This
blog post is written like an essay rather than in my usual casual discussion
style, because the material that I intend to present here is best conveyed in
this format. If you find the language style of essays and other
"academia" daft and boring, please read some of my other blog posts.
However, I do recommend that you carry on reading this one, because there
are many nuggets of information that may be new and of interest to you.
Before
we get into further discussions about this topic, I'd like to reiterate that
I'm a myVinotype proponent.
For
those of you who are unfamiliar, myVinotype is "a tool for
consumers to learn about their own preferences" as stated on the
"About Us" section of their website. This approach to
wine selection is the crystallisation of the research done by Mr. Tim Hanni
(MW) in his book Why You Like the Wines You Like (ISBN-10: 0615750885).
If
you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book, they are sold at a famous
online bookshop. Simply click here to be led to the
shop.
Now
that all of the general notices are mentioned we can start the essay.
Here we go...
A
quick explanation regarding the types of audience I had while hosting tasting
events in Bangkok:
•
10
people per each tasting session that I hosted
•
Predominantly
male; most groups can be broken down to a 7:3 ratio of male:female
•
>40
years old
•
None
were tradespeople, all practise a profession (doctor, pharmacist, business
manager)
• The majority (around 60%) are educated in the United States (medical school or
business school), so this sample group does not reflect the national average,
as they command a much better understanding of English. This is important
to note, because many scientific words do not exist in Thai.
Based
on my experiences of leading myVinotype-like tasting sessions in Bangkok, there
are four main challenges in spreading this new wine philosophy in Thailand.
1. Language
2. Coffee/Tea
3. Salt
4. Spiciness
Let's
discuss the first issue: language.
There
are even fewer words in Thai that can be used to describe sensations perceived
by an individual, in particular those that regard taste and smell. In
English, there are a myriad of words that are similes, but some imply a deeper meaning. Take the word "sweet" for example.
You would most likely describe sugar as "sweet" but you
wouldn't use "syrupy" to describe a fruit, because the
latter implies a certain texture, and a certain process that transforms the
product, despite the two sharing a similar taste. That is only an example
of an easy-to-comprehend flavour. Things become much more challenging to
convey - using only Thai - when it involves more complex subjects, such as umami.
Even
though this word has its roots in Japanese, another Asian country, it does not
mean that all Asians automatically understand its definition. To assume
that all Thais must know what umami means would be as
erroneous as stating that all Englishmen must intrinsically understand wild (the
German word used to describe game meat flavour) without consulting a dictionary,
simply because England and Germany are nations in the same continent.
Many
Thais may have experienced the taste before, but without a coined word in our
language with a meaning on which everyone can agree, it is impossible to
conjure the same understanding in different people's minds. Therefore, we
delve into the realm of metaphysics. To understand what we are experiencing,
we need to answer that essential question of this discipline of philosophy:
"What is it like?"
Now
we come to the issue of coffee/tea.
The Chinese form the majority of ethnic minorities in Thailand.
I myself am one, as all four of my grandparents came from China.
Other than many artisanal skills such as gold-smithing and
jewellery-making, the Chinese have also contributed to Thai society in the
areas of food and medicine. Thai menus such as soup noodles and boat
noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว) are actually relatively recent developments
of Chinese origins, as the etymology attests. However, since the menus' introduction, they have been inducted into- and integrated well in the host
country's dining culture. So well, in fact, that street-side noodle
stalls have become ubiquitous in all Thai towns and cities.
Medicine is the other area where the Chinese have left a
positive mark in Thai society. Chinese holistic food therapy, also known
as 食疗 in
simplified Chinese (食療 in
traditional Chinese characters), is practised on a daily basis by a large
following, especially by Thai-Chinese women. This interest in holistic alternatives
is reflected in the establishment of a traditional Chinese medicine department
in Hua Chiew Hospital (โรงพยาบาลหัวเฉียว), which is a government-funded institution that has been
around since 1938.
It is this practice of eating healthily according to principles
of traditional Chinese medicine, that some Thais drink neither tea nor coffee.
