LAF 2021 Programs
Dansai Chef's Table
Tai Dan Paleang; a 16-course menu sparking your imagination of Dansai, Loei.
One of Dansai's pride apart from the Boon Luang or Phi Ta Khon festival is the Tai Dan cuisine. It is a culture that embraces the unique wisdom and lifestyle of the Nam Mhun river basin. The inspiration for this project originated from the eagerness of the Dansai people to share stories and flavors of their food culture. Also, existing research entitled "From forest to Tai Dan kitchen" by Associate Professor Ekarin Phungpracha, Ph.D. et al. These factors urged the LAF team to create a space for cultural learning and exchange through a creative process of "Chef Residency", similar to art creation.
However, due to the spread of Covid-19 throughout Thailand, our chef, or cuisine artist, could not physically travel to embrace himself in Dansai. The process had to shift to remote research via existing literature and online interviews, covering the information on local material, inherited wisdom, original recipes, and, most importantly, specific stories and memories of Dansai people bound with food. As a result, a 16-course menu was designed by Chef Note (Atip Samosorn) for participants to order and taste from their homes while joining an online dinner party to engage with Chef Note's stories and inspiration behind each dish.
Although the menus are a contemporary interpretation from remote research and interviews with an adaptation of recipes and local materials, we believe that the stories from Dansai within the food will paint you a picture of the place - becoming a healing factor for these hard times we are living in. With the hope that one day, we can visit Dansai and have a direct experience of this magical place.
Artist/ food creator: Chef Note (Atip Samosorn)
Producer/ curator: Siree Riewpaiboon, Wayla Amatathammachad
Coordinator: Sawanya Wongiam, Pornjittra Vongsrisawat, Pimppnit Sonpoklang, Natnaree Riewpaiboon
Photographer: Pichan Sujaritsatit, Arnuparp Jantakaew
Graphic Designer: Waranya Charoenrat, Vachira Charoenrat
About the artist
Chef Note (Atip Samosorn)
Chef Note (Atip Samosorn); artist and creator of Tai Dan Palaeng. We may call him by the word “chef”, but for LAF, he is more of an artist who tells stories through his food creations. His past experiences involved cooking for a western-style vegetarian restaurant in Chiangmai, owning a tofu/ soy milk shop in Chiangkhan district of Loei, and a Vietnamese fusion restaurant using local and organic materials in a hospital in Bangkok. With his experience of opening restaurants in both Bangkok and regional provinces, plus a habit of learning by tasting and asking when he roams around the country, he is equipped with skills to analyse, and de/ reconstruct various cuisines. Hence, creating an understanding and connection between food and aspects of life, humanities, history, culture, and even socio-political contexts. Whether it be Thai regional cuisines, Thai ‘city’ cuisines, or even international dishes, Chef Note’s food creations always convey a message via its materials, way of creating, and way of eating.