On the table of Jim Thompson

We knew of Jim Thompson, the wealthy American who settled in Bangkok, Thailand after serving the military at the end of World War 2, as the genius behind the exquisite woven Thai silk made into beautiful clothes and accessories for the Queen and some of the world’s most prominent women. We knew he disappeared mysteriously in the jungles of the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, never to be found.

But we didn’t know that he was a great social arbiter, a man who loved giving dinners and parties, each time offering carefully selected dishes to his exclusive guests, much like Pearl Mesta and our own Tita Conching (Sunico). 

That was until our last visit to Bangkok a fortnight ago when we dropped in on the red teak Thompson house and museum. From the store adjacent to the original house, we bought the book titled “At the Table of Jim Thompson,” written by a lady who had been his guest at many dinners and parties.

The three buildings, surrounded by lush foliage, are on the banks of the Klong (canal) Maha Nag on Rama Road 1 Road.  

Thai food, basically very spicy with the use of herbs and spices, was always the highlight of a Thompson meal, but guests never failed to be overwhelmed by the art pieces collected from other countries and placed ingeniously around the house. 

There are three Jim Thompson restaurants now in Bangkok, one being in the complex. Chefs of the company coordinated in recreating the dishes he served with a mission to preserve the décor, food and ambiance of what were once the glory days of a man who could never be forgotten.

Original Thai dishes, retaining their flavor and texture, have now been mixed with the current fusion cuisine of Thai-Muslim and Thai-Continental. They are aimed for easy execution in one’s home, if only the book is available here. They include stir-fried rice noodles with tuna, broccoli and basil; red curry fried rice with deep-fried catfish; and fettucini with chicken curry.

After Thompson disappeared, the Thai court appointed an administrator for his property and subsequently, the James H. W. Thompson Foundation was legally established for the preservation of Thai art and culture. The Foundation supports research, publication and seminars toward its goal.

An elephant ride is a must when visiting Thailand.

Sightseeing, dining and shopping are the “must” activities in Bangkok and its environs. We did them all. We were awed by the massive multi-storey food emporia, among which is the high-end Siam Paragon, where the gourmet supermarket in the basement is an incredibly huge haven of foodstuff coming from the farms in the country and overseas. The very popular sticky rice with mango and coconut sauce is available in take-home tubs. They sell a wide selection of rice – plain, brown, even black.

The same offerings are at the Tops Market in the Central chain and some are in the Villa Market in the Nichada Country Club, where we got some of the Thai sauces for phad thai, tom yam soup and roast chicken.

Name the cuisine, Bangkok has it. At Krua Nai Baan (Home Kitchen), we sampled real home-cooked food – watercress (kangkong) with garlic, chicken fillet coated with crispy lechon-like skin dipped in mango sauce, roasted pork neck. A delicious Chinese meal is offered by the MK Gold restaurant in Paragon, while at Central, the Sukishi buffet provides Japanese small dishes on a carousel.

A never-miss activity is the drive to Ayutthaya, the former capital, where we were awed by the temples, stupas, chedis and prangs, Buddha statues in various worshipping positions, one reclining, dating back centuries. Fun for kids and adults is provided at the Elephant Park where guests can either feed or ride the elephants. Back in the city, a good buy is silver jewelry.

We suspect that the tiangge items here in the Philippines come from Bangkok where fashionistas can get tops at buy-1-take-1 cost of about P170, and a well-crafted product of Thailand, handbags for less than P300 each. Needless to say, art collectors will also have the pleasure of taking home quite a few items.

Going around Bangkok is either by private car, taxi or tuktuk, which are now motorized golf carts. Luckily, our hosts, media persons Celine, Kiko and son Pangkoy, guided us through this much-appreciated tour.

As we drove to the airport to take our flight back to Manila, we could not help but be awed by – and envious of – the impressive functionality and architectural design of the massive Suvarnabhumi Airport. Ours seems like just a wing of this huge complex that hosts millions of visitors – again something we feel so sad about in connection with our own arrival figures. But we can strive and really believe “It’s more fun in the Philippines!”