The working of government and the making of sausages are quite similar, a wise man said more than a century ago. It is often unappealing to watch the process, even if the outcome is often uplifting. Two events sparked by the Thai government last week rather prove the point. The quest for "Taobao Villages" and a sudden demand to protect Thai food from foreigners both came out of the blue, and are more off-putting than attractive.
The startlingly snap statement by Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong that he intends to apply the Taobao Village model to low-income Thai society came from Shanghai. Mr Sontirat was accompanying Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak on a visit to China. There are numerous reasons for the visit, ranging from the general hope to increase trade to pinpointing ways China and Chinese can help to resuscitate the eroding numbers of Chinese tourists.
And then there was the Taobao Village. The father of China's version of this programme is Jack Ma, the marketing genius behind Alibaba and other online giants. Mr Somkid engaged Mr Ma in various discussions and, as he always has, the Chinese tycoon promised to help. He spoke with Mr Sontirat about the Taobao concept, and obviously impressed the minister.
Taobao's concept is to encourage villages to identify a product or product their region excels at. After that, Mr Ma's groups step in to help establish marketing and -- here's what makes it Taobao -- get online commerce established, including websites, payments and delivery options.
Taobao has a major online presence in Thailand, selling Chinese goods at TaobaoThailand.com. But Mr Sontirat, to mix metaphors, wants to leap into a somewhat strange bit of sausage-making.
Thailand already has a terrific base for Taobao. The fabulously successful One Tambon-One Product (Otop) came years before Mr Ma adopted the same model for China. Otop already sells across the country and abroad. Ironically, it was established and seeded by none other than Mr Somkid, when he served in the Thaksin administration.
It would be much easier by magnitudes to upgrade Otop with 21st century technology than to start all over again by using the model of Mr Ma's venture.
A second issue is the completely unanticipated announcement about Thai food from the Minister of Culture. Vira Rojpojchanarat claimed rather implausibly that Thai "culinary art needs better protection against foreign influences". As he proceeded, it became obvious Mr Vira was referring to -- and prejudiced against -- fusion dishes now appearing around the world.
It is completely natural that imaginative chefs often use Thai food in fusion or simply adapt and serve Thai dishes in new ways. This is because Thai food is one of the world's most popular. And Mr Vira's lament is far off base for the simple reason that Thai food is so delicious, and so popular worldwide, because it evolved -- and rather quickly in historical terms.
The Culture minister's worries that gastronomes and fusion foods are a threat to authenticity are once again misplaced. On far too many occasions, his ministry has looked entirely out of sync with society by demanding a freeze on imagination, progressive change and development of entirely new items through evolution.
By all means Mr Vira should seek to preserve the royal and regional dishes of the past. One or many "cooking museums" could both conserve and publicise the best of Thai food from past generations. And so could adapting to modern technology and information spread help Thai food survive, far more than fusion meals threaten it.
As with the Taobao-Otop imbroglio above, Mr Vira should be employing all popular, modern means to lionise the chefs and dishes of the past. A YouTube cooking series of traditional dishes is a simple idea, learning both history and practical meals simultaneously.
There always is a place for tradition, but there must be unlimited place and access to imaginative change and adaptation.