By Kathleen Rhames
Daily Bruin Contributor
Culinary expert Tommy Tang has discovered the solution for world
peace and it isn’t politics. It’s food – Thai food, that is.
"Food should be the ambassador of the world," he says. "If you
want to promote world peace, we should have a cook-off
everyday."
Tang, who is renowned for his pioneering success in the Thai
food business from Los Angeles to New York, is one of many who will
spend this weekend sharing their food and culture at the Thai Food
Festival ’96. It seems fitting to host the festival in Los Angeles,
where the popularity of Thai cuisine is on the rise.
"I think that although a lot of people may have eaten Thai food
before, there is still a large number of the population that
doesn’t know what it is," says Tang.
"A festival like this allows people to taste your country and
learn aspects of Thai culture that they may not have been aware
of."
Although food is the dominant medium at the festival, cultural
festivities like classical dance and kickboxing demonstrations will
add an exciting dimension to the weekend’s events as well.
Hosted by the Royal Thai Government and organized by the Thai
Chamber of Commerce, the festival falls on the celebration of the
50th anniversary of Thailand’s King Rama IX’s ascension to the
throne.
Together with an enticing display of food, the celebration will
combine elements of ancient and contemporary Thailand. Tom
Thepprasit, president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, feels the
depth of the country’s culture is not appreciated.
"The concept of the festival is not only to show what good
gourmet is all about but to show the faces of the people, the
nation and the true culture behind it," Thepprasit says.
"The Thai Chamber tries to promote Thai food for the American
people in a way that helps them understand the nation and its
culture. If it becomes popular, Thailand becomes well-known as its
own country."
Both Thepprasit and Tang believe that a country’s food is
reflective of its identity. It has a humanitarian quality that can
link cultures together.
"Food is the gate that connects people," says Tang. "It’s the
best thing to offer to people you don’t know. When you travel and
you’re hungry and someone gives you food, you’re going to remember
that when you return home."
In a world where society relies on conventional means of uniting
people such as the Olympics and organized-sports teams, Tang takes
an alternative view.
"With food, people can try it and eat it and feel good about the
other country and maybe they will want to find out more about it,"
he says. "Hopefully the festival will give different countries and
different people a chance to mingle and come together in a peaceful
harmony."
Tang further attributes the success of Thai cuisine in Los
Angeles to its tasty and healthy style flavored with fresh herbs
and spices. Some of the food expected to be on display this weekend
includes popular plates like pad thai, a noodle dish with shrimp,
chicken, fish sauce and spice. Overall, there will be close to 100
different varieties of Thai food at the festival, representing
Northern, Northeastern and Central Thailand.
The food festival began four years ago as an effort to implement
Thai culture into American society. It was a success and soon
after, the Thai Chamber of Commerce lobbied the Thai Government to
continue it as an annual event.
"We wished to receive help from them in order to keep the
festival alive," says Thepprasit. "It’s a way of exploring
international events."
The fact that the festival is being held in Los Angeles holds a
connection to the past that Thepprasit finds appropriate.
"L.A. is the first place the Thai community expanded from," he
says. "It’s the first stop they arrived at and with today’s span of
about 400 Thai restaurants, the L.A. area has a direct impact on
promoting Thai food."
Tang agrees.
"The reason we’re doing the festival here in L.A. is because it
is the gate to the United States for Asian countries," he says.
"The climate is fantastic and the Thai population and number of
Thai restaurants is high. Hopefully, if the festival is successful,
we can branch out to other places like San Francisco, Chicago and
Florida. By promoting Thai food, we hope to promote co-existing
harmonies within the U.S."
Tang stresses that the festival is free of charge and although
there is a small fee required to taste the different foods, the
money is well worth the cause.
"That’s what festivals should be like," Tang says. "For us it’s
about how we can have a fun weekend, not about how we can all make
a lot of money. We can all hang out together, like a big backyard
party."
FESTIVAL: First Royal Thai Government Food and
Cultural Festival, Oct. 5-6 at the Pacific Design Center. Free
admission, food prices $1-$5. For more information, call (310)
202-6412.