Saroj Chavanaviraj, secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Thailand Foundation, is always happy to see Thai food promoted within the country.
He was one among a handful of dignitaries present at the launch of the much anticipated Street Food Bangkok app, which offers information on street food from 121 vendors and stalls, listing 25 dishes.
The app, which should go well with foodies, is a joint effort between the Thailand Foundation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
The Street Food Bangkok app, he said, can be downloaded for free onto both Android and iOS tablets and smartphones. It has a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate interface that displays a range of dishes, arranged by location and type, with details listed as well as preparation techniques and ingredients. Directions are also given to each stall/shop together with opening times.
In the not-so-distant future, the app will include street food vendors in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and other cities in the country.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Saroj said the aim of the application was to bring street food to the attention of locals, foreigners and tourists to promote Thai culture and tourism.
"The street food trend evolved very much on its own," began Saroj. "It has become so popular in the last couple of years that today we see a number of websites and blogs dedicated to it. We were voted the best in the world for street food and that is an honour. The idea of the app came about because we were looking for something new and trendy to showcase our street food. We had young Thais help us with the technical part of the app, which in my opinion is the first of its kind."
The Thailand Foundation was set up to promote Thai food, muay Thai, Thai films and traditional performances abroad.
"Currently, for promoting Thai films, our focus is the Asean area," remarked the former diplomat. "Indonesia has shown a keen interest in our movies, thanks to our talented filmmakers who are coming up with quality films. We have also been introducing our movies to Vietnam, Myanmar and China, where many watch online.
"Thai boxing has also been very popular. Countless number of times we have had our boxers perform in Russia, Switzerland, China and Asia. To our amazement, a number of our boxing fans are women.
"We continue to promote Thai food abroad despite the fact that it requires no introduction, thanks to word of mouth and the fact that Thai food is delicious. It has become rather fashionable to visit a Thai restaurant in Paris.
"However, we cannot be complacent, and need to keep promoting our culinary delights. Secrets To Thai Cooking, translated in English, French and Spanish, is a cookbook which is distributed at functions by Thai embassies across the globe."
As for his desire to see Thai films make a stronger presence abroad, Saroj said that he did not want to get too ambitious in venturing into uncharted territory because their current objectives of making their presence felt in the region had to first be fulfilled. If and when the Thailand Foundation is able to get more of a budget, he said, one of the very first projects that he would like to launch is an intercultural programme whereby young adults, preferably high school students, come and live with a Thai family.
The student exchange programme could see students swapping countries for a period of three months and it would enable foreigners to learn and experience the Thai way of life.
Promoting the Thai music industry, particularly pop music, is another area he would like to see highlighted.
"I think we have very good songwriters," he commented. "Our producers, musicians, singers and dancers are also talented. In short, we have everything ready and I think it can become very popular among neighbouring countries or even Asia and beyond if we can have the right opportunity for a breakthrough.
"Maybe we could start off by writing the lyrics in English or half-Thai/half-English. After all, English will undoubtedly become the main medium for communication in Asean when the AEC is in place.
"Besides the aforementioned, I think Thailand now has quite a few talented young designers. I believe if we could really support them and give them more experience and develop them into leading fashion designers, it could do a lot of good for Thailand and for its economy. At the same time the promotion of Thai silk is already part and parcel of the whole effort."
Highlights during his decades-long diplomatic career have also been plentiful. One of the many that stand out was in the 1980s when he was ambassador to Singapore. During this tenure, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn paid a royal visit to the country. She officiated at a number of official and unofficial programmes during this period, one of which was giving a royal audience to Thai workers in Singapore. They decided to move the venue from the Thai embassy to a sports arena because they expected a large turnout.
As predicted, thousands of workers came out to meet their Princess, but what was to follow was something that will be forever etched in his memory.
"After the Princess gave a short speech asking the audience to behave and observe Singapore law, someone broke protocol and approached the stage," said Saroj.
"He took out some banknotes and told the Princess that he wanted to donate it to the various projects that she had initiated for the Thai people. Suddenly, thousands of people converged on her to give her their own donations.
"This show of love continued for about 10 minutes before security called people to a stop out of concern for the Princess. For me, it was an unforgettable experience because it was spontaneous and genuinely an act from the heart of the Thai workers who had to work hard for their loved ones at home."
