Thai Treat: Chef to Prime Minister

By JULIETTE ROSSANT What was Samak Sundaravej's first move after being elected Prime Minister of Thailand? He went to the Or Tor Kor farmers' market in Bangkok to shop for food. Why? Because he is not only a politician with a career spanning 40 years, but also a celebrity chef with his own cooking show. The Times reported: Moments after being sworn in yesterday, the combative politician vowed that his popular weekly cookery show would return promptly to TV screens across the country. Tasting, Grumbling, a colorful extravaganza that combines traditional Thai cuisine with toxic political tirades, has been off the air for several weeks. The show, which has a devoted fan base among the lower-middle class masses, was a belated victim of the coup. The army-appointed Government took Tasting, Grumbling and its cantankerous presenter off screens soon after commandeering the television station that broadcast it. Simdaravej may not last long. He is widely disliked for having supported deadly crackdowns against democracy protesters in the 1970s and 1990s. He is a self-styled stand-in for Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in the September 2006 coup. The Independent outlined his main purpose: He has already pledged to work to help Mr. Thaksin – who publicly supported his successor – clear his name. Mr. Thaksin, a billionaire telecoms tycoon and owner of Manchester City football club, still faces the possibility of arrest over a 2003 land deal that has seen his wife appear in court before being bailed. Commentators were last night predicting a turbulent period on Thai politics as the prospect of Mr. Thaksin's rehabilitation looked set to divide public opinion. Mr. Samak is himself facing charges of corruption over the purchase of fire vehicles when he was governor of Bangkok, and battling a two-year sentence for defamation. There are only a handful of chefs who have pursued political careers, among them Stefano di Pieri who served in the government and ran unsuccessfully for parliament in Victoria, Australia. Even as food issues become political issues - scares about E. coli, safe food supplies, obesity, and children's nutrition - few chefs in America have pursued politics. And no food television shows contain political tirades: too bad! Related news: Financial Times Thai News Agency AP Bangkok Post New York Times Guardian Independent Melbourne Herald Sun TIME Previous articles: [Chefs & Politics - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Samak Sundaravej, Thaksin Shinawatra --> back to Super Chef