Beach Road came alive last week with thousands of shrimp lovers enjoying seafood delicacies and taking in the sights of the “Amazing Thai Shrimp Festival”.
A giant bowl of “tom yam kung”, in fact the largest ever, large enough to make it into the Guinness Book of World records, highlighted the festivities.
Deputy
Prime Ministers Korn Thapprangsi and Supachai Phanitpak turned the ship’s
wheel to pen the Amazing Thai Shrimp Festival.
Two, count ‘em, two Deputy Prime Ministers got the festival underway at 5:00 p.m. on November 18th. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Korn Thapprangsi and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supachai Phanitpak “turned the ship’s wheel” to raise the flag starting the festivities. Yet a third Minister, Minister of Industry Suwat Liphataphanlop, in his capacity as official festival organizer, announced the activities.
A host of other honored guests were also present, including the Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s office in charge of Tourism Ms. Pavena Hongsakula, Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pachimnan and Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat.
The
mascots sure looked like they were having fun!
The assembled dignitaries and other honored guests later participated in seasoning the world’s largest bowl of “Tom Yum Kung”, making sure it had “just the right flavor”. All who tasted the spicy shrimp soup, which was selling for 20 baht a bag with all the proceeds going towards charitable activities, agreed it was the best tom yum kung they had ever tasted from such a large pot.
The cooking pot for the record breaking soup was three meters in diameter and 1.20 meters high. It contained 500 kilograms of shrimp and a variety of vegetables, herbs and spices, altogether weighing approximately 5000 kilograms.
The opening ceremony included a parade led by the Royal Thai Navy Band, the Young People’s Ocean Preservation League, Thai recording artists, actors and actresses, and members from Thai Ocean World and the Young Working Women 2000.
Receiving
a certificate from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! announcing the world
record.
The festival, which was brought to a close on November 20th, also included a host of chefs, both professional and amateur, preparing a huge variety of shrimp dishes.
On the amateur side, Pattaya Mail’s own Dr. Iain wowed the crowd by showing how it’s done “Down Under” by preparing, then “throwing another shrimp on the barbie”. Ms. Sue prepared her delicious “Shrimps Masala”, and Ms. Elfi showed the audience how to prepare “Imperial Shrimps Tartar”.
In all, 87 different businesses, 43 restaurants and 38 companies prepared, displayed and served their own versions of shrimp, seafood and packaged products. A host of beverage companies were also on hand to ensure no one went dry.
Dr.
Iain and Ms. Margaret Tomlinson proudly accepted gifts for their part in
the amateur cooking demonstration.
When not cooking or eating shrimp in its myriad of forms, festival goers were treated to Thai Traditional entertainment, a number of contests and a beach volleyball tournament, as well as exhibitions displaying shrimp cultivation showing the “Intensive Culture System” in Pola Motion, and displays of shrimp production for export.
The festival was organized by the combined efforts of the Ministries of Commerce and Industry, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya’s administration, in conjunction with the city’s private sector.
The
lovely Anna Pali from Russia prepares her exquisite Shrimp Mimoza, a
delectable Russian shrimp salad.
Visitors
were treated to a large array of fish delicacies as well as shrimp.
