Thai netizens were left baffled when one of their favourite dishes, Kaeng Som, was ranked 12th in the "100 Worst Rated Dishes in the World" list for February 2023 by online food guide TasteAtlas.
The dish, described by TasteAtlas as a "sour, water-based Thai curry that is typically prepared with fish or shrimps and a thick paste that usually incorporates shallots, chillies, and shrimps" received a score of 2.3 on a scale of 1–5.
They questioned how TasteAtlas rated the food which, according to them, looks and tastes really good. Some said Kaeng Som was a household dish and even better than the highly popular Tom Yum Kung and Pad Thai.
Some foreigners who tasted Kaeng Som joined in the criticism and described the ranking as an insult. Netizens from other countries were also confused by the list.
Some remarked the food should not be judged by its look. Many rejected the ranking outright as nonsense. One user said the list must have been AI-generated.
Previously, TasteAtlas was criticised by Thai and foreign foodies alike when it released the TasteAtlas Awards 2022 list of "Best Cuisines in the World" in which the United States was placed ahead of Thailand.
In the list, the US was placed 8th on the list with a score of 4.51 while Thailand came 30th on the list with a score of 4.16.
The UK was placed 29th with a score of 4.18, viewed as ridiculous.
"Wait! UK food was better than Thai? Better than Lebanese food?" one social media user remarked.
One user said: "The UK shouldn't have made it to the list, let alone be ranked as better than Thai food." Thai food came after Japanese (4th), Indian (5th), Chinese (11th), Korean (19th), Vietnamese (20), Filipino (23) and Iranian (24).