I’m going to Thailand soon for a two week-long vacation. I chose the place because of a friend’s recommendation after going there for some kind of romance tour (?). I’ll be visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya for about four days each give or take. Part of my plan is to explore Thai cuisine while i'm in the country.
Thai food was always recommended by others and being in the place is just the perfect opportunity that I can’t pass. I need suggestions where to go and what to eat. I’ve heard about the Tom Yum and Pad Thai, but I still need more suggestions on what else to eat. Will really appreciate your replies. Thanks

I googled "introduction to thai food" and found lots of great resources that list key dishes and give a description, I'd say that would be a good starting point.

If you enjoy cooking, do a cookery class in Chiang Mai, although you can do a class elsewhere, Chiang Mai is known for them and has many schools. We did a class with Asia Scenic school a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. It includes a market visit and a tour of their farm garden to discuss and learn about ingredients and then all the cooking!

I'm not sure what you mean by "romance tour". Is there a reason you've chosen Pattaya? Just curious.

Once you get to Chaing Mai, basically just eat everything! You will not be disappointed and you will be able to try many many different types of dishes that seem to be more authentic than in Bangkok.

https://migrationology.com

Happy Travels!

Any good guidebook on Thailand will have at least a short section on foods. Get a guidebook - you will find they are useful in many ways - telling you about things you didn't know to ask.

Every area of Thailand has a slightly different cuisine. Two dishes with the same name may well taste very different in two different areas. One area's food is not more authentic than another's, but they may well be quite different. Personally, I prefer the food in Bangkok to the food in Chiang Mai. I encourage you to try lots of different foods.

Hey all, thanks so much for all of your advice! I'll definitely look into all of your suggestions to make the most out of my Thai food trip. Thanks again!

Thai cuisine is regional. So try and work out which dishes are from the area you are in. These days you can get just about any kind of Thai food in any part of Thailand, but it's nice to eat the regional delicacies in the right region.
Issan food form the North Eat is famous for being hot/spicy but the hottest of the lot is without a doubt Southern food - Suratthani and beyond......much of it is simply not on the menu in the tourist restaurants.
Thai food in general uses a lot of chilies and although this love of very spicy food doesn't apply universally amongst the population, it is a major part of Thai cookery. The problem is that many establishments that cater for tourists "dumb down" much of their food and make sweeping assumptions about what sort of food foreigners eat. In fact even the most humble of eateries are likely to take the chilly completely out of any dish they serve to a foreigner.
Chilly has a taste and left out it totally spoils some dishes.
So to get the best out of Thai food, make try to avoid the "seafront" tourist type places - they tend to offer dumbed down Thai foods or seafood, neither of which are particularly indicative to Thai cuisine in general.
Most Thai food is served tepid....please don't expect to send stuff back because it's not "piping hot" temp-wise.