Cultural influence on America[edit]
Thai Americans are famous for bringing Thai cooking to the United States. Thai cuisine is popular across the country. Even non-Thai restaurants may include Thai-influenced dishes on their menu like Pad Thai and Thai tea.
Thai culture's prominence in the United States is disproportionate to their numbers. The stationing of American troops in Thailand during the Vietnam War exposed the GIs to Thai culture and cuisine, and many of them came home with Thai wives.
Political involvement[edit]
In 2003, two Thai Americans ran in municipal elections, one in Anaheim, California, the other in Houston, Texas. Both lost.
However, on November 7, 2006, Gorpat Henry Charoen became the first US official of Thai origin, when he was elected to the La Palma City Council in California. On December 18, 2007, he became the first Thai American mayor of a US city.
In 2010, Charles Djou became the first Thai-American elected to Congress; he had previously served in the Hawaii State House and Honolulu City Council.
Tammy Duckworth, a Thai American Iraq War veteran, ran for Congress as a Democrat in Illinois's 6th district in the 2006 mid-term election. She was narrowly defeated, and served for two years as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. She was previously the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She was considered a likely nominee for appointment to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Barack Obama's election to the Presidency of the United States; however, Roland Burris was appointed instead. On November 6, 2012 Duckworth was elected to the US Congress to represent the 8th District of Illinois. On November 8, 2016, she was elected as the junior Senator from Illinois, the seat previously held by Barack Obama.
Bhumibol Adulyadej, the previous King and Head of the State of Thailand, was born at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 5, 1927.[10] At the time, his father was studying at Harvard University. He is the only American-born monarch in history.
In 2017, Ekamon "Ek" Venin was appointed and later elected to the Borough Council in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.[11] In 2020, he served as Council President and was re-elected to another 3-year term.[12]
Redwood Valley, California
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
San Francisco
San Fran Dhammaram Temple
Centereach and Mount Vernon in New York
Vajiradhammapadip Temple
Bedford, Massachusetts
Wat Boston Buddha Vararam
Del Valle, Texas
Wat Buddhananachat of Austin
Bossier City, Louisiana
Wat Buddhasamakeevanaram
Fremont, California
Wat Buddhanusorn
Bolivia, North Carolina
Wat Carolina Buddhajakra Vanaram
Kissimmee, Florida
Wat Florida Dhammaram
Valley Center, California
Wat Mettāvarānaṁ
Berkeley, California
Wat Mongkolratanaram
Tampa, Florida
Wat Mongkolratanaram
Raynham, Massachusetts
Wat Nawamintararachutis
Carrollton, Virginia
Wat Pasantidhamma
professional soccer player
Miranda Nild
professional soccer player
Anthony Ampaipitakwong
music video and documentary film director
Todd Angkasuwan
Siamese twins
Chang and Eng Bunker
BMX racer
Amanda Mildred Carr
political strategist and author
Lisa Changadveja
actor and martial artist
Michael Chaturantabut
MLB player
Johnny Damon
politician
Charles Djou
politician and military officer
Tammy Duckworth
singer and actress
Myra Molloy
beauty pageant queen
Lada Engchawadechasilp
football player
Kevin Kaesviharn
artist
Sanit Khewhok
professional skater
Eric Koston
ice dancer
Lynn Kriengkrairut
singer
Nichkhun
fashion designer
Thakoon Panichgul
actor, model and VJ
Utt Panichkul
author
Ben Parr
politician
John Pippy
golfer
Stacy Prammanasudh
television actress
Jocelyn Seagrave
former Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida
Alex Sink
sportscaster
Prim Siripipat
actress
Brenda Song
actress
Ashly Burch
professional tennis player
Tamarine Tanasugarn
dancer, choreographer, television producer and film director
Kevin Tancharoen
actress, singer, dancer, television producer/writer and lyricist
Maurissa Tancharoen
model, TV host, food blogger
Chrissy Teigen
Youtuber
Mark Weins
professional golfer
Tiger Woods
singer, actress and former model who lives in Bangkok
Tata Young
actress
Janie Tienphosuwan
playwright
Prince Gomolvilas
comic book writer
Pop Mhan
author and winner of the 2015 Caldecott Medal.
Dan Santat
celebrity chef and restaurateur
Jet Tila
Thai-American man who was murdered in San Francisco
Vicha Ratanapakdee
pornstar
Tera Patrick
Molly McGee, Darryl McGee, Sharon McGee, Grandma Nin Suksai, David Suksai and Emmie Suksai from the animated TV series are Thai-Americans.
The Ghost and Molly McGee
Thai Canadians
Thais in the United Kingdom
Thai Town, Los Angeles
Thailand–United States relations
Ratner, Megan. "Thai Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2014), pp. 357–368.
Online
ThaiNewYork.com
Thaitown USA News
Asian Pacific Newspaper
Siam Media Newspaper
Sereechai Newspaper
, Thailand Law Forum, June 30, 2010