Foreword

How and Why this Website was created.

Tai (Shan) people overseas need a way to get together and stay in touch with each other.
One of the many ways they can do this is by exchanging food recipes as a symbolic way of
sitting down together to eat at the same table although they are thousands of miles apart.
Some friends have remarked, "Why are you taking all this trouble? If you want recipes, why don't you just buy a cook book?" Well, I have some replies.

One, there is NO Shan Cooking book available. Not in English, anyway.

Two, I am not just interested in recipes but also reaching out to other Tais across the world.
This website is a wonderful way for individual people to share their own personal culinary creations and get to know each other better.

Three, the international public knows Thai Cooking very well, but they don't know Tai Cooking.
If they like Thai (Siam), they will surely like Tai (Shan) Cooking also. If they are interested in Prathep THai, then they might also take interest in Tai Issues, too. And you know we have many, many difficult issues which are best addressed in other Tai sites such as Shanland.org and many others. This website is just for cooking, but it is a springboard to bigger and better things. Food is what will make us grow strong and achieve our Goals.

Four, overseas Tai youth need Tai Culture to help bring them together. A dating service such as a Taisingles.com website would probably be more popular, but that is not my specialty. My interest is in cooking and that is what I offer. Those who know how to host a singles.com site, more power to you, and go right ahead.

Five, there are different ways of forging unity, and food is one of them. People back in Tzeng Tai need our help and support; if this website helps unite Overseas Tai people together for this mission, then the ultimate goal of this website has been achieved.

Mai Soong Tzeng Tai,

Sai Moon Tai, USA, 4 March 2006