My father is a lawyer and he and my stepmom get the chance to travel a lot. He is heading off to Bangkok this year and his forthcoming trip reminded me that all of the museum’s visitors can also visit Thailand via our Thai exhibit!
Thailand is a southeast Asian country in the same region as Indonesia and Vietnam, is on the larger side when it comes to nations, being estimated to have a population of over 65 million people. While it is often overlooked compared to other Asian countries like China, Japan, and India, Thailand still has a wealth of culture to unpack, and a lot that is perfect for families with children..
The Land of Smiles
One of the nicknames Thailand has gained over the years is “The Land of Smiles”. This is because, especially from the point of view of a tourist, Thai people tend to be very happy and hospitable. Their smiles never seem to disappear even if things go badly. While this reputation dates all the way back to the 15th and 16th centuries, it was bolstered when the Thai government actively used the nickname in tourism ads in the 60s in order to attract tourists. Needless to say, it worked. However, the role of smiling in Thai culture goes far deeper than mere tourist slogans.
In Thailand, smiling is no mere facial expression. Instead, it’s a way to subtly communicate without words, similar to how a smile is used in western culture. However, as Thai people have a tendency to voice their feelings less frequently than a lot of western nations, it only makes sense that smiling would be important to their culture. Common Thai wisdom says that Thai culture has about 13 different kinds of smiles that they use regularly. Of course, they smile when they are greeting someone or if they wish to express gratitude, However, they also smile for other reasons that some westerners might find a bit odd. For example, when things get rough, they will make a smile that means something along the lines of “keep moving forward, even in the darkest of times”. They even smile in moments of intense sadness like funerals, as it can help fight back against the tears. Do you use different smiles to mean different things? It may be fun to discuss the types of smiles you and your children use to express different emotions.
There are a lot of other types of smiles that mean different things in Thai culture. If you’d like to learn more about Thai smile culture, visit this website: https://mysakonnakhon.com/thai-smiles-understanding-their-different-meanings/
The Land of the White Elephant
Indian Elephants are the official national animal of Thailand and have become a symbol of Thai identity both inside and outside of their borders. There are over 3500 elephants held in captivity in Thailand and another ~3500 in the wild. Elephants and Thailand go way back; the Thai people have been using elephants for warfare, as beasts of burden, and status symbols for eons, as well as symbols for good fortune, strength, and wisdom.
It’s likely that the reverence of the Elephant in Thai culture comes from Buddhism. Thailand is one of the most Buddhist nations on Earth, with about 95% of people in Thailand identifying as Buddhist. . In Buddhism, Elephants are sacred animals, as the Buddha himself is often described as having traits akin to elephants and has even been reincarnated as an elephant several times. In Buddhist Text, it’s even stated that the Buddha’s birth was heralded by his mother having dreams of majestic white elephants.
Speaking of which, this leads to one of the most iconic aspects of the relation between Elephants and Thailand, the royal elephants. Traditionally, the Thai Monarchy keeps a herd of white elephants, as they are a status symbol for aristocracy all over Southeast Asia. The last known record says that the current king of Thailand has 11 elephants, but over the years the monarchy has had as many as 26. Notably, these Elephants aren’t actually albinos or pure white, their skin is more of a pale reddish-brown.
These elephants are where the expression “white elephant,” meaning a seemingly cool possession that requires way too much maintenance to be worth having and is difficult to dispose of, comes from. According to legend, early kings of Thailand (back when it was still called Siam) would give white elephants to any courtiers who displeased them. While this seems like an odd punishment at first, the intent was that the sheer cost of keeping the elephants fed and properly housed would bring the target to financial ruin. Despite there being no actual records of this happening (and other sources citing none other than legendary circus ringmaster P.T. Barnum with the phrase after he regretted buying a white elephant once he discovered they weren’t actually white), the phrase has stuck to this day.
Land of Restaurants and Cuisine
Something you might notice is that, while Thailand doesn’t really have as much cultural soft power as the likes of China, South Korea, or Japan, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of Thai restaurants across the world. In America alone, there are thousands of Thai restaurants spanning from sea to shining sea despite there being less than half a million Thai-Americans. Heck, there are even two Thai restaurants right in downtown Glens Falls: Aroy Dee Thai Sushi and Siam Thai Sushi.
While one might think that this is a case of Americans just really loving Thai food, but the truth is a bit deeper than that. There is this concept of Gastrodiplomacy, which is the act of nations using food and restaurants to help build their international image. In 2002, the Thai government decided to give this a shot with a program called “Global Thai,” where they invested money into establishing thousands of new Thai restaurants all over the world. This plan worked, and Thai restaurants are very popular to this day.
But what even is Thai food, exactly? First of all, Thai meals are often focused on the balance of all the main flavors: sour, spicy, sweet, salty, and bitter. Almost all authentic Thai dishes mix at least two of these flavors together in order to provide a tasty contrast. Additionally, unlike in western cuisines, Thai dishes tend to be served at room temperature, as that is tohelp ease some of the more extreme spices and makes for a more relaxed dining experience.
Also, much like American cuisine, Thai cuisine is a melting pot of several different cuisines. What we now know as Thailand was a vital hub of the spice trade during the Age of Exploration around (what years?) . The cuisines got to mingle with the culinary traditions of merchants from not only other Southeast Asian countries, but also China, India, Persia (now Iran), and even Portugal.
This melting pot cuisine is noticeable, if you know where to look. Like India, curry is a major facet of Thailand’s cuisine, although Thai curry uses different ingredients and is a lot less thick and a bit spicier than Indian curry. The Chinese not only introduced noodles to the Thai palette, but they also brought techniques such as stir-frying to Thailand. Even one of Thailand’s most popular desserts, a sweet, egg-based product called Foi Thong, was a Portuguese sweet that merchants brought to Thailand during the golden age of their dominance over the spice trade in the 1600s.
In terms of specific iconic Thai meals, it would be a disservice to not mention pad Thai.This stir-fry, made with noodles, rice, shrimp, peanuts, eggs, and bean sprouts, is a staple of Thai street food. There is also phat kapharo, a stir-fried meat with heavy seasoning on it, typically served with eggs and white rice on the side.
Thailand and its culture are far more complex than even a visit to our children’s museum would imply. And, thus, I cannot go into full detail about every single nook and cranny of Thai culture. If you would like to do some research on your own, there are a wealth of books and articles available online. Or perhaps you could go visit Thailand one day to see the culture for yourself! There are so many options for learning about Thai culture out there and the choice for how you do so is yours.
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