A recent movie trailer got me excited. Nope, it’s not that of Doctor Strange — which I’m also giddy about but that’s months away. I’m talking about the teaser of a Thai film called Senses from Siam which I believe to be the first feature-length film dealing with the salivating topic of Thai food. It’s about time, if you ask me.
Judging from the 2.05 minutes of deliciousness and the 13 times the word “Thai” was uttered, the film seems to explore what Thai food is and the tensions between those who abide by traditional cooking techniques versus those who embrace a modern take. Heck, the film could have been renamed Old School Thai Cooking v New School: Dawn of Endless Debate, because it has already generated heated online back-and-forth spouts due to the perceived nationalistic tone that’s shoved down your throat. Also, for a film so Thai, its trailer strangely begins with a famous quote attributed to Napoloen. I hope the film won’t be too preachy when it comes out on Aug 18.
While the foodie in me can’t wait to munch on popcorn and ogle over some stimulating food porn on a giant screen, the trailer also got me thinking about the impossible mission of defining what Thai food is.
If we’re talking geographically, there’s a chance that any Thai dish containing chilli and papaya could be ruled out since the two plants found their way here a long time ago, thanks to seafaring farangs. If we’re talking the original creator(s), we can also forget about all thong dessert which are credited to either a Japanese-Portuguese expat lady named Marie Guimar or a Portuguese community that lived during the Ayutthaya era. Also, don’t we have India to thank for some of our famous curries?
In my humble opinion (being a person who has eaten way too much for one lifetime), a major part of Thai cuisine is mixing foreign and local influences and making such fusions our own. There’s no shame in acknowledging the foreign influences that found their way into our cooking history. Baby, we’ve been doing fusion since waaay before fusion became a thing!
Therefore, the secret ingredient, all along, seems to have been the ability to think outside the box and — dare I say — be experimental. Look at some of our famed dishes like som tam or larb — they appear like a jumble of ingredients that happen to collectively deliver the right chemistry on your palate. Do you honestly think our ancestors got it right on their first try?
For me, it would be so unappetising to see this important aspect of our culture — one that is ever evolving too — frozen and to see only traditional Thai food put on a pedestal so high nobody would so much as dare to have fun with it while doing something different. The best way to “preserve” Thai food is to strike a balance between keeping the original recipes and techniques intact while also encouraging people to put their own spins on things. Those who stay on the traditional road with Thai cuisine aren’t dinosaurs and those who fiddle with it aren’t sacrilegious. They’re both just enriching the same thing in their own ways.
Why not enjoy all that falls within this culinary continuum? Just think about how many salads could be inspired by som tum. Anyone up for young asparagus som tum?
While I’m sure this upcoming movie will make you drool like nobody’s business, I also hope it will encourage a constructive discussion about what Thai food truly is and, perhaps, other aspects of our culture too.
Just please don’t use a cookie-cutter on Thai cuisine. Thai food is meant to be free.
It’s Thai, — freedom in English — for Buddha’s sake. g
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.