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.

August 19, 2003

Finding a new audience

INTRODUCTION

There are two short feature stories for you to read today. Both are about projects that feature some aspect of Thai culture and deliver it to a new group of people, a new audience. One project is a coffee restaurant set in an unusual location; the other is a competition to introduce a new web site. Both are about taking pride in the good things of Thai culture.

Before you read the stories, read the titles, look at the pictures and read the captions. What aspects of Thai culture are being highlighted in each article?
Getting the essentials

The topics below are a way of summarising the essential features of the two projects. Those are also the main ideas of the stories, of course. On a separate sheet of paper, create a chart on which you can present the important points. Use the topics below as column A; then create column B for information from Strange brew and column C for Tom yum kung competition.

The information in brackets ( ) is just to help you think about what kind of ideas to write in columns B and C.

Column A:
Topics:

Source of Thai pride (Thai products being promoted)

Thai skills (artistic and technical skills)

Target audience (who the project is aimed at)

Methods used to reach the audience (what project developers have done)

Those who benefit (everyone who gains something)

Measures of success (ways of knowing the project is good)

Column B:
Strange brew

Column C:
Tom yum kung

There aren’t many ideas for measuring success in the two stories; you will have to use your imagination to fill in that row. Think about how the people involved in each project will know that it is successful and write your ideas. If you have Internet access, check out the web site mentioned in the second story and include your criteria for a successful site.

Can you think of other aspects of Thai culture that you are particularly proud of? With your class or study group, think of one more project (column C) and see if you can fill in all the rows.
Working with language

There are four interesting expressions in the first story; they are listed below. Check the meanings in the vocabulary box and find them again in the story to see how they are used.

Now, think of events or situations which you could describe using one or more of the expressions. It might be something that happened to you or to someone you know. Write one or two sentences about the situation using the expression. Share your stories with classmates or study group friends. Use as many of the expressions as you can.

… taken aback …

… crop up …

… in the works …

… while away the hours …

OUR STORIES FROM THE BANGKOK POST

Strange brew

Chain's new Ekamai outlet is a house of culture not just coffee

Story by KANOKPORN CHANASONGKRAM
Picture by ANUSORN SAKSEREE

Both rice and coffee are grown on the grounds of Banriecoffee

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

brew
a mixture of some substance with hot water to make it ready to drink

taken aback
to be shocked or surprised by something that happened

crop up
to appear or happen unexpectedly

intriguing
very interesting because of being unusual

testify
to show that something is true

christened
named

cater to
to provide what someone wants

craving
a strong desire for

rush
a strong feeling, especially produced by a drug (caffeine in this case)

service (v)
to provide people with something they need

bustling
full of people moving about in a busy way

in the works
being discussed, planned or prepared

reflect
to show the nature of something

aspiration
a strong desire to have or do something

laterite
a reddish rock

décor
the decorating style of the inside of a building

while away time
to spend time in a pleasant lazy way

installed
put in place

Urbanites may be taken aback by the sight of rice paddies cropping up near Ekamai BTS station on busy Sukhumvit Road. The mini paddy field is actually one of many intriguing aspects of Banriecoffee's new Ekamai branch.

Occupying two rai on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 63, the outlet prides itself on being the world's first ``Garden of Coffee Drinking''. With a plan to submit the claim to the Guinness Book of World Records, time will tell.

Besides rice, robusta coffee plants are grown in the garden, which testify that Banriecoffee is a ``bean'' business.

Asawin Khairasamee, Business Division manager of Banriecoffee, said that the new branch is open 24 hours, and has been christened in Thai language as Baan Kao Ed Ake [from Banrie (farmhouse) and Ekamai] because it is the 91^st outlet of the chain.

Previously, the firm focused on upcountry operations and located coffee shops at petrol stations to cater to driver and passenger cravings for a road rush. This year, however, business is being expanded to service people in bustling Bangkok with other outlets in the works.

