SIUC students are hoping to use cuisine such as chicken-coconut soup, spicy ground pork sauce and papaya salad to establish a link between Thailand and the United States.

Areerat King, president of the Thai Student Association, said the group will offer several types of dishes at the Thai Food Festival to be held Nov. 11. at the Southern Baptist Student Ministries Center.

We will offer cuisine from the four different parts of Thailand (a small country in southeast Asia), King said. Thai dishes are typically spicier and tastier than other Asian foods.

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Emil Spees, faculty adviser for the Thai Student Association, said one of the main purpose of the exhibits and food festival is to add multicultural awareness to SIUC’s campus.

We have a very large population of Thai students in undergraduate and graduate studies, he said. This type of event, encourages cross-cultural awareness in American students.

In addition to the Food Fair, an exhibition displaying handmade Thai products charts, brochures and videos will be set up for viewing in the lobby of the Southern Baptist Student Ministries Center.

King said the association wants to inform SIUC members of the modernization of Thailand and how it has developed.

We want to give people the opportunity to taste Thai food, King said. We’re trying to show that Thailand is not just the traditional development people usually associate us with. Hopefully, people will see the nature and beauty of Thailand, as well as the progress.

She said the Food Festival is an event to help celebrate Thailand’s King Bhumipol’s 50th Coronation Anniversary Showcase, which runs from Nov. 7-21.

King said her native country is celebrating the event throughout the year, where it is known as The Years of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations.

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The Northern section of Thailand will be represented by dishes such as kao soi, described as chiangmai noodles with curry sauce, and nahm prik ong, or spicy ground pork sauce.

The Central section offers such dishes as taud mun, or fish cakes, and toam kah gai, chicken-coconut soup.

Southern cuisine includes gang mussamun, or curry with beef, potatoes and peanuts, and moo satay, grilled pork with cucumber salad and spicy peanut sauce.

The fourth area of Thailand, the northeastern section, will be represented by such dishes as gai yahng, or roasted chicken, and soam tahm, papaya salad.

As well as serving authentic Thai food at the Food Fair, King said servers will be dressed in the appropriate traditional dress associated with each individual area.

King hails from Trang, Thailand, which is located in the southern area. She said the types of dishes offered for the event are not the daily fair for the people of Thailand.

Those dishes are quite authentic, she said. They are usually served only at special occasions.

Turmeric, garlic, chili, curry and lemongrass are popular spices in Thai cooking, she said.

There are three main tastes in Thai food, King said. Sweet, sour and salty. Usually, when you taste Thai cooking, the three tastes mix together.