The thing about True Thai, and I’m sure Thompson’s book as well, is that anything you make will be twice as good as just about every Thai restaurant where you have eaten. I’m totally serious. We have good Thai here is the Bay Area, but Victor’s tom kha gai, his red curry paste (unfuckingbelievable) and what you make with it, his chicken and basil, etc. has always been the very best I’ve ever tasted.
That will always be true of any place, not just Thai, but the highest of the fine dining establishments. The restaurants are cranking out volume, using up sub-par ingredients, cooking out of jars, etc. You are fussing over one pot of soup, one batch of curry. If you have the right recipe, the right ingredients, and the soul of a cook, you’ll beat them every time.