``Besides a cup of coffee, we would like to offer to our customers unique experiences, unseen in Bangkok, such as the mini paddy. The rice plantation also reflects rural culture; promoting Thai culture is one of our business' objectives in supporting Thai society,'' said Asawin.

To fulfill such aspirations, the new establishment is divided into four areas: the rice paddy, five booths, a laterite court and the coffee shop building.

The booths are for local producers, such as those under the ``One Tambon One Product'' programme, to display and sell their products, while the laterite court or lan din daeng is a venue for activities and performances which are free to the public.

On weekends, there will be a variety of events exhibiting art and culture from khon to likay to manohra, as well as musical performances.

But for folks seeking just their daily doses of caffeine, they can take a seat in the air-conditioned Thai decor building or while away time on the second floor terrace.

``Our coffee is truly `Thai' because we use local raw materials, and we employ Thai traditional formulae in brewing. For either hot or cold, customers choose between a sweet brew with sugar (70 baht) or a creamy brew with sugar plus condensed milk (80 baht),'' said Asawin.

He also mentions that an important rule of the air-conditioned area is that no food is allowed, as the smell of nam pla (fish sauce) would obviously interfere with the aroma of fine coffee.

Internet service, books and magazines are available in the coffee shop, while luxurious rest rooms are located in the natural setting of the backyard.

Besides housing coffee and culture, the complex offers shelter for birds and squirrels who inhabit the small wooden houses installed amidst the trees in the garden.

Checking out Baan Kao Ed Ake is not a bad idea for anyone who would like to experience a ``natural brew''.

For further information about weekend performances, contact 02-391-9784/5.

Tom yum kung competition

Foreigners vie for honours in kitchen

ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

Wendy Wei prepares a tom yum kung dish using a recipe called up on the Internet.

SOME VOCABULARY HELP

vie
to compete strongly

kaffir lime
lime-like fruit with bumpy skin (makroot in Thai)

galangal
a mild-tasting root (kha in Thai)

hull (v)
to remove the outer covering of any bean-like food

launch
to start an activity

Ask foreigners what is their favourite Thai dish, and most would say ``tom yum kung'', but how many of them can cook it?

Recently five foreigners took part in a cooking competition to make the best tom yum kung of their own.

The prawns were washed and shelled, the kaffir lime leaves and galangal were sliced, straw mushrooms were cut in half, hot chillies were washed and hulled. Then the lot was put in boiling water.

Some contestants looked like skilled chefs, while others appeared a little clumsy with the ingredients.

The contest was part of a programme to launch a new Thai-cooking web site, www. thaicuisineonline.com, a joint venture between Ramkhamhaeng University, Rajamangala Institute of Technology Chotiwet campus and SUM System Co Ltd.

The contestants were from Mali, Japan, United States, Bhutan and China. Some had lived here for a long time and were familiar with Thai cooking, while others had never cooked Thai food before.

However, in just 20 minutes, all were able to discover the secrets of tom yum kung, thanks to instructions given at the web site. Contestants followed an online video demonstration of each cooking step.

Food experts were invited to taste each dish and decide which one was best.

The winner was Wendy Wei, a Chinese woman who said she had not cooked tom yum kung before, although it was her favourite dish. Ms Wei has been staying in Thailand for more than half a year, and is a student at Ramkhamhaeng University.

She said she often cooked Chinese food when she was at home, but Thai food was different.

``I think the most difficult thing in Thai cooking is how to control the taste, because it usually blends salty, sweet, sour and spicy tastes together,'' said Ms Wei.

When she first tasted her tom yum kung it was `too light' so she added fish sauce, lemon juice and coconut milk.

Salifou Traore, the first runner-up, agreed it was difficult to control the taste, though the video was easy to follow.

Mr Traore, from Mali, teaches German at Ramkhamhaeng University, and has been living in Thailand for three years. He said there was no Thai restaurant in his country, but he liked Thai food and was pleased to learn at least one recipe.

• 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.

Read our other feature focus columns here.

Return to our home page.

| Comments to Maureen at