากซื้อ (mâi dtâwng lam-bàak súue)"

      ➤ You don't need to bother buying."

• <<มาเที่ยว (maa thîiao)<<
    * This is a phrase that means "to come on a trip."
    * มา (maa) is the verb "to come."
    * If you are already at the place you have traveled to, you would use มาเที่ยว (maa thîiao).
    * Likewise, you would use มาเที่ยว (maa thîiao) when talking about someone who is planning to visit you.
    * Example:
      * คุณมาเที่ยวที่นี่กี่ครั้งแล้วคะ (khun maa thîiao thîi-nîi gìi khráng láaeo khá.)

      ➤ "How many times have you come to visit here?"

When to Go Vegetarian in Thailand

• The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a Taoist celebration observed mainly by Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
• The festival honors the Nine Emperors, which include the seven stars of the Big Dipper and two invisible stars.
• It takes place in the ninth lunar month, usually September or October, and lasts for nine days.
• Participants wear white and eat only vegetarian food during the festival.
• The festival is celebrated in several Thai cities with Chinese populations, but is most well-known in Phuket as the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.
• In Phuket, some participants pierce themselves with various objects to show possession by one of the gods.
• The vegetarian food served during the festival is a special type of Chinese Mahayana Buddhist cuisine called เจ (jee), which is more restrictive than regular vegetarian food.
• เจ (jee) food excludes the five "pungent vegetables" and dairy, and is not limited to the festival.
• Restaurants serving เจ (jee) food are identified by a yellow and red sign with the Thai word เจ, which is also used colloquially to mean "vegetarianism."
• Another term, มังสวิรัติ (mang-sà-wí-rát), more accurately refers to food that is simply meat-free.