A 54-year-old Swiss cooking up pad thai and hoi thot (deep fried mussels) is a hit with locals in Ang Thong province.
Tony Smith and his Thai wife Siriporn Smith, operate Sor Nai Farang (Mr. S. Farang), where locals are taken aback by Tony’s Thai cooking skills, and some have been eating at his stall for years
“I am amazed by Tony’s cooking skill … I have never seen any other foreigner with such talent,” regular Pannarat Thanaratrungrueng told Khaosod.
Although Tony is renowned for his pad thai, he personally is most proud of his sky hoi thot. The dish is prepared by constantly tossing the pan of frying mussels into the air.
It all started when the Swiss decided to come to Thailand out of boredom. He was previously working as an engineer for a water pump company in his native country.
“I thought Thailand was a good place to live in, so I decided to come here,” said Tony, who speaks fluent Thai.
His affair with Thai food began when he started dating Siriporn, who owned a restaurant, and also learned to cook Thai food from her.
“I think his skill is quite good,” Siriporn said. “These days all the customers who visit our stall only ask for Tony’s cooking.”
