Communicating the Meanings of Local Thai Cuisines in Nonglom Sub-district, Dok Kham Tai District, Phayao Province

Abstract

This qualitative research aimed at studying the communication and construction of meanings behind local Thai cuisines in the Nonglom community, Dok Kham Tai District, Phayao Province. The research instrument for data collection included a focus group discussion, participant observation, and group interview. The concept of multidimensional knowledge about food and the semiotic theory were employed as the frameworks for data analyses.
The research findings showed that local Thai cuisines from the Nonglom community, Dok Kham Tai District, Phayao Province, represented seven dimensions of knowledge about food, of which agricultural and local wisdom dimensions were found the most dominant. The other five dimensions, which were communicated to the same extent, included cooking tips, ways of life, culture, language and history. Also, the “set of signs representing local Thai cuisines” included 1) the meaning of the sign of authentic local Thai cuisines. This consists of index signs, such as rice, rice flour, vegetables and fruits, cooking ingredients and meat, and the cooking process, such as using heat from water vapor, frying, deep frying, stir frying, flaming, as well as other unique Thai cooking methods. The other set of signs was 2) the meaning of the signs of expertise, with the index signs that were conserved and re-created. Finally, the research result found four menus showing signs of conservation and three representing the re-creation of local Thai cuisines.