I wanted this book because I saw Thai hawker food on television and it looked like old Chinese snacks from my childhood. This book confirms that not only are the Chinese snacks but also the Thai snacks are the same as those I remember being fortunate to be given as a child. The homemade snacks are still some of the most delicious food I have ever tasted - Hongkong dimsum does not compare. It's no wonder that tourists return to Thailand if one of the components of the life there is that these snacks can be bought. In my childhood, one could only get these treats if you were liked by its creators and receiving them was an honor; the makers couldn't be coaxed or flattered to give away their special handmade treasures. This book doesn't contain all the Chinese treats and not the best ones I saw on a Thai television show (they were not identified as Chinese on the show) but it does have enough of them to encourage me that the traditions live on in some part of the world and outside of private Chinese homes even if the standards may not be as high. This book is also interesting because of the vocal Thai Chinese element. Thai voices on the internet usually claim to have a Chinese ancestor but that Chinese have disappeared into the Thai culture. This book's contributors are a tiny bit more open about the Southern Chinese influence that still exists.
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