Even if you've never been to Thailand, you've likely snacked on some tasty Thai food in your life. Pad thai and pad see ew dishes are not just well-known, they're practically mainstream, served in pubs, cafes, diners, and other establishments around the world.

Even Peter Parker indulges in larb, a traditional dish from Northern Thailand, in a recent Spider-Man movie. The proliferation of Thai cuisine around the world is largely due to Thailand's attention to gastrodiplomacy, a term coined by researcher Paul Rockower. 

In 2002, the Thai government launched the Global Thai initiative to increase interest in Thai cuisine, cast a positive light on Thailand, generate tourism, and scale up the country's food and labor exports.

The initiative called for the creation of thousands of new Thai restaurants around the world and the creation of the "Thai Select" label. The label is reserved for restaurants that hire government-trained chefs from Thailand, import their ingredients from Thailand, and serve authentic Thai dishes. 

Initiatives like this can protect and showcase regional cuisines on an international level and provide a source of national pride for local citizens.

It can also promote general goodwill and soften otherwise tenuous diplomatic relations when leaders sit down over a well-loved dish.

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