The Effects of Food on Thai Cultures: Part 7

Food and its impact on Languages within Thailand

One only has to look at the official Thai language to see how food plays a pivotal role in the lives of the speakers and their cultures. The Thai script contains 44 consonants and each consonant is assigned a word to associate with it. Of these 44, the following are directly related to food, be it because they are products to be eaten, commodities used in the cultivation of food, or equipment used in storing or consuming food; ก ไก่ (chicken); ข ไข่ (egg); ค ควาย (buffalo); ฃ ขวด (bottle); จ จาน (plate); น หนู (mouse/rat); ป ปลา (fish). The inclusion of these animals, products, and equipment involved in the consumption of food indicate that Thais are taught the value of food and its place in society and culture from an early age. 

When analyzing a country’s cultures, it is often worthwhile to compare them to other country’s cultures. In English speaking cultures, upon meeting a person it is customary to ask about the person’s health. This is a rhetorical question that doesn’t function as a question about the person’s well-being, but is merely used as a greeting. Thais ask this question also, functioning as a greeting (สบายดีมั้ย). However, the usage of this greeting is relatively new and reflects the influences of foreign cultures on the Thai language. A much more common greeting in Thai is to enquire about whether the person has eaten (กินข้าวรึอยัง). This greeting itself is a shortening of the original greeting (กินข้าวกินปลารึอยัง) which enquires about whether the person has eaten rice and fish yet. These greetings show the importance of rice and fish to Thais’ cultures and strengthen the fact that food is an integral part of society.

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Proverbs, sayings and idioms give us invaluable insight into culture, customs, and traditions, and this especially true when looking at Thai. According to Benjawan Poomsan-Becker, to truly understand Thai culture, one must learn Thai. The language is rich with proverbs that contain reference to food, such as; ข้าวใหม่ปลามัน (lit: new rice, fresh fish) which means newlyweds;  ตกถังข้าวสาร (lit: fall into a rice bucket) which means to marry into money;ข้าวยาก หมากแพง (lit: rice is difficult (to find), betel is expensive) which means a time when the economy is bad; and ทำนาบนหลังคน (lit: farm on someone’s back) which means to take advantage of the oppressed. These examples of the many proverbs and sayings in Thai related to food give valuable insight into the history, mindframe, and cultures of the Thais. Food is central to the nation, and rice is a valuable commodity that Thais live their lives around. In former times, and to a lesser extent today’s day and age, farmers are the backbone of the nation (ชาวนาเป็นกระดูกสันหลังของชาติ) who work tirelessly with backs to the sky and faces to the ground (หลังสู้ฟ้า   หน้าสู้ดิน)  (Becker, 1995).