Thai food #1 Provincial Thai food

Central

The central part of Thailand is the plain and low land where many rivers pass by, thus the productivities are fertile all through the year both vegetables and fruits.
Hence, food in the central part is diverse and the taste is moderate with the combination of salty, spicy, sour and sweet according to the recipes. However, there are also the mixing of the seasonings both odor and taste, for instance, spices and the coconut milk.
Moreover, the central part food is usually composed of supplement, for instance chilli paste with sweet pork and sweet, salty paste with margosa.
The main characteristic of the food in this region is the refinement of the vegetables and fruits carving that represent the identity of the arts and culture of the Thai food.

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Southern

The southern part of Thailand is the peninsula, thus, almost of the population earn their living by fishery.
Hence, the main food ingredients are the seafood. Spices are also the favorite ingredients which make the taste spicy, salty and sour, for instance, Kaeng tai pla, Kaeng som and Kaeng luang, etc.
The southern food is delicious to supplement with vegetables in order to decrease the spicy taste, ‘pak nhoa’, for instance, ma-kheua pro, yard-long beans, wing bean, parkia, etc.

Northern

The northern part of Thailand is the ancient land where the tradition and culture are different from other parts.
The eating pattern in the north, instead of sitting at the table, the northern people usually put all the dishes in the big bowl called ‘kan tok’ and sit altogether on the floor around the bowl.
Basically, sticky rice is the main food. Almost of the cooking are well done and fried with oil.

North East

The northeast part of Thailand is hardly dry, therefore the main ingredients for food are actually varieties of insects which are the main protein sources for people in this area.
The main food is also the sticky rice. Vegetables and meats are almost local products.
Fermented fish is the main mixture to seasoning almost every dish but not for fried cooking and usually supplement with fresh vegetables.

Loy Krathong Festival

One of the most popular festivals in early November is the Loy Krathong Festival. It takes place at a time when the weather is fine as the rainy season is over and there is a high water level all over the country.

“Loy” means “to float” and a “Krathong” is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Krathong usually contains a candle, three joss-sticks, some flowers and coins.

In fact, the festival is of Brahmin origin in which people offer thanks to the Goddess of the water. Thus, by moonlight, people light the candles and joss-sticks, make a wish and launch their Krathongs on canals, rivers or even small ponds. It is believed that the Krathongs carry away sins and bad luck, and the wishes that have been made for the new year due to start. Indeed, it is the time to be joyful and happy as the sufferings are floated away.

The festival starts in the evening when there is a full moon in the sky. People of all walks of life carry their Krathongs to the nearby rivers. After lighting candles and joss-sticks and making a wish, they gently place the Krathongs on the water and let them drift away till they go out of sight.

A Beauty Queen Contest is an important part of the festival and for this occasion it is called “The Noppamas Queen Contest”. Noppamas is a legendary figure from the Sukhothai period. Old documents refer to her as the chief royal consort of a Sukhothai King named “Lithai”. Noppamas was said

to have made the first decorated Krathong to float in the river on the occasion.

In Bangkok, major establishments such as leading hotels and amusement parks organise their Loy Krathong Festival and the Krathong contest as major annual function.

For visitors to Thailand, the Loy Krathong Festival is an occasion not to be missed. The festival is listed in the tourist calendar. Everyone is invited to take part and share the joy and happiness.

Yee Peng Festival : Loi Krathong in the north of Thailand

Yee Peng is the annual festival held to celebrate the full moon in the northern capital of Chiang Mai on the day preceding Loy Krathong by one day in November. The word “Yee Peng” is the northern Thai term referring to the full moon of the 12th lunar month in the Buddhist calendar.

The festival is celebrated as a religious event in which local people throughout the region make merit and other religious activities. The highlight of the event focuses on the launching of the Khom loy or floating lanterns into the night sky with the belief that misfortune will fly away with the lanterns. It is their belief, if the lanterns are made and offered to monks, they will receive wisdom in return as the flame in the lantern is said to symbolise knowledge and the light it gives will guide them to the right path of their lives.

