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The Thailand Grand
Festival was again a hit with Joburgers. Food, crafts, martial arts and massage
were the order of the day.
THE delicious aroma of rich Thai food hung
in the air over Zoo
Lake, in Parkview, as hordes
of visitors poured into the Thailand Grand Festival to explore the many facets
of Thai culture.
The silk village at Zoo Lake
For a moment in time, the park in northern
Joburg was transformed into a mystical, exotic oriental market, like those one
reads about in tales of adventurers in far-off lands.
At the festival, visitors were able to
experience first hand the thousand-year-old tradition of Thai hospitality and the
nation's cultural heritage.
"Thailand can best be described as a
land of endless surprises. It is a truly amazing destination, rich in diversity
and unforgettable experiences that each visitor can enjoy to the extent of
their own discretion," said Peter Boshoff, one of the festival organisers.
Now in its fourth year, the Thailand Grand Festival
ran over two days, on Saturday, 12 September and Sunday, 13 September.
Highlights included a street market where
visitors could sample a range of tasty delicacies prepared by local Thai restaurants.
Cooking demonstrations were held by professional chefs who showed how Thai food
was prepared.
They skilfully blended ingredients such as
rice, coconut milk, lemon grass, garlic, mint, coriander and Thai basil and
presented their dishes to the audience for tasting.
Julian Cohen, one of the chefs, said Thai
food emphasised fresh and quality ingredients. "It is recognised as one of the
healthiest of the world's great cuisines," Cohen said, noting that there was
great demand of Thai food, especially from those who had visited Thailand.
A host of performers were also on hand to
keep the crowd entertained, including the global award-winning Nattayasala Hun
Laorn Lek, a classical Thai puppet performance.
Preparing delicious Thai food
A fascinating show, it required the
synchronised efforts of three puppeteers who jointly controlled and manipulated
one puppet, creating highly animated, life-like movements. This enabled the
puppets to move and dance gracefully.
A firm favourite was the Thai Silk Village, where hand-woven Thai silk dresses
and decorative items were on show. Shopping was also a hit, with plenty of
unique handmade arts and crafts on sale, such as pottery, baskets and hand-painted
umbrellas, while visitors in need of some rest and relaxation headed to the
Thai Spa Corner for a traditional massage.
Mulberry and silkworm products ranging from
hard-to-find mulberry paper and mulberry juice, which helps to reduce
cholesterol, to anti-ageing silk lotions were also exhibited.
Also popular was the Muay Thai boxing show.
Muay Thai is a marital art that involves lethal kicks and punches, and
crunching elbow strikes; it has been featured in several Hollywood
movies.
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