Nationalism over who cooks Thai food

[Spitfire]

23 October 2010 Last updated at 00:01 GMT

Can foreign chefs conquer Thai cuisine?
By Rachel Harvey
BBC News, Bangkok

Thai food must be among the most popular cuisines in the World. There is now a Thai-style restaurant in almost every major city on the planet.

So you wouldn't have thought that opening another Thai restaurant would be controversial. Unless of course the chef is Australian and the restaurant is in Bangkok.

David Thompson won a Michelin star for his Thai restaurant in London, called Nahm. Now he's opened a branch in Bangkok under the same name. So far so good.

But Mr Thompson attracted a volley of nationalist outrage after he was quoted as saying he was on a mission to revive Thai cuisine.

His words were interpreted by some writers as an arrogant affront. How dare a foreigner presume to understand the true nature of Thai cooking?

The fact that Mr Thompson speaks and reads Thai and has studied Thai cuisine for years was, apparently, no defence.


Comment - This is just the first section of the report, goes on to talk about another guy who has opened a restaurant too, who wanders the markets in search of ingredients. The BBC report smooths out a bit from the first section but does cast doubt over foreigners abilities to cook Thai food properly though a lack of knowledge of the culture. The New York Times one is a little 'hotter'.

Rest of the story can be read here..... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11572994

Another link this story with a little more depth/detail is here..... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/world ... .html?_r=1

Guess we foreigners couldn't be given credit for anything now, could we?

I suppose his comment was provocative/ill thought out/maybe even deliberate to get PR in the first place but the strength of the nationalist reaction from Bangkok writers/journalists appears pretty vicious. Must play well with their readerships then. If you read the NY Times article then some of the reaction, like from Sukthon Sukphisit, a food writer for Thai newspapers, is pretty scathing but he hasn't even tried the restaurant in Bangkok yet and refused too.

[Nereus]

I would not take too much notice of Mr. Suthon. I know him as he lives in the same Condo as I do in Bangkok. He writes regularly and it looks like Ms. Harvey has just stolen his article, as what there is shown of it is word for word of a recent article by Suthon.

On his own admittance he does not write the articles himself---and it is obviously written by a native English speaker. He also has more than his share of xenophobia.

[richard]

I frequent both Sara Janes in HH and Bangkok.

Sara (the cook) comes from the states. Chai, her husband manages the customers.

Articles have been written about them praising the Thai quisine (especially Isaan food) and their Italian and other European food.

They have never had any flak in the 10 years plus they have practiced here and and the States.

Obviously BK customers prefer Isaan food and HH customers prefer European food.

Another plus is the ambience with live music, an outside eating area and efficient staff. Not cheap though!!!

Hope I won't get my knuckles rapped for this response this time

[BaaBaa.]

Obviously BK customers prefer Isaan food.

It would be anything but obvious to me.

[Spitfire]

^ Perhaps secretly, but not in front of the work colleagues/boss etc, no sticky rice on show there. One of the best kept secrets in LOS is the popularity of Isaan food. They have migrated everywhere and have a soft spot for super spicy everything in general, of course not all people though.

[dahobbit]

Eddie at El Murphy's once bragged to me that his Mexican cuisine was absolutely authentic...because his cooks had trained in Chiang Mai!