Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said his ministry will seek to have tom yum goong (spicy prawn soup) listed by Unesco as part of the country's tangible cultural heritage. That the ministry is giving some attention to Thai food culture makes for a welcome, and somewhat surprising, change.
The Ministry of Culture has traditionally focused on spoiling everyone's fun by heavily censoring movies and TV dramas. And when it's not doing that, it is engaged in other questionable endeavours that often trivialise rather than celebrate Thai culture. One of its past actions that irritated me most was the inappropriate depictions of Thossakan, the evil ogre from the Ramayana epic, skiing or making khanom krok (rice and coconut milk pancakes) in a music video promoting tourism.
The ministry puts a lot of emphasis on idealising Thai history. The minister even had a floating market recreated in Phadung Krung Kasem canal next to Government House. It was fake in every conceivable way. The vendors could neither paddle nor had they any knowledge about the goods loaded in the boats. The purpose was to show that floating markets were an integral part of the Thai way of life in the past. But no floating market ever existed in that canal. It was a complete waste of time and taxpayers' money.
In my opinion, there is no need to have tom yum goong officially registered as Thai cultural heritage. It's already evident in the name. Tom yum goong are Thai words. Wherever the dish cooked on this planet, it carries the same name, the same basic ingredients, the same basic flavour. Peking duck is a Chinese dish whether it's made in China or in Papua New Guinea. Nobody in Laos is going to confuse pizza or spaghetti as native dishes.
Hor mok pla chon (steamed curried fish cake), another unmistakably Thai dish.
Perhaps the Ministry of Culture is taking its cue from Singapore, who asked Unesco to enlist street food as Singaporean cultural heritage. But as others have pointed out, street food exists in every country, so if Unesco were to go along with this, it would likely upset a few people.
Anyway, why is the Ministry of Culture seeking to highlight tom yum goong specifically? What about all the other wonderful Thai dishes with just as much claim to be part of Thailand's cultural heritage? Perhaps a more worthwhile endeavour for the ministry to embark on would be to raise awareness among Thais about some lesser-known dishes. Local dishes are, after all, great socio-historical examples of intercommunity development and relationships.
They could introduce the people of Chiang Rai to the pleasures of nasi lemak rice curry from Pattani, or to promote Khmer-influenced cuisine from Surin and Buri Ram in Bangkok.
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports put a great deal of emphasis on promoting various religious festivals up and down the country in a bid to attract more tourists to these areas. These are often of limited appeal, especially to foreign visitors.
But every corner of the Kingdom has its own special recipes, linked to the local ethnic traditions and religious beliefs, with traditional knowledge and techniques particular to the individual societies. The preparation is mainly done by skilled local cooks using local produce. These kinds of untold stories deserve to be publicised.
Many ethnic communities now have a presence in Bangkok and with them they have brought their own culinary identities. Mon food vendors prepare traditional Mon specialities to sell to Mon people going to church in Samsen on Sunday mornings. Muslims attending Friday prayers at Haroon mosque on Chareon Krung 32 can buy Muslim dishes sold outside.
I believe the officials working at the Ministry of Culture are aware of all of this. But they just don't care about the history and cultural value of these ethnic foods. Various universities conduct research into food heritage, the application of local produce and the collecting of traditional recipes. Isn't it odd that the Ministry of Culture has shown no interest in carrying out similarly meaningful projects?
So the culture minister is proud of tom yum goong. So proud that he has asked Unesco to officially recognise it; this, of course, a dish already recognised and enjoyed by people all over the world. Good. Be proud. But be proud of all the remarkable food that Thailand has to offer.