So, things become challenging when such a person is given a myVinotype survey
that has several questions about how the questionnaire-taker consumes coffee or
tea (with dairy, with sugar, with neither dairy nor sugar, and so on and so
forth).
On the other hand, a typical Thai still prefers to drink instant
coffee. This is the result of decades of marketing and branding by a
particular Swiss company whose logo depicts a family of birds. The
branding has been so aggressive that their product - famously contained in red
mugs - has become ingrained in our culture to the point that Thais use this
brand-name to synonymously mean all instant coffee. And since Thais
mostly drink instant coffee, it is then reasonable to extrapolate the
assumption that this product's name means coffee in Thailand. I
find this to be a sickening side of consumerism. However, this does not
mean that I am a advocate of state-dictated economics; no not at all. I
still believe in free markets. Nonetheless, based on a few
of the University of San Francisco (my alma mater) print-ads:
"Learn how to run a multinational corporation and still go to
heaven," and "Wicked smart without the wicked part." But I
digress...
To make matters more complicated for a Thai myVinotype
questionnaire-taker, that particular Swiss company understands local tastes and
preferences so well that it was the first to produce a
"3-in-1" instant coffee. That means coffee flakes, sugar, and
non-dairy creamer all come in tall, skinny sachets that contains exactly enough to
make one cup of coffee. As many Thais are lactose intolerant, adding milk
or cream to coffee isn't an option. This convenient product also
means many Thais consume flavours that suppress the bitterness of coffee, but
cannot define whether she or he would prefer just the "creamer" or just the
sugar, and if so, in what amount. After
some discussions with him, I have learned that this topic about dairy and coffee
is one element of the questionnaire, which Mr. Hanni will rephrase for
different countries in Asia.
Now we move on to the issue of salt.
Only a few Asian countries use salt as a condiment. I have
had individuals who handed me back the survey with "none" as their
answer, but when I asked them if they enjoy adding soy sauce or fish sauce to
food, they answer "Yes, a lot!" Therefore, to ask about
addition of salt at the dining table is not an accurate indicator of how
inclined an Asian individual is at suppressing bitterness in- or enhancing the
flavours of food.
Finally, we come to the discussion about spiciness.
Despite our world-renowned cuisine that favour bold flavours, we Thais are wary
of other spices. I've witnessed some who turn up their noses at cinnamon
powder on crêpes. What's more puzzling is there are plenty of Thais who
avoid eating Indian food, even though many of our national dishes evolved from
using ingredients and cooking methods that are common in South India.
On the other hand, chili peppers are the way of life
for a Thai. Finding a Thai who doesn't like chili peppers is as difficult
as finding a Brazilian who doesn't like football (for my North American
readers: "soccer"). This is the true form of football, because the majority
of players on the field play with their feet for the majority of the playing
time. But once again, I digress. Back to the topic at hand...
Such people can be found, but it's difficult. In Thailand, a
tolerance for chili is taken with nationalistic and macho pride by all genders.
"I'm Thai and I love my country. To show this to my
others, I have to add more chili to my food at lunch break, because a Thai
who can't handle burns on the tongue ain't a real Thai. Yep, that and drinking icy-cold water." This confirms what Mr. Hanni stated in
his book: that a chili preference does not equate to being a Tolerant in
myVinotype.
As mentioned in his book, aromatic spices and spices that cause
burning-sensations are different.
However, when you ask a Thai "Do you like spicy food?" the
question is automatically interpreted as "Do you like chili peppers?"
For many of us, other spices are not at all considered when answering
this question. I find that rather odd, because spicy should not mean only chili it should mean all spices! Food served at the royal courts
of medieval Europe had plenty of imported spices. This was done to boast
the host's wealth, as well as to enhance the flavour of dishes, in particular
game meat that royalties and the nobility loved to hunt in their past-time.
Using that example for my Thai and other Asian readers, by that definition,
medieval European food must also be considered spicy.
I hope that by writing this essay, I've provided you, dear
reader, with more insight and new discoveries about myVinotype in the Southeast-Asian context.
The philosophy is still relatively new in the world of wine, so naturally, it
has to continue to grow and adapt in order to fulfill its potential.
