Thiti Jamkajornciat and Arthit Jiamrattanyoo
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University
This paper aims to analyze Cheewit Nai Wang by M.L. Nueang Nilaratna as a combination text of memorandum and recipe. In order to explore the significance of royal cuisine in relation to the author and the context through this text, the author reminisces upon a period of her life when she devoted herself to cookery for the royalty as a royal culinary artist in the reign of King Chulalongkorn. Thus, the text provides the researcher knowledge of royal cuisine as well as lives within the royal court. Royal cuisine in the text plays an important role in fulfilling the author’s nostalgic feelings by bringing her back to the time of prosperity in Suan Sunanda Palace where she joyfully spent her youth carrying out the honorary duty of a royal devotee, under which royal cuisine was served for the royalty’s sake, not for the demand of ordinary people as in the case of present time when the text is actually written.
(Presented in the International Conference – Thai Food Heritage: Local to Global, 4-6 August 2009, Tawana Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, organized by The Project of Empowering Network for International Thai Studies (ENITS), Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University with support from the Thailand Research Fund (TRF))