The history of Thai cuisine
Until 1939, the country we now call Thailand was known as Siam. It was the only Southeast Asian country never to have been colonized by a Western country, which allowed it to cultivate its eating habits with its own special dishes. But that does not mean that Thailand was not influenced by its Asian neighbors.
How Siam/Thailand responded to the pull of the West
How did Thailand respond to contacts with the West? How did they view the West? Which things did they admire and which aroused their aversion? What did they adopt, how and for what reasons, and what did they reject? A short cultural guide.
Ayutthaya – the ancient capital of Siam (video)
Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Siam. It is located 80 km north of the current capital of Thailand. What to see and do?
I am not telling you a secret when I say that the influence of the Thai army on the social and political developments in the country in the last century has been indispensable. From coup to coup, the military caste not only managed to strengthen its position but also – and this until today – to maintain its grip on the country's government.
Book review: Bencharong Chinese porcelain for Siam
Two years ago River Books in Bangkok published the chic looking book Bencharong – Chinese Porcelain for Siam. A luxuriously published book about an eminently luxurious and exclusive artisanal product. The American author Dawn Fairley Rooney, who lives in Bangkok, was not ready for her test piece. She has already published nine books, four of which are about Southeast Asian ceramics.
Phya Anuman Rajadhon พระยาอนุมานราชธน (1888-1969), who became known by his pen name Sathiankoset, can be regarded as one of the most influential pioneers, if not the founder, of modern Thai anthropology.
Looking for Burmese traces in Chiang Mai
In the official Thai historiography, there are a number of historical phases that people prefer to talk about as little as possible. One of those periods is that of the two centuries that Chiang Mai was Burmese. You can already question the Thai identity and character of the Rose of the North anyway, because formally Chiang Mai, as the capital of the kingdom of Lanna, has not been part of Thailand for even a century.
Don't just say stupa to a chedi
You simply cannot miss it in Thailand; the chedis, the local variant of what is known in the rest of the world - with the exception of Tibet (chorten), Sri Lanka (dagaba) or Indonesia (candi), as the stupas, the round structures containing Buddhist relics or, as in some cases also the cremated remains of the Great Ones of the Land and their relatives.
The Thai National & Other Libraries
It all started in the seventh century BC with the thousands of clay tablets of King Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. A collection of texts that was systematically arranged and catalogued and it has continued in this way for twenty-eight centuries, albeit with trial and error. So the oldest library was that of good old Assurbanipal, the youngest newcomer is the internet.
Thonburi, the 250 year old capital of Siam
More than 250 years ago, Thonburi became the capital of Siam. This happened after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 to the conquest of the Burmese. However, the new capital only functioned as such for 15 years, because the current Bangkok took over as the capital.
The secret of the name Siam
A few years ago I made a translation of an article about Sukhothai. In the introduction I called Sukhothai the first capital of the kingdom of Siam, but that was not a good translation of the "Siamese Kingdom of Sukhothai", as stated in the original article. In response to the recent publication, a reader pointed out to me that Sukhothai was not the capital of Siam, but of the Sukhothai Kingdom.
Dara Rasami, an influential woman between two kingdoms
Dara Rasami (1873-1933) was a princess of the Chet Ton dynasty of Lan Na (Chiang Mai) kingdom. In 1886, King Chulalongkorn of the Kingdom of Siam (Bangkok area) asked for her hand in marriage. She became quite a consort among the other 152 wives of King Chulalongkorn and played an important role in the later merging of Siam and Lan Na into present-day Thailand. She was actively involved in cultural, economic and agricultural reform after her return to Chiang Mai in 1914.
Literacy and Libraries in Ancient Siam
How was the literacy of the Siamese in ancient times? What do we know about that? Not very much I'm afraid, but let me try to say something about it. And something about libraries and a bibliophile monk.
The heady history of Pad Thai
Pad Thai is perhaps the most popular dish among tourists, but Thais also enjoy it. Many people probably do not know that the court also has a political background.
Thai in the Korean War
It is well known that the Thai armed forces played an important role as an ally of the United States during the Vietnam War. Much less known is that a decade earlier they were also actively involved in the conflict that would go down in history as the Korean War.
A trip to Mallika City in Kanchanaburi
If you are planning a holiday in Thailand, Kanchanaburi province is an excellent choice. There is so much to see and experience, of course the history of the Second World War in and around the city of Kanchanaburi, the many beautiful waterfalls, the river Mae Kwae and much more.
Dutch wallflowers in Southeast Asia
Most culturally interested visitors to Thailand will come face to face with the impressive statues of what are described in most guidebooks as 'Farang' guards when visiting Wat Pho sooner or later in Bangkok.
How did the common man and woman live when Thailand was still called Siam? In 1930, Carle Zimmerman, with the cooperation of the Siamese authorities, carried out an extensive investigation into the living conditions of the rural population in Siam. He ignored the cities.
The first visit of a Siamese delegation to Europe
Lung Jan has already given some nice descriptions of European travelers to Southeast Asia. But what about the Siamese traveling to Europe? The first time that Siamese ambassadors came to Europe was for a visit to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in 1608.
The different views on the epic Khun Chang Khun Phaen
Any literary work can be read in many ways. This also applies to the most famous and admired epic in the Thai literary tradition: Khun Chang Khun Phaen (hereinafter KCKP).
Siamese in print
We all know that Thais can be quite chauvinistic at times and often try to minimize Farang's influence on their culture out of a particularistic reflex. Yet they owe something to Farang. Take printing, for example.
The Siamese melting pot in the 19th century
The kingdom of Siam, and to an even greater extent the capital city of Bangkok, showed an astonishing diversity of ethnic groups in the 19th century. In Bangkok, the original Thais were almost always a large minority. It was only in the course of the 20th century that an integration started that eventually gave almost everyone a Thai identity.