Books: Red Bamboo by M.R. Kukrit Pramoj (translated to English by his brother M.R. Seni Pramoj)—a novel satirizing the conflicts between Thai Buddhist culture and a socialistic headman of a village during the Communistic expansionary era in Southeast Asia. M.R. Pramoj was a prolific writer greatly admired by most Thais for his entertaining style of writing and his breadth and depth of knowledge in Thai monarch, culture, economy, etc. gives the readers a This novel is particularly good and provides a glimpse into rural life in Northeast Thailand. There is also Monsoon Country by Pira Sudham—a novel about a village life in Northeast Thailand depicting the conflicts between the old and the growing materialistic way of life. Sudham was born in the Northeast and educated in New Zealand, Australia and UK. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature for his body of work, which was written mainly in English.
Traditional dishes: Tom Yam—a hot and sour soup with shrimp, lime grass and kafir lime leaves, very spicy. Pad Thai—a fried noodle dish with dried shrimp, fried bean curd, fried egg and vegetables; Kaeng Kheow Wan—a green curried meat dish, quite spicy; Kai Tom Khar—a chicken soup with coconut milk and lime grass, quite spicy.