Showing 1 - 10 of 18
The other side of Songkran
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 12/04/2020
» When Songkran is approaching, people instinctively bring out colourful shirts to wear as a gesture to celebrate the occasion.
The robe offering
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 02/12/2018
» A combined festival of merit-making and dining takes place once a year. It's a festival most Buddhists wouldn't miss, the kathina ceremony.
The oodles of takes on noodles
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 02/04/2017
» In their most popular forms kuay tio -- rice noodles -- are prepared in two ways. As kuay tio nam they are served in broth, and there are countless variants on this basic noodle soup. The other approach is to stir-fry the noodles in a wok to make phat kuay tio, and here again there is a long list of different fried noodles no less irresistible to noodle lovers as the repertoire of kuay tio nam.
Something's in the air
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 11/09/2016
» Food appeals to us not just because of its taste, which can combine sourness, saltiness, sweetness, bitterness and chilli heat with endless variety, but also because of its aroma. But it is not just the combination of meat, vegetables and seasonings together with the cooking technique that automatically creates the fragrance that wafts from a finished dish. It is a careful selection by the cook of ingredients that will create or enhance its aroma.
Having enough on your plate
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 14/08/2016
» By the term "one-dish meal", most people mean a meal where a single plateful will fill them up. But using satiety as the basis if the definition doesn't really work, because people have different capacities. Some eat very little, while others prefer a big meal. For example, some food shop customers might not feel full after finishing off a plate of pork fried rice and order a plate of kui tiao sen yai raad naa (broad rice noodles with meat in gravy) as a follow up, or start off with pork noodles and then move on to a bowl of yen ta fo. Both examples show that it takes a combination of these dishes to fill up some members of the clientele, and that both cooked-to-order food shops and noodles shops will offer a variety of dishes.
Gone but not forgotten
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 07/08/2016
» Many old Thai dishes that were familiar to people of a few generations ago are gone now, but among the old dishes, a number have been revived and are appearing on menus again. In many cases there have been revisions and adaptations, however, with new ingredients introduced as substitutes for original ones that are hard to find now, or that may no longer be available at all.
Old names for a new sensation
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 10/07/2016
» When a popular food or way of eating remains a favourite over time, it lodges deep in people's memories. Even if the food in its original form changes or disappears completely, new ones that come in to replace it will often be referred to by the famous old name.
Wat's the centre of Mon tradition
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 10/04/2016
» There are only three days left until Songkran, a festival that is celebrated throughout Thailand, but that is especially significant for the Mon community. The special importance it has for the Mon may have to do with the strictness of their Buddhist belief and the firmness with which they have maintained their cultural traditions. When Songkran arrives they celebrate it in a way that preserves the original character and meaning of the festival, creating an event that we can admire or, better, take part in.
All the fun of the fair
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 15/11/2015
» When you see the chedi of Wat Saket, also called the Golden Mount, wrapped in red cloth, especially at night when it is brightly illuminated, you know the temple’s annual fair is under way. Then an annual visit should be a must, because it is a unique opportunity to see a real Thai temple fair, the biggest and oldest one in Bangkok. There is something there to delight anyone, regardless of age, ethnic background or social class.
Watering down the Thai New Year
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 10/05/2015
» For many centuries Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated in April, had a special meaning for Thais, one that drew on both religious belief and tradition. But today, with a much larger population, both society and ways of thinking have changed.