On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts of all the many people and organizations who have contributed to this event.

This conference is a part of the celebration of the auspicious 84th Birth Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

Deep gratitude and recognition must also be given to Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School, Aree Dance Arts School and Ecru Music Company who kindly arrange the performances for this occasion.

Finally, sincere appreciation is extended to all the scholars who have graciously accepted to share their wisdom in this venue. Their contribution is a genuine reflection of the success of this auspicious conference.

Suchitra Chongstitvatana, Ph.D

Director, Institute of Thai Studies

Chulalongkorn University

08.00-08.30

Registration

09.00-09.15

Arrival of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

OPENING CEREMONY
     Room: Grand Ballroom
     MC: Surapeepan Chatraporn

09.15-09.40

Presentation of a report to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
     Bundhit Eua-arporn
     – President of Chulalongkorn University

Opening address by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
     Room: Grand Ballroom
     Moderator: Surapeepan Chatraporn

09.40-10.20

Sweets and the Joy of Life: A Short and Sweet Story of Indian Sweets
     Asna Urooj
     – University of Mysore

10.20-11.00

WAGASHI (Japanese Sweets) and Relations with Traditional Celebrations in Connection with WASHOKU as World Intangible Heritage
     Kimiko Ohtani
     – Nara Women’s University 

11.00-13.00

Lunch break

SWEETS IN BUDDHIST MONASTERIES
     Room: Grand Ballroom
     Moderator: Chanika Thangjintawiwat

13.00-14.30

Food, Sweets, and the Buddhist Monastic Life
     Hwang Soonil
     – Dongguk University

What is the Best Flavour?: A Metaphor of Six Flavours in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra
     Han Jaehee
     – University of Oslo

The Image of Sweets in Buddhist Narratives
     Venerable Chongdok C. H. Park
     – Joong-Ang Sangha University

‘Sweet’ Means Something ‘Delicious’ or ‘Sumptuous’ in the Vinaya
     Kang Deagong (Beopjin)
     – Visiting Researcher, Chulalongkorn University
    
 
14.30-15.00

Introduction of Sugar in Japan and the Physiological Background of the Joy of Sweetness
     Takashi Yamamoto
     – Kio University

15.00-15.15

Refreshments

LIVING WITH SWEET: HEALTH EFFECTS OF SUGAR
     Room: Grand Ballroom
     Moderator: Chanika Thangjintawiwat

15.15-16.45

Symposium

     Taninee Sahakitrungruang
     – Chulalongkorn University

     Chatchalit Rattarasarn
     – Ramathibodi Hospital 

     Wantanee Kriengsinyos
     – Mahidol University

08.30-09.15

Registration

09.15-10.00

Explore the Explorer: Tai and Their Sweet Culinary Experience through the Eyes of a Traveler
     Eyal Hanuman Aspler
     – Thaifoodmaster.com

     Saharat Jatemonoram
     – Individual Researcher

SWEET HERITAGE FROM THE PAST
     Room: Grand Ballroom
     Moderator: Pram Sounsamut

10.00-12.00

Turkey’s Sweet Culture
     Zeynep Begüm Kalyoncu 
     – Özyeğin University

The History of Sweets in Korean Culture from Past to Present
     Chung Heechung
     – Ewha Woman’s University

Japanese Traditional Sweets ‘Wagashi’ and Current Status of the Sweets Market in Japan
     Yoshiko Morinaga
     – Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

12.00-13.00

Lunch Break

13.00-16.00

Workshops

Asna Urooj

University of Mysore

The desire for sweetness is seen across the globe among all ages, races, religions and cultures. Sweetness has a role in human nutrition in both providing nutrients and pleasure to the mind. Various types of sweets are extensively prepared based on the ingredients used and the purpose for its preparation. Sweetness is a component of the traditional five flavours – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and pungent – and some cultures, such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean, believe in harmoniously combining these five tastes and balancing them for a better life. Sweets also have divinity attached to them and are believed to be divine in cultures across India where sweets are distributed in places of religious worship. The roots of such practice dates back to periods before Christ, and have been evolving since then with the invention and adoption of modern techniques in processing raw materials leading to improved availability and use. The depiction of sweets as a part of food culture is carried out with an intention to portray, evaluate and celebrate the culture and depth of meaning carried inside. Sweetness has been prominently featured in societies that have taken confection to high levels involving artistry, such as in ancient India where sugar refining was invented; the Middle East that brought the art of sugar to new heights; and the Western world where sugar became available to every household owing to its declining cost. Sharing sweets to express love and gratitude on special occasions is a tradition followed in every country throughout the ages. My talk today aims to depict the history of sweets, varieties and the conjugation with the diverse cultures of India and a few other Asian countries.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Kimiko Ohtani

