"Because here in Thailand, food is no mere sustenance but rather, as David explains, "the only true unifying force, and probably the most democratic thing about the country. You'd think the Thais would get cross about politics and corruption. The only time there are real riots is when the rice is too expensive. Do not get between the Thais and their lunch.""
"The sides of the room are open, and a warm breeze wafts through the air, which is thick with incense and those lusciously verdant scents of the deep tropical night. We've been here for a few hours now waiting for, well, I'm not sure what. Just in front of us is a large metal wok, with a burner beneath. Buddhist monks, resplendent in their saffron robes, gather on one side. Suddenly, the orchestra strikes up, melodiously discordant, and the chanting begins - beautiful, beguiling, hypnotic."
An ancient wai khru ceremony outside Amphawa honors the art of cooking and connects culinary practice with spirituality and communal identity. The ritual takes place beneath the ornate eaves of the King Rama II Memorial Park at an astrologically auspicious hour, with monks, an orchestra, incense, and chefs participating. Chef David Thompson frames Thai food as "stomach and soul" and as a unifying, democratic force central to national life. The ceremony features the Jao Ah Wat placing ghee into a wok at 2.19am, symbolic gestures, and reverent chanting that elevate cooking to a sacred craft.
Read at CN Traveller
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]