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Samak Sundaravej - The Food Critic Who Became Prime Minister of Thailand
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February 5th 2008 was the first day in office for Prime Minister Samak, and the first time in world history that a celebrity chef became a nation's top elected official.
Samak has been involved in Thai politics for over 30 years, and since the 1990s has been promoting the art of Thai cooking on both radio and television. He started cooking at the age of 7, and his popular cookbook Chimpai Bonpai (translation: "Tasting, Complaining") is now in it's 9th edition. One innovative Samak recipe: he makes pork leg stew with coca-cola.
His weekly cooking show, also called Chimpai Bonpai, combines Thai recipe talk with blunt political tirades. He's also a familiar personality among favorite neighborhood food shops including Saochingcha's street vendors near the Bangkok City Hall. We reported a few months ago seeing his framed picture here in this Saochingcha vendor's shop.
After his election victory the first thing he did was invite reporters from all over Thailand to his home to sample his homemade noodles (see below). Samak is a true culinary enthusiast, and we think he'll be a great contributor to the reputation and enjoyment of delicious Thai food all over the world.
Might this be a trend that reaches America? Given our current choices, President Emeril doesn't sound all that bad. |
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Samak's Cookbook: 9th Edition
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Samak's TV Show
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Post Victory Celebration: Cooking For Reporters
Source: Siam Rath
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