Nara Women’s University

Washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) was added to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2013. The Japanese government cited the following four points as the characteristics of Washoku: 1) Usage of an abundance of fresh foods from the sea, mountains, and countryside with cherished natural flavors; 2) Presentation of the beauty of nature and the seasons; 3) A healthy and nutritionally well-balanced diet; and 4) Correspondence to annual events, such as New Year’s Day.

Today’s Washoku has been established in the natural environment of Japan by receiving not only ‘Yin-Yang Wu-Xing Thought’, introduced from China in the Asuka (593~710) and Nara periods (710~794), but also various spirits from Honzen ryori, a formally arranged meal in the Samurai society, Kaiseki ryori, a simple meal served before a ceremonial tea ceremony, and Syojin ryori, a devotional meal for Buddhists.

Several Japanese seasonal celebrations developed as a result of the great influence of ‘Yin-Yang Wu-Xing Thought’ on traditional Japanese seasonal celebrations by the noble society and on the agricultural rituals of the common people, which are still practiced today. Among them, five seasonal celebrations – Jinjitsu on January 7, Joshi on March 3, Tango on May 5, Hichiseki on July 7 and Choyo on September 9, collectively called Gosekku and established as the most important days of celebration by the Edo shogunate (1603~1867) – are the most popular celebrations in Japan.

The special dishes and/or Wagashi in each seasonal celebration are eaten in order to make a wish to God for rich harvest, prosperity and well-being of one’s family, healthy growth of one’s children, one’s long life, and so on, although now they are performed in contemporary style.

Omogashi (literally, the main sweets), Wagashi served before offering tea at the tea ceremony, has evolved into beautiful sweets described as “edible art”, treasures that not only taste, but have beautiful appearance to express the season of the year or the scene of some famous Japanese classical literature.

I would like to introduce some representative Wagashi related to the seasonal celebrations and the aesthetics of Omogashi.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Hwang Soonil

Dongguk University

Food has been regarded as one of the four important conditions to maintain and preserve the Buddhist monastic tradition. Supplying food to Buddhist monks could be considered one of the easiest ways for lay Buddhists to accumulate merit. Within the scope of early Buddhism, there was no clear cut prohibition on any certain kind of food, even including meat. What to eat was treated as less important than eating with a controlled mind. As long as one’s mind is detached without having attachment and desire, it seems to be acceptable to eat any food conventionally agreed among the members of a society. When the Buddhist monastic precepts were fully grown and systematized, various kinds of food prohibitions were introduced into Buddhist monastic life. The detailed contents seem to vary according to Buddhist tradition, such as Mahāyāna, Matrayāna and Theravāda. In this presentation, I am going to discuss diverse Buddhist attitudes towards some kinds of food, such as alcohol, sweets and meat according to various Buddhist traditions and then show the meaning and implication of establishing such food prohibitions.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Han Jaehee

University of Oslo

This paper aims to explore how the practice of the bodhisattva is explained through a metaphor in early Mahāyāna literature, the Mahāparinirvāṇa sūtra, about having a meal (bhojana) that includes six flavours. In this sutra, the meal of six flavours is used as a metaphor for the teachings of the Buddha, and each flavour represents the attributes of the state of existence and extinction (nirvāṇa): impermanence (anitya) for salty (lavaṇa); suffering (duḥkha) for sour (āmbla); non-selfhood (anātmaka) for pungent (kaṭuka); permanence (nitya) for bitter (tikta); happiness (sukha) for sweet (madhura); and selfhood (sātmaka) for astringent (kaṣāya). According to the sutra, his disciplines should enjoy this delectable food of truth, which is well cooked on the fuel of depravities (kleśa) and with the flame of illusion (māyā).

