Self-study and classroom lessons based on newspaper feature stories

This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations.

April 1, 2003

Eating the right stuff

INTRODUCTION

It’s not often that an article from the social pages provides the story for feature focus, they are often very short. However, today’s story presents a different view of one of Thailand’s wealthiest men.

The man is Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of the CP group of companies. He is best known for huge farms that supply chicken to restaurants in Thailand and abroad, land development and for owning the 7-eleven stores here. According to today’s story, however, he has some more down to earth interests as well. One of those is raising free-range chickens.
What does free-range mean?

As usual, the Internet is a good source of information. You do have to be careful about believing everything you read there, so as you read the following information, remember that it comes from the site of a company selling a product. However, it does suggest some of the things to think about when choosing what you put on your table – what the chickens eat, for example.

Oaklyn Plantation, a large American farm that raises free-range chickens, states that "the US Drug Administration standards allow any chicken with access to the outside to be labeled Free-Range." However, the Oaklyn farm site goes on to say that the yards of some large-scale producers are not clean and that the birds may not really use the yard.

Oaklyn also explains that their free-range chickens are "raised in uncrowded conditions and given free access to clean green ground. This environment produces a chicken that has more flavour and substance." The chickens are not fed any artificial antibiotics or growth stimulants.

Free-range birds usually cost more than others. So, based on what you now know, what would you ask your local chicken vendor if you were thinking of buying free-range? Write three questions on a separate sheet of paper.
Down on the farm

What kind of farm is multimillionaire Dhanin Chearavanont running? As you read, find answers to these questions:

On the farm in this story, is Khun Dhanin raising chickens only to be eaten?

Has his interest in native breeds been a recent development for him?

In addition to his love of the way they look, what are his other reasons for raising chickens on his farm?

Introducing water buffaloes onto the farm is described as something that happened by chance. What exactly happened?

How is this farm having an effect on a broader community?

Knowing what you do about free-range chickens and Khun Dhanin’s farm, would you buy chickens raised by him for your table? What are your reasons?
On the table

To fill out the description of free-range chicken, it seemed appropriate to see what a food critic would say about a dish prepared with it. The Bangkok Post’s top food critic is Ung-aang Talay. You’ll find a short excerpt of one of his restaurant reviews included below.

Here are three things to find out as you read:

Which foods are traditionally spicier, southern or northern?

What had the Sriphloy restaruant cook done to allow the taste of the free-range chicken to be appreciated?

What is the difference between free-range chicken or kai baan and the kind raised in large factory farms?

OUR STORIES FROM THE BANGKOK POST

From feathers to Forbes

CP magnate Dhanin Chearavanont has a rather unusual hobby

Krissie na Klongtoey

Dhanin Chearavanont is proud of his domestic chickens which he raises along with native water buffalo on his farm in Chon Buri.
The latest edition of Forbes magazine carried a list of the leading multimillionaires in the world which included two Thai nationals. CP magnate Dhanin Chearavanont not only appeared on the list but was mentioned again in the Forbes Life column of the magazine’s sports section under the name by which he is commonly known in the Kingdom: "Chao Sua Dhanin". The story in question refers to Chao Sua Dhanin’s "hobby" of raising traditional Thai farm animals and notes that this possibly makes him "the only billionaire who tends chickens in his own yard".

Rated 329th on the list of world billionaires, Dhanin spends his leisure time on his country estate, raising free-range chickens and, most recently, water buffaloes, in an attempt to revive traditional values and conserve native breeds of livestock.

His 172-rai estate in Chon Buri’s Bang Bung district, the setting for this particular features article, is where he conducts research into the development of traditional chicken breeds. Native chickens have been the CP boss’ favourite pet since childhood because of his liking for their proud and stately looks. Another feathered favourite of his are pigeons, for which he has won numerous prizes in international competitions.

Dhanin’s interest has expanded from wings and feathers to include a furry friend in a larger size category — the humble buffalo. He made his first acquisition quite by chance when his youngest son, Narong Chearavanont, saw a good-looking specimen walking the so-called "green mile" to the slaughterhouse. Out of pity, he fished 40,000 baht from his pocket and returned home with a new pet, later to be known among the locals as Boonrawd, meaning "lucky to survive".

Boonrawd
Despite his success with mass farming techniques, Dhanin’s interest in free-range chickens has resulted in a corner of his Chon Buri estate being turned into a quaint little village of 12 huts complete with large trees, haystacks, rice fields and water holes — embodying almost all the elements of a traditional country lifestyle. With Boonrawd in the picture, he came to realise the significance of buffaloes in the farming cycle; their usefulness in adding richness and fertility to the soil benefits the chickens in turn.

Last year, a second buffalo joined the family: a champion stud bull bought for 100,000 baht at an auction held on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Livestock Department. "Big Joe", who hails from Ubon Ratchathani, later had his name changed to Saen (meaning "one hundred thousand") in reference to the high price Dhanin was happy to pay for this beautiful beast in hopes of injecting more vitality into the local livestock market.

Like Boonrawd, Saen is a four-year-old "swamp buffalo", and he looks every bit the champion: an 830-kilogramme package of muscle, shiny fur and stately horns. Boonrawd, on the other hand, has managed to retain an aura of sadness and humility. The two were soon surrounded by 11 "pretty" buffalo cows.

The chickens aren’t doing too badly either. Already, 100,000 of them have been distributed to villagers to raise. Not only do the birds provide food for local families, they are also a good source of additional income. Free-range chickens sell for a much higher price than battery-raised ones — or 50 to 70 baht per kilogramme compared to a mere 25 to 30 baht.

The increasing emphasis on healthy eating habits around the world has caused a movement towards more natural foods, and since free-range chickens have a better flavour than factory-farmed birds and their meat is higher in protein and lower in cholesterol, the future for those who breed them is looking good.

Ung-aang-Talay
Lip-smackin’ good
Chiang Mai eatery serves up best meal of the year

Ung-aang Talay’s recent northern-Thai culinary sojourn reached a high point with a visit to a small food shop called Sriphloy, located across from the municipal building in Saraphi, Chiang Mai. Owned and run by Phajon and Sriphloy Thawiroj, it is known locally as the source of some of the best regional cooking in the area.

Many of these items were new to Ung-aang, but in some cases links with variants from other regions suggested themselves. The kaeng khua kai baan, for example, was similar in appearance and aroma to the southern Thai version but, not surprisingly, lacked the nuclear heat of the southern recipe. With the seasonings used less aggressively, it was easier to appreciate the fine flavour of the free-range chicken, so superior in taste and texture to the hormone-bloated types usually encountered on restaurant platters.

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

magnate
a person who is rich, powerful and successful, especially in business

tend (v)
to care for

revive
to start to use or do again

conserve
to protect and prevent something from being changed or destroyed

stately
impressive in size, appearance or manner

acquisition
the act of getting something

specimen
an example

quaint
attractive in an old-fashioned way

embodying
expressing or representing an idea or a quality

stud
an animal kept for breeding

inject
to add a particular quality to

vitality
energy and strength

retain
to keep

aura
a noticeable feeling or quality that seems to surround something

battery
a large number

culinary
connected with cooking and food

sojourn
a temporary stay in a place away from your home

aroma
a noticeable and pleasant smell

nuclear
in this case, powerful

aggressively
strongly

bloated
unpleasantly full of

•This lesson was prepared by Maureen Paetkau, a professional teacher of English as a second and foreign language and Assistant Manager and Webmaster for Learning Post at the Bangkok Post.

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