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This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations. July 18, 2006 Nam phrik in New York INTRODUCTION

Considering how central Thai food is the country's culture and heritage, one might expect it to have more of a stake in the international market. In cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles in the United States, cities with large Thai populations, Thai restaurants have long been among the most popular restaurants. Elsewhere, however, Thai restaurants appear to be underrepresented. Today's article looks at efforts to promote Thai food overseas. Teachers notes Food is a subject close to many people's heart, but clearly this lesson is not suitable for everyone. Given the complex terms associated with banking and finance, you will have to judge whether the lesson's somewhat specialized vocabulary will be of benefit to your students. High-level students should be able to cope, of course, but the lesson may also prove beneficial for mid-level marketing and business students. Let the students consider the questions and predict answers before they read. This should help focus their attention on the subject and prepare them for what they will learn. The lesson affords a good opportunity for students to wax lyrical about their favourite foods and talk about how Thai food compares to other world cuisines. You could easily expand on the themes here, maybe by asking the class to come up with a strategy to promote muay Thai overseas, or even discuss the pros and cons of globalisation. Reading questions Here are some questions to guide your reading. Try to answer in full questions. 1. What is special about the loans that the Export-Import Bank of Thailand is offering to Thai restaurants in foreign countries? 2. Why is the bank offering these special loans? 3. What is the targeted annual growth rate in overseas Thai restaurants? 4. What is the name of the quality certification programme currently being used for Thai restaurants overseas? Where is it being used? What department sponsors it? 5. How can overseas Thai restaurants qualify for the special loan programme? 6. In which countries is the export-import bank considering opening offices? 7. What kind of restaurants are included in the National Food Institute's three franchise models? 8. Which agency is educating chefs to alleviate the shortage of qualified chefs for work overseas? How many chefs do they train each year? 9. How long is the training programme for overseas chefs? Is this long enough? Why or why not?

OUR STORY FROM THE BANGKOK POST Exim Bank to promote Thai food overseas Already a favourite cuisine for many, efforts are being made to promote Thai food around the world. SOMPORN THAPANACHAI The Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim) will offer low-interest loans with flexible conditions for owners of overseas Thai restaurants. The plan is to support the expansion of Thai restaurants abroad from 9,183 outlets recorded in 2005 to 20,000 by 2008. The bank will cooperate with the Department of Export Promotion (DEP), responsible for helping to source equipment and ingredients for Thai kitchens, and the National Food Institute, which supplies and trains chefs. The DEP has awarded the Thai Select mark to 60 restaurants in New York to satisfy consumers that their quality is up to the required standards. Apichai Boontherawara, Exim's president, said that restaurants with majority Thai ownership and at least one year of overseas management experience, or three years experience in Thailand, could apply for a baht- or dollar-denominated loan to set up a restaurant overseas. A baht loan would be charged the bank's prime interest rate plus 1.5 percent, while a dollar loan would be priced at the Libor rate plus 3.5 percent. Thai Select restaurants would get a discount of 0.25 percentage points, but the bank would consider extending this to 0.5 percent or 1 percent, in the future. Dr Apichai said the bank would require collateral of 30 percent to 50 percent of the loan for restaurants wanting to expand branches, new restaurants and franchised restaurants. The bank requires collateral to be situated in Thailand because it only has branches in Thailand. But the Exim Bank will co-operate with Krung Thai Bank and foreign banks to consider granting loans to restaurants with a loan guarantee. Exim Bank will also consider expanding its overseas offices in the US, Europe, Japan and China. Last year, the bank approved about 76 Thai restaurant projects worth about 526 million baht in loans and is now considering another 58 applicants. Yuttasak Supatsorn, the deputy director of the National Food Institute, said the institute had created three franchise models for fast-food businesses: Ruamsen, a noodle shop concept; Kaokaeng, for rice with various toppings; and Tonhom is an open kitchen for shopping malls. Mr Yuttasak said the government was aware of the lack of Thai chefs, so the institute was training 360 chefs per year to help work at overseas restaurants. Each chef is required to pass a 120-hour training programme for certification. The institution also has about 100 tutors ready to go abroad to provide short training courses to existing Thai chefs, and a 90-hour training programme for overseas Thais who want to take cooking up as a new career. The first training session will be conducted in Malaysia next month. Restaurant owners in New York said the biggest problem in opening restaurants in the US is a shortage of chefs that can be not solved until Thailand comes to an immigration agreement with the US. They added that 120-hours of training was insufficient, as it required many years of experience to run a kitchen in an authentic Thai restaurant with anything from 100 to 200 items on the menu. source where to get something dollar-denominated loan the amount of the loan is valued in dollars prime interest rate the lowest interest rate that banks charge to their best customers Libor rate London Interbank Offered Rate; the standard interest rate used in UK/US financial markets collateral a valuable asset that can be taken by the lender if the loan is not repaid. loan guarantee a promise to repay the loan. take up when you "take up" some activity you start learning how to do it as a hobby or for an occupation. authentic genuine; real Answers 1. They have low interest rates and flexible conditions. 2. It wants to increase the number of Thai restaurants in foreign countries. 3. Overseas Thai restaurant growth is targeted at 73 percent per year. (From 9,183 to 20,000 over three years.) 4. The Department of Export Promotion of the Thai government issues the "Thai Select" mark to restaurants in New York City in the United States. 5. Restaurants have to have majority Thai ownership and management experience (one year overseas or three years in Thailand). They also have to put up collateral in Thailand of 30 percent to 50 percent of the loan value 6. It's considering opening offices in the US, Europe, Japan, and China. 8. Three kinds of restaurants: a noodle shop; a rice with various toppings restaurant; and an open kitchen for shopping malls. 9. The National Food Institute trains about 360 chefs per year to work in Thai restaurants overseas. 10. The training programme for overseas chefs takes 120 hours. According to restaurant owners in New York City, this is not enough. It takes many years to master the preparation of the many dishes. Read our other instant lesson here. Return to our home page. | © The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2006 | Last modified: July 17, 2006