Meanwhile, “Khom loy” is a Thai word signifying the floating lantern which is a large balloon – like made from a light bamboo frame covered with saa (mulberry) paper. It floats by means of hot air heated by a flaming torch fixed in the balloon. During the event, both day and night local people and monks are closely involved with the Khom making process. Besides, the premise of large hotels, the temple compound is thus the appropriate venue for the launching of the Khom. The activity has gained such popularity that at the height of the event the flight training of the Royal Thai Air Force has to be suspended until all the Khom loy have dispersed while all commercial air traffic at the airport has been warned to exercise extreme caution as the climbing lanterns could pose a danger to the jet turbines.

To celebrate the auspicious event, companies and private individuals make merit by sponsoring ballons to dispel bad luck and seek good fortune. If their balloons rise high and travel far, this indicates prosperity. It has been said that this kind of hot air balloon could rise to heights of up to 1,250 metres and travel even as far as Hat Yai District of the southern province of Songkhla.

The most spectacular event is held at the Thapae Gate area where local and foreign visitors can see floats, marchers and beautiful Yee Peng queens. As the night falls, the spectators will be excited to see the long strings of Khom loy rise gently into the limitless sky as they stimulate the participants’ spirits to rise higher to the heaven. This brings joy and happiness to the merit-makers since their ill – fortune has been floated away.

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I love the King

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great was born on December 5, 1927 to Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and Mom Sangwan. His Majesty is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty and the longest-reigning monarch in the history of Thailand.

His Majesty the King is well recognised as the heart and soul of the Thai nation. He is held in high esteem not only by his own subjects, but His Majesty also commands enormous respect from people in all parts of the world.

Everywhere he goes, people turn up to greet him in hundreds of thousands. The manner in which His Majesty conducts himself, giving his whole heart and attention to the people, immediately linked the living symbol of the nation to the people in a bond of mutual understanding and personal affection.

The main concern of His Majesty is for the uplifting of the general well-being of the people. Evidence of this can be drawn from His Majesty the King’s ceaseless efforts to visit his subjects in the rural areas. The aim of His Majesty’s visits is to learn at first hand about the needs of his subjects.

To obtain such information, his Majesty has to travel many thousands of kilometres throughout the kingdom and, whenever possible, suggests ways to overcome the difficulties. These visits have led to the establishment of over 1,000 Royal and Royally-initiated projects. They are implemented by the relevant agencies of the government after having been given advice and assistance by His Majesty.

His Majesty is the first member of the Royal Family to be granted a patent for an invention. The registered patent is for one of His Majesty’s “Chai Pattana Machines”-the Chai Pattana Aerator Model RX 2. The patent rights call it an “apparatus” for water treatment”, which is used for agricultural and industrial purposes and can be seen operating in many polluted water ways.

Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand and His Majesty constantly shows himslef to be a convinced and dedicated disciple of the Lord Buddha. To follow the tradition of young Buddhist men to go into the monastery for a period of time, His Majesty entered the Buddhist monkhood at Wat Bovornnives on 22 October 1956. The Constitution of Thailand, however, does not prescribe the King to be only the Defender of the Buddhist Faith, but also to be the upholder of all Religions. He gives equal attention to the protection of all forms of worship and also to the problems of other religious communities in Thailand.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great came to the throne on June 9, 1946. The meaning of his name is “Strength of the Land, incomparable Power”. Since that date he has reigned over the Kingdom of Thailand as a constitutional monarch. At the Coronation Ceremony on May 5, 1950, His Majesty the King pronounced the traditional Oath of Accession which stated: -“We will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people”. His Majesty’s actions since then have thoroughly reflected those words and have always been directed towards increasing the welfare and prosperity of the Thai nation.

On his birthday, which is observed as a National Holiday, all his subjects rejoice in demonstrating once more their affection and loyalty to him. Religious rites are held, houses and buildings are decorated with flags, lights and his portraits. The whole nation prays to the Holy Triple Gem and all the sacred things in the universe to bless His Majesty with good health and happiness and the strength to carry on his onerous task.

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