In 1897, on a Wednesday, a boy was born with his ears located below his eyes level. His parents thought it was abnormal, and decided to name him Plaek, meaning 'strange'.

The boy, Plaek Khittasangkha, who later changed his last name to Phibunsongkram, went on to become the longest-serving Prime Minister of Thailand.

I wonder what went through the parents' minds when they heard of their boy, then a grown man, a field marshall, overthrew the monarch, rising to power and became bigger than the king.

That face they once thought was strange, plastered everywhere on posters.

Changing the country's name from 'Siam' to 'Thailand'.

Idolising Mussolini and pushing a cultural revolution - forcing the country to speak only one language, to wear 'Thai' clothes, to eat 'Thai food' with fork and spoon, sing 'Thai' songs, to say Sawadee~ when they greet each other, so that the west would see them as civilised and not colonise them.

As he deployed sinophobic policies and purged the Chinese Teochews, and became allies with Japan to invade the rest of South East Asia, I wonder if his Cantonese-born parents, Mr. and Mrs. Goh, sitting in their durian farm, ever pondered:

Did we pick the wrong name?
Was he really that strange?
Perhaps we were a bit too harsh.

Like Hitler's art teacher, if they were to be just a leeettle bit more encouraging, would history have worked out a leeettle bit differently?

If they were to do that, then we would not have the chance to taste Pad Thai.

Pad Thai -
A Strange Noodle

Most national dishes - say ramen, or chicken rice, or paella, pizza, etc are so Jurassic, that we can only paint a broad stroke of 'what if's, 'maybe's, 'supposedly' on their history and leave them as that.

But not Pad Thai.

Pad Thai's origin story is so simple, irrefutable, and modern.
Only 70 years young.

A dish, concocted by the Prime Minister to ease famine (limit and prolong the use of rice), create jobs and promote the country to the world.

A dish, made by his own home cook, which he dictated the name, the ingredients, the flavour, the business model.

A dish, to represent a new country.

The name translates to 'Thai Stir-fry'.

The full name is 'Kuey Teow Pad Thai' but 'Kuey Teow' is Chinese so we, uh, flick that away.

My favourite quote is from a retired Thai cooking instructor:

' ...for a dish to be so named in its own country clearly suggests an origin that isn't Thai.'

Oof.

It didn't matter.

The point was it did exactly what it was supposed to do.
A success.

Out of self-preservation, one of the most popular noodle dishes in the world was invented.

The fact that I’m writing about it, fulfills its own prophecy.

Also, Thailand was never colonised.
(It became an 'ally' with Japan, that's a technicality.)

As of today, the Thai government continues to provide financial aid, loan, business support to Thai restaurants overseas. They even give out certified Thai badges to restaurants. Check and see if you can spot them next time.

Not only did it sold the country, but it also set the standard for street food.

Watch this video of Gordon Ramsay getting destroyed by a Thai uncle. Cheers me up every time I watch it.

Phibun deserves all the marketing awards, the pencils, the gongs, the lions for this marketing feat.

Every time you order this dish, utter its name, you're pressing a cultural buzzer that says:

Pad Thai is Thai food is Thailand is delicious is cool is great.

Infinite frequency and reach, forming a Mobius strip.

Market penetration is 100% domestic and international.

The pioneer of soft power, brought to you by today's big word - gastrodiplomacy.

South Korea had PSY going BiBiGo! Japan had JRO going 'Loved around the world', Victoria literally bribed Noma and the World Top 50 restaurant to host the awards in Melbourne in 2014.

Gastrodiplomacy.

There was even a tagline back then - 'Noodle is your lunch'.

He didn't go with your elementary 'Eat Pad Thai today!' or 'Pad Thai No.1'.

No, the guy understood seduction, leaving a little gap for you to complete the circle.

It was cold, calculated, methodically executed to perfection.
The Yao Ming of street food.

No sappy, soapy, lovey-dovey story.

It is advertising, it is direct response, it is viral, PR, word of mouth. Product design. Public service. Charity. Art.

All in a plate.

If you ever wonder why there's always a Thai restaurant in your neighbourhood while the Thai migration rate is at 5%, thank Phibun.

Wonder why you've never been to Thailand, yet can still recite 4-5 Thai dishes immediately, thank Phibun.

If you're Thai and you get a special visa from New Zealand just for being a chef, thank Phibun.

If you've enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this, thank Phibun.

The boy with ears below his eye level.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3LCcDS-Uw&t=688s

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/04/non-thai-origins-of-pad-thai/360751/

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/pad-thai-recipe.html

https://medium.com/@marchabib_2000/why-there-are-so-many-thai-restaurants-gastrodiplomacy-b2095f3d177c

http://www.lionbrand.com.au/blog/gastrodiplomacy-why-are-there-so-many-thai-restaurants

https://priceonomics.com/the-invention-of-pad-thai/

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/thai-chefs-work-visa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cultural_mandates

Hi there! If you’re new here, thanks for buying my book.
You can access all the previous newsletters here.

I thought about including Pad Thai in the book, but I honestly cook this 3-4 times a year. Plus I live 5-minute walk away from Ying Thai 2, one of the GOAT Thai restaurants in Melbourne. It outlived the original Ying Thai, that’s how good it is. But between you and me, we’ve recently moved on to Pad Kee Mao when it comes to noodles. Spicier, more garlic, more Thai basil, more kick. Try it next time.

Every time I do make it I make a bigger deal out of it, getting that specific rice noodle brand, specific hard tofu, garlic chives etc So I don't actually think it's homecook-friendly.

Unless your local Thai restaurant is THAT bad.

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In the next couple of days, I’m going to post an updated version of this post in the Subtle Asian Cooking group with a 2021 recipe.

I actually don’t know if you’re from SAC or not so I’m going to mix things up a little bit until I figure out the audience.

So any feedback will be much appreciated.

For now, I still have to chase that book sales to keep this party going.
Officially, I’ve sold 930+ copies.
Thank you so much.
Stay safe.
Noodle is your lunch.