Glimpse Of Thailand 2011

“I hope our guests would enjoy the atmosphere of Thailand and her Thainess in various kinds of activities, particularly the introduction of the traditional New Year Songkran Festival and the presentation of Thai cuisine.” This was the message of Royal Thai Embassy Charge d’Affaires Chakorn Suchiva as he welcomed guests to Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu (Sergio Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City, Tel: (+63) 32 402 9900) to sample Thai culture.

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand (Prathet Thai, or Land of the Free) commemorate the Songkran Festival as the traditional New Year’s Day from April 13 to 15 and people celebrate the festivities by throwing water, a practice very similar to the celebration of our St. John the Baptist in San Juan City. It is also time to visit elders and friends, pray and offer food to monks in Buddhist monastery for this will bring peace and prosperity for the New Year.

In lieu of water drenching, guests were provided with paper boxes with a live bird and, after a short prayer and silent wishes, the birds were given their freedom. At the Feria, Radisson Blu GM Grant Gaskin welcomed to guests to sample the cuisine of Thailand.

It is said that “Thailand sits between the cultural and political powers of India and China and its food is clearly influenced by both. Yet Thailand’s food, like her people, has maintained its own distinct identity”. And the “ideal Thai meal aims at being a harmonious blend of the spicy, the sweet and the sour, and is meant to be satisfying to the eye, nose and palate.”

Your favorite food columnist has had several invitations in the past to visit Thailand, all expenses paid, but at the last minute, na cancel gyud. There is no substitute to be familiar with the cuisine of another country punctuated with visits to public markets and supermarkets and eating in various locations from sidewalks to the five-star restaurants. Just be careful with certain types of food because you don’t want to bring home hepatitis, amoebiasis, parasites and other transmittable diseases.

I always look forward to sample the Tom Yam Gung Soup (Thai Hot Prawn Soup), similar to our sinigang. It has all the elements of the ideal Thai dish: sweet (from the fresh harvested prawn), sour (juice and leaves from the kaffir lime, spicy (from chillies, leaves and roots of coriander, lemon grass and galangal) and salt (nam pla or patis).

Other dishes available during the buffet were the Khao Niaw Na Kung (Balls of Sticky Rice with Shrimp), Yam Som-O (Spicy Pomelo Salad), Ho Mok Pla (Fish Soufflé in Banana Leaf Cup), Pad Thai, Massaman Nua (Beef in Massaman Curry) and other curry dishes. Several sauces and condiments like the nam pla (patis), nam prik (patis with chopped chillies) and fresh chillies were also available and my favourite that night was the Yam Som-O.

A live cooking demonstration of the Pad Thai (Stir-fry Rice Noodles) was held and guests were invited to try their skill at cooking. I declined the offer for reasons of idleness from the kitchen for months but I did ask the chef to cook the original chilli hot noodle. The Cebuano palate is quite sensitive to chilli hotness but I have acclimatised myself to enjoy the cuisine of other countries in its original form. Has my beloved readers heard about Heart Attack Noodles? Watch the latest episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern in Chengdu, Szechuan, China.

I did miss my Thai drink, a shot of vodka tempered with tamarind juice but my friend Radisson Blu Joan Danao was quick to offer substitutes. After all these Thai food festivals, I still look forward to a taste of Chor Ladda (Flower Shaped Dumplings Stuffed with Minced Chicken and Peanut ) colored blue from the juices of a freshly squeezed flower called anchuan.

Happy Songkran Festival to everyone!