Boxing clever with Thai culture

The sounds and aromas of Thailand assault our senses from the moment we enter Place Dumon in Stockel, a residential area near the centre of Brussels. Following our noses, we head to the centre of Place Dumon where we find ourselves surrounded by delicious foods from many well-known Thai restaurants in Belgium.

Every year, Belgians and Thais get together to enjoy Thai foods, music, dance, muay thai and even Thai spa and massage for one day. Held since 2006, the Thai food and cultural festival "Essence of Thailand" is an event that has already made its mark on Belgian event calendar.

The festival is organised by the Royal Thai Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg with the support of Woluwe Saint Pierre and is overwhelmingly supported by Thai communities and Thai restaurants all over Belgium, among them Blue Elephant, My-Tai, Chiangmai and Sa Laa Thai.

These restaurants are offering more than 50 dishes of authentic Thai food. Popular dishes are pad thai, tom yum goong, tom kha kai, papaya salad with Thai style BBQ, tod mun, hor mok, spring roll, sweet and sour fish, prawn and chicken, fried rice with various Thai curries and different kinds of Thai noodles. Vegetarians can also find their green dishes just by asking the vendors.

"It's the event that many people look forward to. It is a family-friendly event so you can see people of all ages enjoying Thai food and cultural performances. This is the sixth year already so people from other cities know about the festival. They come all the way here and spend the whole day relaxing," says Ambassador Apichart Chinwanno.

Place Dumon is said to be food heaven zone while across the road in Avenue Baron d'Huart is the Cultural Zone. Filling your stomach before checking out the Cultural Zone is a pity since there are tons of Thai desserts, ice cream, herbal tea and snacks to taste and try.

At the beginning of the avenue, visitors watched open-mouthed as a bouquet of flowers is carved out of a watermelon. Loads of Thai handicrafts and silk are also available in this zone.

The Thai herbs and vegetable booth turns out to be a star attraction , with most visitors wanting to know where the shop gets fresh lemon grass, kaffir lime, chilli, sweet basil, lemon basil and other vegetables.

"We plant them here in Belgium. I'm really surprised to see them grow and bear fruit too. It's amazing," says the shop-owner.

We keep walking to the end of the walkway to re enjoy Thai spa and Thai massage only to find a long queue - this is one attraction that obviously draws the crowds back year after year!