In order to understand this metaphor, we need to look at two other texts, the Charaka Saṃhitā and the Bodhisattvacaryānirdeśa. The Charaka Saṃhitā is one of the most ancient, far-reaching and authoritative works of Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of Hinduism. In this text, we can find the oldest list of the same six flavours and their respective meaning and effect. The Bodhisattvacaryānirdeśa is one of the early pieces of Mahāyāna literature translated into Chinese by Fǎxián (法賢), the same translator of the Mahāparinirvāṇa sūtra, and the final part includes the episode of food having one hundred tastes. In this small text, the leading character, a three-year-old boy Ratnadatta, has an argument with Mahāmaudgalyāyana using negative dialectics. In the argument, he contends that there is no difference between existence (saṃsāra) and extinction, and thereby illuminates that the practice of the bodhisattva is nothing but ‘seeing as it is without any false discrimination.’ Through the analysis of these two texts, I will describe the practice of the bodhisattva in terms of the early Mahāyāna viewpoint.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Venerable Chongdok C. H. Park

Joong-Ang Sangha University

Sweet foods appear in some biographical traditions of the Buddha. The first meal offered to the Buddha after his awakening, given by two merchants who became his first lay disciples, was reportedly wheat and honey. In later Indian Buddhism, the pilgrimage center of Vaiśāli was famed as the site of a monkey’s gift of honey given to the Buddha, one of the “Eight Great Events” in late accounts of his life.

There are a few sweets seen in the episodes from the monastic code of the Mūlasarvāstivāda School of Buddhism (Mūlasarvāstivādavinaya). In one episode, when the Buddha returned to his home kingdom, his former wife, Yaśodharā, offered him an aphrodisiac sweetmeat (vaśīkaraṇamodaka) in an effort to entice him to return to his life as a ruler and husband. Yaśodharā sent their son, Rāhula, to deliver it to the Buddha, but the Buddha merely returned it to Rāhula, who ate it and became so intoxicated with his father that he decided to abandon his mother to follow the Buddha.

In the same monastic code, there is another episode about the Buddha’s eating horse-fodder barley. In the episode, the Buddha was invited by the brahmin-king, Agnidatta. However, owing to Agnidatta’s ignorance, the Buddha and the monks did not receive food. At that time, a caravan leader offered them horse-fodder barley and the Buddha and the monks ate it. When the Buddha ate the barley, Ānanda was sad. Upon knowing his mind, the Buddha suggested that he eat his barley. Ānanda said that he had never tasted such sweet (甘美) food. The Buddha said that whatever the Tathāgata eats becomes sweet and the best among all foods.

In other Buddhist narratives, sweet food is not something good or bad, but a useful tool according to the context. The Buddha and monks accept any food offered with respect as alms, including sweets and meat. On the other hand, the flexible attitude to food by Buddhists seems to have threatened the very existence of the Jain community. In the Jain story of Surastra in the commentary to the Mūlasuddhiprakaraṇa, the Jains scold the Buddhists saying: “A soft bed, something to drink as soon as you rise, dinner at noon and tea in the afternoon, grapes and sugar at night, and finally liberation: this is what the Buddha taught.” The Jains produced this kind of story to keep their tradition from the tempting life style of Buddhists.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Kang Deagong (Beopjin)

Visiting Researcher, Chulalongkorn University

As the Buddhist law code for the monastic members, the Vinaya proscribes certain kinds of foods that are often described as something ‘sweet’. The underlying principle of dietary prohibition, in my opinion, is based on two reasons: Gourmet food elicits attachment to its taste in practitioners, while consumption of it by monastic members, whose life is expected to be austere, can bring about denunciation from society. In this regard, the meaning of ‘Mei-shi (美食, paṇīta-bhojana)’ seems to stand for a sort of food that is delicious or sumptuous such that consumption of such food within the monastic context is likely to cause problems for both an individual’s practice and society.

Sweet or luxurious food can be categorized into four groups: 1) a sort of dairy products; 2) animal food (meat); 3) a sort of honey; and 4) a sort of oil. Among these, dairy products are especially interesting since in various Buddhist narratives ‘milk’ is often used as a symbol that illustrates the path to Buddhahood or Nirvana, in spite of its restriction. However, the word that describes dairy products in Pali or the Chinese Vinaya is somewhat ambiguous since it is not clear whether the word means curd, cheese, butter, yogurt or ghee. Since dietary restrictions described in the Vinaya are based on a specific social circumstances, such restrictions may not be necessarily applicable in the modern context when dairy products are not expensive and not sumptuous anymore. Nonetheless, the restriction of meat seems to be somewhat a different case than other restrictions since the consumption of meat is related to fundamental Buddhist ethics.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Takashi Yamamoto

Kio University

Sugar plays an important role in making delicious food, as well as in various kinds of sweets leading to the joy of life. In the first half of my talk, I would like to introduce various kinds of sugar used in Japan and, in the second half, I will talk about qualitative and hedonic (sweet and palatable) aspects of the physiological functions of sugar.

