The flavors and fragrance of authentic Thai food filled the Forbes Park home of Thai Ambassador Thanatip Upatising when his wife Monthip Upatising organized a Thai cooking class for a small group of interested ladies.
The cooking demonstration turned out to be a perfect example of delicious culinary diplomacy, using the famous Thai cuisine to strengthen the bonds between our two countries.
“Cooking demonstrations were popular and well attended by spouses of foreign ambassadors to Japan,” says Monthip or Bee, referring to her time in Tokyo when her husband served as Thai ambassador to Japan before his assignment to the Philippines in March 2015. “It was an opportunity for us to mingle, to learn about other cultures and to gain a better understanding of our friends from different countries.”
As Bee efficiently cooked several of my favorite dishes in her spacious kitchen — pad thai, tom yum kung and green curry — we realized that these popular dishes are quite easy to prepare since all the ingredients, such as coconut milk, chili paste and fish sauce, can be easily found in our local markets. She also introduced us to Thai Select products, which are made of high-quality ingredients.
A former conference officer in Bangkok for UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), Bee left her job when Ambassador Thanatip took his assignment in Japan in 2012. She has ably supported her husband by showcasing her country through culinary diplomacy.
“Food security is a top priority for Thailand and it should be for any country. With our geographical location, agricultural and production techniques, Thailand can be the Kitchen of the World. Thai cuisine is unique in many ways and so are our culture and country,” says Bee.
Our lunch was not only delicious but a healthy option, too, since it is made and seasoned with numerous herbs. Lemongrass, tamarind, chillies, garlic and basil are common ingredients in Thai cuisine. For hundreds of years, they also have been used as herbal medicine to heal aching pain in the case of lemongrass or reduce sugar blood levels in the case of garlic.
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