SONGKRAN

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Thai New Year is celebrated between the 13th to the 15th of April and Songkran means to move or change. Other countries follow this tradition like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and the ethnic group called Dai people in Yunnan, China.

The traditional greeting is sa-wat-dee bee mai, or Happy New Year and they pour a small amount of water on other people''s hands as a sign of respect. But water is plentiful in Thailand and the youth became more playful and the tradition of "San Juan" was born. It has become the Water Splashing Festival and in the streets, pails of water are used by residents to drench each other, as well as passersby. In some areas, drums of water are mounted on trucks, and these frustrated "firemen" will douse anyone within range. Whatever countries -San Juan, Philippines or Bangkok, Thailand- water fights do occur including fistfights as the celebrants become more boisterous.

In Lahug, Cebu, as much as we would like to participate in this ritual, we cannot. There is no water man! In fact we are happy if water flows at 6 p.m.; unfortunately, these last few nights have been sleep-deprived nights waiting for water to come. Last week, three consecutive days, no water. And sometimes, if water flows, my neighbor described it as "ang tubig murag tukog ka kusog". The irony of it all is that MCWD published in the newspapers that their operation is still normal in spite of the reduced rainfall. What gall, these water managers!

Back to food served during the Songkran and your favorite food columnist joined his media colleagues in celebration with a Thai food tasting at the Café Marco, Marco Polo Plaza (phone 253-1111). A superb menu for lunch was prepared by guest Chef Suphap Tubhongsa from Krua Thai to honor the presence of Thailand Ambassador to the Philippines, Her Excellency Asha Dvitiyananda.

We had two salads, Squid salad and Mango Salad (sweet, sour, hot and nice) and Thai fried rice, so delicious it can make your personal physician happy (ahem, an overdose might lead to more visits for all those good/bad cholesterol counts).

We were served an interesting Yellow Curry soup and for the main courses, we had the following: Sautéed Prawn in Garlic, Fish Fillets in Tamarind Sauce, Beef Red Curry, and Noodles in Chili Paste (my personal recommendation). A nice finishing touch to this adventure in Thai cuisine was the Sago with Coconut Milk. From April 14 to the 28th, you can experience Thai cuisine at Café Marco, buffet style. For lunch and dinner, Thai favorites will be served alongside other dishes like, Angus roast beef, fresh seafood and tuna/salmon sashimi.

The best brand to drink after all those Thai goodies would be Singha Lager Beer, brewed in Thailand since 1933. But the food tasting happened during lunch and my ever loyal followers know about my self-imposed restriction on alcohol: no drinks before 6:00 pm. Krua Thai PR Consultant Gavin Sanson Bagares knew ahead of my predicament and invited me to continue the festivities of the Songkran at Krua Thai (Banilad Town Center).

While sipping the ice cold Singha Lager Beer, I was able to observe one of the oldest Songkran traditions, the application of white powder or a pasty substance. Often an elder person applies the white substance on the face or neck of a celebrant and the white paste signify a sign of protection and the promise to ward off evil.

Some Filipinos also follow this practice (only once every three years) but use sun-block agents, SPF 45 or higher to protect their pretty faces and arms from the scorching sun during the political campaign. The phenomenon of global warming is indeed correct and this made me order another round of that thirst quenching Singha Lager Beer!

The ideal Thai meal aims to bring into a harmony blend the spicy, the sweet and the sour and means to be satisfying to the eyes, nose and palate. Often, there will be considerable variety of sauces and condiments like the nam pla (patis), nam prik (patis with chopped chillies) and fresh chillies.

My idea of the perfect Thai meal is an appetizer of Poo Jaa (Deep-fried stuffed crab shell) or Haw Mok Thalay (Steamed seafood cakes), a salad of Yam Som-O (Spicy pomelo salad) and a soup of Gaeng Som (Sour soup with veggies and prawn). Main dish could be Chor Ladda (Dumplings with minced pork and prawn) colored blue only by squeezing the juice of fresh flowers called anchuan. Your favorite food columnist frowns on artificial colors to substitute for the real thing.

We might add one more dish like the Goong Pow (Charcoal-grilled fresh water prawn, with arms and pinchers as long as its body, with sweet sauce) and several bottles (with emphasis on plural, basta beer!) of Singha Lager while viewing the floating markets in the Chao Phraya delta, appetites further stimulated by the sight, sound and smell of food vendors in their fragile boats. That would be the perfect Thai ambiance!