Sugar was first brought to Japan from China in the mid-eighth century. As trade with the continent flourished from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, imports of sugar increased and its use was expanded as a sweetener for cooking. The practice of the tea ceremony spread among the upper classes during this period, and sweets made with sugar were developed to accompany the tea. The tradition of sweets that evolved along with the tea ceremony forms a culture of confectionery of which Japan can be proud. It was not until the eighteenth century, however, when sugar cane began to be cultivated in Japan and sugar became more readily available to the common people. Sugar can be classed into two categories: one is the group of sugars including molasses, represented by ‘wasanbonto’, and the other, excluding molasses, represented by ‘johakuto’, is Japan’s most popular sugar.

Sugar is a source of vitality and energy because glucose, a component of sugar (sucrose), is a kind of ‘fuel’ for human metabolism. Sugar taken into the mouth stimulates a specific taste receptor, T1R2/T1R3, in taste cells of the taste buds distributed on the tongue, soft palate, and pharynx. The message from taste cells is sent to the brain through taste nerves and sensed as sweet. Other taste receptors are responsible for other basic tastes, such as salty, sour, bitter and umami. Among the five basic tastes, sweetness has the most powerful action in activating the reward system of the brain and releasing brain substances, such as β-endorphin, benzodiazepine, cannabinoids, dopamine and orexin. These substances are related to liking, wanting and eating behaviours, indicating that sweet taste is so palatable that food intake is enhanced. Palatability is one of the factors that enhance food and fluid intake and contributes to over-consumption, resulting in a risk of obesity and diabetes.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Taninee Sahakitrungruang

Chulalongkorn University

Chatchalit Rattarasarn

Ramathibodi Hospital

Wantanee Kriengsinyos

Mahidol University

While sweet food is one of the prime causes of diabetes and other serious health problems, sweet flavoring is not always evil. Under this topic, the speakers will explain the benefits of sweetness in Health Sciences. As well, insight into how we should handle ‘sweet’ items will be discussed.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Zeynep Begüm Kalyoncu

Özyeğin University

Turkey, a country in the middle of Asia and Europe, has a culinary legacy that benefits from cultural diversity, as well as the presence of different climates and geographies. Starting from Mesopotamia, Turkish sweet culture was developed under the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires and has interacted with Central Asia, the Middle East, Persia, Europe, and North Africa. Sweets play a prominent role in every ritual and major life event in Turkey. Some of the more common are celebrating the birth of a newborn, religious feasts, memorial days, engagement and wedding parties, anniversaries, and special days, such as mother’s and father’s day, birthdays, baby showers, even including funerals.

Since the dominant culture in Turkey is Turco-Muslim where drinking alcohol is discouraged or prohibited, sweets and desserts have been revered almost spiritually. This is manifested in the widespread reference to sweets and desserts in literature, such as in poetry, colloquial proverbs and even linguistically as the word ‘sweet’ in Turkish literally means ‘having taste’. Turkish sweets that reflect the diverse culture of the country can be categorized into three main groups: traditional desserts, traditional confectionary, and modernized desserts and confectionary. In this presentation, the historical, cultural, and gastronomical aspects of Turkish sweet culture will be summarized, paying special attention to the aforementioned categories.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Chung Heechung

Ewha woman’s University

In Korea, sweets have changed in meaning and context during modern times. Radically changed by external factors, sweets are important for understanding Korea's modern and contemporary culture.

Before the modern period, bans were often imposed on sweets, which belonged to luxury items. While many national events were held in the Goryeo period, ordinary people were barred from eating traditional sweets to prevent a short supply of food ingredients. In the beginning of the Joseon period, sweets were subject to legal prohibition, except for special rituals, such as marriage and ancestral rites. Throughout the history of the Joseon period, a king who would like to emphasize his frugality ordered the removal of sweets or to lower the amount of sweets in banquets because honey served as a main ingredient for sweet taste and was high-priced. Sugar was not produced at all in Korea, unlike in China or Japan, and was only imported in very small quantities to be used as medicine.

