Simple, thoughtful, delicious and intelligent.
That is how Marco Pierre White -- British chef, restaurateur and television personality studded with three Michelin stars -- describes Thai cuisine.
White frequently visits Asia, but never forms any preconception to avoid the taste of disappointment. When he came to Thailand this month for the first time, his eyes became wide open to "a visual feast", whether it be canals, gardens or grand buildings that have aged with grace.
"It is a city which plucks emotions. It is a city of extremes. Because I respond to visuals of life, I am completely fascinated by it. It impacts me enormously," he said. "It is as if you are going to London or Venice for the first time."
After a day's work, he wound down and gave an interview in the middle of his filming trip earlier this month.
Of course, food is the staple of his sojourn. Despite all the food he has had in life, there is something striking here. White had dry-aged duck, noodles with squidling, and papaya salad with fermented fish from the cream of the crop. The variety of Thai cuisine from different regions also shows diversity and a good understanding of spice.
"It is interesting to be exposed to different foods and see the beauty in all of them," he said. "It is an extraordinary journey for me."
It is the amount of care for what we eat that impresses him. For example, farmers beautifully arranged their produce like "a tower of cherry". At a floating market, "a lady on the boat" prepared pork noodle soup and mango sticky rice for him. It was not only how it tasted, but how they were presented.
"A lot of people in Thailand cook very well. Not just in the restaurant. As I said, I watched this lady in the floating market -- with no equipment -- make food delicious and sometimes more delicious than the food I've eaten at restaurants with Michelin stars," he said. "For me, it is all about eating and the emotional impact on me."
While Cantonese cuisine is said to be one of the greatest in the world, Thai food is not given the credibility it deserves on the global stage. White thinks it is down to the number of Thai restaurants in Europe. For example, there is only one Thai restaurant in Bath (Charm), while there are 20 Chinese restaurants and takeaways.
"Thai cuisine does not get the recognition it deserves. Now Michelin has come to Thailand. It will put Thailand on the gastronomic map a little bit more. It is going to elevate it and attract more people into the industry," he said.
Thai cuisine has been popular with foreign visitors, but new dishes have been recently added to the repertoire. TasteAtlas, a global food mapping site for local dishes, unveiled phanaeng on top of its 100 best-rated stews, joining other dishes like tom yum goong, tom kha gai and massaman curry.
With culinary enthusiasm running high, White recalled his early days -- around 50 years ago -- when cooking was a blue-collar job. He said a lot of young people from wealthy backgrounds are now taking an interest in gastronomy. In his case, he did not do well at school. It was not until later that he was diagnosed with dyslexia.
"One thing I have seen in my years is young people with dyslexia tend to be very good in the kitchen. It is the most wonderful world for them to express and share themselves. One of the great gifts dyslexics have is the ability to multitask," he said.
At 16, he left school without any qualifications and headed to the kitchen for an apprenticeship in Yorkshire, following his father's trade in a hotel. He arrived in London with "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes". At 33, despite his humble start, he became the youngest chef at the time to be awarded three Michelin stars.
"As far as my father is concerned, you work to make a living," he said. "A person who works with hands is a labourer. A person who works with hands and brains is a craftsman. But a person who works hands, brain and heart is an artist. The world I came from, I was a labourer. But I started to use my brain and have a relationship with food."
Most people think having a badge of honour would be the hallmark of success. But for him, it is not.
"The greatest achievement of my life is being invited to address the Oxford Union," he said. "They are fascinated by someone uneducated and how his mind works."
His passion for food might have begun in childhood when he spent his early life with his mother and watched her make things with hands. When he quit school, he struggled with communication and therefore turned to "speaking with his fingers". Good chefs have three things in common -- having respect for nature, extending themselves into whatever they do, and giving insight into their world -- all of which are served on plates.
"They don't overwork food just like the woman on the boat in the floating market. The way she skinned and chopped mango was perfect. Her rice was perfectly cooked. Her coconut milk cream was beautifully balanced," he said. "When you can allow it to be itself, that lady, without realising, is the true artist. That without question was one of the most delicious things I have eaten in this country.
"It is an example of Thai cuisine at its very best."
