The Roles of Mon Cuisine Culture in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province

Abstract

“The Roles of Mon Cuisine Culture in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province” is a qualitative research study, aiming at investigating the roles of vernacular food culture in the Mon community in Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province. The key informants of this research consist of 10 community members, including a community leader, local scholars and Mon vernacular cuisine entrepreneurs. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and by observing the people and tourists attending local festivals. The research results showed that vernacular cuisine culture plays important roles in the Mon community. For example, the inheritance of Mon belief is expressed through the use of cuisine as part of rites, ancestral worship, and as sacred objects. Vernacular cuisine such as Kao-Chae (rice soaked in iced water), which is the symbol of the Mon people, also plays the role of building collective conscience within the ethnic group. Moreover, catering culture, food consumption and cuisine for rites take the role of promoting social interactions, which unite community members, as well as the role of education, exemplified by activities and courses related to vernacular cuisine. In addition, food culture helps increase the income of the local community and encourages the development of Mon food products, which reflects its economic role.