THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Keeping it authentic

Keeping it authentic

Chang beer signs up a Thai-American chef to take Thai cuisine to the world through a new "Sensory Trails" experience

THAI FOOD is one of the most popular cuisines in the world but a phad thai or som tum that you enjoy, say in London, often bears little resemblance to what you will chow down at a Bangkok food stall. So what is authentic Thai food and how do you know if you are eating the real thing?
Chang, which makes the famed Thai beer, is out to set the world straight with its brand new global campaign, “Chang Sensory Trails”, which is tracking celebrity chef and Thai culinary ambassador Jet Tila’s memories of the Kingdom’s cuisine starting in Singapore.
“The inaugural Chang Sensory Trails is our first-ever global campaign to bring the vibrancy of Thai urban food culture to the world. The iconic flavours of Thai food are already renowned in various parts of the world. In addition to its distinctive presentation and taste, Thai cuisine embraces creative twists to deliver more exotic, palate-teasing experiences to international epicureans,” says Ronnie Teo, global marketing director for Chang.
“We are collaborating with Jet, who is known as a culinary storyteller, to highlight Thai dishes and take gourmets down memory lane. These memories are based on Jet’s personal experience of food with his family and friends in Thailand.”
Billed as a multi-sensorial event that celebrates Thailand’s iconic flavours, the campaign seamlessly blends iconic Thai dishes with soulful funk music and urban street art for a truly unique, one-of-a-kind experience. After its launch in Singa- pore last week, it’s heading to Los Angeles and London.
All three destinations will see some of the finest Thai restaurants joining Tila in creating Thai dishes at Chang Sensory Trails. A highlight activity in each destination is an exclusive VIP dining experience where the winners of an online contest will get to taste Tila’s off- the-menu dishes. 
The event in Singapore featured the signature dishes of the City State’s eight finest Thai restaurants, namely Folks Collective’s Phad Thai with Crab Meat, Atlantic Black Cod Yellow Curry with Bamboo Shoots Tempura from Patara, Cured Pork Fritters from Long Chim, Thai Watermelon Fried Rice from Gin Khao, Grilled Fish and Beef and Pork Balls Skewers from Nara Thai, Kor Moo Yang from Rochor Thai, Prawn in Crystal Roll with Sweet Basil from Tamarind Hill and Chiang Mai Bites from Long Tail.
“We have spent our lives travelling and tasting Thai foods around the world, so we know how important authentic tastes are,” says Therapong “John” Monthienvichienchai, the founder of Folks Collective. 
“But you also have to go with what’s available. For example, we modify our green curry by using pumpkin instead of eggplant, which is hard to find here.” 
His wife Pacika, who prefers to be called Katherine, confirms his statement, adding, “Our food is authentically Thai and we don’t cater to the locals’ taste.” 
Therapong and Pacika, both former bankers, are permanent residents of Singapore. Folks Collective, their Thai restaurant business, today boasts four branches, each with a different concept and we made our way to the China Square branch, known as “The Vintage Shophouse” to feast on a selection of dishes including Phad Thai with Crab Meat, Kang Khiew Wan with Khao Klong (green curry with brown rice) and Folks Wings (fried chicken drumsticks), all served in the traditional fish baskets known as kheng pla too. 
The restaurant itself, which is mainly furnished with antiques, is decorated in an eclectic vintage style. 
“Our target group for this branch is office workers. They earn very different salaries and our aim is to get them to eat here a few times a week so we keep the prices low,” says Therapong, who worked in England for more than 10 years.
“When I was in England, I had a Thai meal with a British friend, who told me that ‘tom yam’ was as sour as medicine!”
The Chang Sensory Trails event brought the Bay Front Event Space to life as dusk fell, with festival-goers pouring into the area to enjoy music performances as well as a graffiti show. Later in the evening, we were welcomed to Jet Tila’s Chef’s Table to enjoy six dishes based on his memories. They included miang kham “A Night of Yum”, (stuffed betel leaf with palm sugar jam), sa la pao sai moo “The Way My Grandmother Used to Do It”, (five-spice braised pork belly buns), yum som-o “Prosperity & Pomelos”, (pomelo crispy rice salad with shrimp), khao soi “From Lampang with Love”, (Thai Northern curry noodles with braised beef and curry), yum pla-duk fu “We Need A Bigger Boat”, (crispy fish with green mango slaw) and pad kee mao “The Dish that Made Me” (drunken noodles).
“If we are going to spread Thai food, Thai culture and Thai beer around the world, we need a voice that people can associate with English. I’m very proud that Chang has taken me on for this mission,” Tila says. 
“I create dishes for you to experience based on growing up as a Thai-American who has travelled the world. I think people love Thai food and when you ask them where they first tasted it, they will say Bangkok and Chiang Mai. You can see the happy memories in their eyes. They tell me ‘I was in Bangkok’; ‘I was in Chiang Mai;’ ‘I was on the beach’. I want to pick dishes that hit on those memories and I want people to come to our events in London and Los Angeles. And we hope at every festival to create a new sense of memory,” he explains.
“Here in Singapore, we have eight amazing partner restaurants. My mother comes from Lampang and she would often prepare charcoal–boiled pork neck or kor moo yang. That is old school. Watermelon fried rice is a beautiful blend of old school and new school. I’m excited to share those dishes with Singapore,” he adds.
 “We will change the menu according to the city though we will keep staples like phad thai and khao soi. I think it’s important to get people hooked, make them love the food and help them find their own food journey. 
“You know, the French have been recording their dishes in books for more than 250 years but Thailand doesn’t have many of those books. I think the best we can do is to keep the ingredients authentic. That’s important right now.”
 
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