THE PRESENTATION OF SOUTHERN FOOD WISDOM THROUGH “KUA KHUN TOI” TELEVISION PROGRAM

Abstract

This qualitative research aimed at examining 1) the television program contents on southern food wisdom presented through “Kua Khun Toi” television program, 2) the process of transferring the southern food wisdom through the program, and 3) the roles the program has played in “representing” such wisdom. In-depth interviews were undertaken with those regarding those topics. Apart from the interview data, the television program contents on the southern food wisdom, presented through “Kua Khun Toi” television program and broadcasted from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022, were also analyzed.

            The findings revealed that during the mentioned period, the contents in 83 episodes were identified as being related to the southern food wisdom. The food presented could be classified into the following 11 main categories: spicy curry, curry, soup, stir-fried food, fried food, roasted food, salad, grilled food, dip, dessert or snack, and others. The data were analyzed pertaining to their relationship in various dimensions, and it was found that the southern food wisdom presented through the program was relevant to southern Thailand’s social contexts in three main elements: religion, ethnicity, and geography.

            The findings on the process of the television program production and the wisdom transfer showed that before broadcasting, the dishes were finely selected. Moreover, the cooked dishes were also presented  through displayed on the program with the cooks sharing the dishes’ backgrounds, interestingness, cooking tips, and others relevant. While presenting, three television program hosts concurrently tasted the dishes and provided feedback on the dishes, attempting to communicate with audiences through words and gestures to affirm the dishes’ exquisite flavor. Notably, this television program attached importance to visual communication. That is to say, it used camera angle, shot size, shot feature, and techniques for sequence of shots, all of which were considered to be the program’s typical patterns.

          Concerning the findings on the role the program has played in “representing” the local food wisdom, ten roles were found. These included 1) transfer of food knowledge, 2) transfer of cultural wisdom cuisine, 3) cooking instructions, 4) creation of food-tasting experience, 5) creation and dissemination of originality, 6) dissemination and promotion of food shops/restaurants, 7) promotion of careers in the food industry, 8) value-added creation of Thainess to internationality, 9) creation of a model promoting Thai food as Thailand’s soft power, and 10) entertainment.