After the opening of its ports during the Joseon period, refined sugar began to be imported on a full scale and the royalty tried to show their cultural prestige by serving foreigners Western-style sweets, along with tea and sugar, following Western etiquette. Japanese and Chinese merchants who had immigrated to Korea captivated the taste of Koreans by selling sweets to them. The confectionary industry was introduced by the Japanese in the Japanese colonial era.

Today, Korea has a dual structure of sweets culture. Korean traditional sweets are used for rites, while Western and Japanese-style sweets are spread among people in everyday life. In a counter-effort, the Korean Government, and some people, have attempted to revive faded traditional recipes, to introduce new materials, and to develop packaging suitable for a contemporary industrial society.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Yoshiko Morinaga

Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.

When you visit Japan, you will see an amazing variety of sweets across the country. Among them, the old traditional sweets are called ‘Wagashi’ and it is Japanese culture to enjoy them along with Japanese green tea.

Features of Wagashi are: (1) Healthy; (2) Enjoyment with the five senses; and (3) Closely intertwined with the seasons and special occasions.

(1) Wagashi is made of rice, flour, sweet potatoes, beans, walnuts, sugar, seaweed, etc., i.e., generally vegetable ingredients, so that it is cholesterol-free and has relatively less fat. Among these ingredients, red beans are especially nutritious, with high protein, dietary fiber and anti-oxidants.

(2) Wagashi are designed to be pleasing to all five senses – Sight (appearance); Taste (flavor); Smell (aroma); Sound (name); and Touch (texture).

(3) The four seasons of Japan are reflected in Wagashi, having different varieties for each season. In addition, people use different sweets to commemorate specific milestones in life, such as celebrating a marriage and children’s health and wishing for longevity.

The history of sweets in Japan began in the early 8th century from China. In the 15th century, the tea ceremony became popular among nobles and the Samurai. Wagashi, such as sweet bean paste, received prominence soon thereafter. In the mid-16th century, trade with Spain and Portugal began. Their sweets, such as sponge cake and biscuits, are said to have been the beginning of Japanese Western sweets. In late 19th century, Japan received more Western influence from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, etc., and new ingredients and skills of manufacturing in the world of sweets were introduced. Currently, full-fledged French pastries, American sweets, and a wide variety of other sweets are spreading rapidly. Today, Japan also has some unique Japanese sweets, such as strawberry short cake, which has become a symbol of a decoration cake and “cute sweets” designed with cartoon characters.

In recent years, the Japanese confectionery market has steadily expanded; in particular, the sales channels of convenience stores (CVS), department stores, and airport stores have increased. The sweets market at CVS has shown a market expansion rate of about 25 percent in the past five years. Each CVS company focuses on ‘great quality similar to pastry shops’, ‘affordable price’, ‘ease of eating’, and ‘perfect pairing with coffee’.

Japan is a rapidly ageing society, so the future of sweets will grow to satisfy the health-oriented options for the people. In addition, the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is a good opportunity to showcase to the world the uniqueness of Japanese sweets culture.

(Presented in the 2016 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Sweet Culture and the Joy of Life, 17-18 August 2016, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

ADVISORS

Prof Dr Bundhit Eua-arporn
     President, Chulalongkorn University

Prof Dr Kiat Ruxrungtham
     Vice President for Research and Innovation, 
     Chulalongkorn University

Asst Prof Dr Pomthong Malakul Na Ayudhaya
     Vice President for Academic Affairs,
     Chulalongkorn University

Prof Dr Pranee Kullavanijaya
     Advisor, The Executive Board, Institute of Thai Studies,    
     Chulalongkorn University

Asst Prof Dr Prapod Assavavirulhakarn
     Member, The Executive Board, Institute of Thai Studies,    
     Chulalongkorn University

CHAIR

Assoc Prof Dr Suchitra Chongstitvatana
     Director, Institute of Thai Studies, 
     Chulalongkorn University

COMMITTEE
 

Asst Prof Surat Horachaikul
     Director, Indian Studies Center, 
     Chulalongkorn University

Asst Prof Dr Arthit Thongtak
     Deputy Director of Administrative Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University

 
Asst Prof Ritirong Jiwakanon
     Deputy Director of International Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University

Dr Pram Sounsamut
     Deputy Director of Research Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University