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Thailand (PRWEB) February 22, 2008

The inaugural Isan Meals Festival is being held in Khon Kaen, Thailand for 10 days, and from March 7-9 the Sofitel Raja Orchid is providing a culinary master-class weekend from just (12,150THB) or $ AUD420 — such as taxes and service charges, two nights accommodation and the weekend Master Class for two individuals. This also contains coffee breaks, lunch for two men and women and breakfast each day.

A specific gourmand dinner is organised for the 8th March at the hotel’s magnificent Vietnamese Restaurant and is from (1400THB) or $ AUD48 for two inclusive.

Whilst consuming deep fried insects may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is one thing to suit each palate, and the Sofitel Raja Orchid Hotel offers a luxurious 5 star base, from which to enjoy the Master Class and all the sounds, colours and tastes northern Thailand has to offer you.

Workshops revolving close to the Festival incorporate 1 aptly named — ‘Improbably Edible Cuisine’ which features the Isan custom of eating fried locust and lizard, and stir fried silk worm — not to mention the Isan/Lao specialty of ant egg soup!

The Isan Meals Festival will also characteristic visiting chefs, guest lecturers, and the world’s largest woven sticky rice basket, and celebrates Northeast Thailand’s fabled cooking. Khon Kaen will be pulsing with actions planned from early in the morning til late at evening for the ten days of the Festival.

But there is more to the festival — there is workshops galore featuring best gastronomic names conducting the actions. These contain:

Vatch Bhumitchitr, London restaurateur and author of six best-selling Thai cookbooks in English
Somsak Wongdechanand, editor-in-chief- of Thailand’s top meals magazine ‘Gourmet &amp Cuisine’ heads a workshop on Thai curries
Philip Cornwel Smith, author of the daily culture book ‘Very Thai’ will speak on contemporary Isan trends in Bangkok
Morrison Polkinghorne, Australian based mostly textile specialist
Robert Carmack Australian based author of Thai and Vietnamese cookbooks and Fondue (Periplus), (a single co-written by Didier Corlu of Sofitel Hanoi fame)
Pramol Pimsen local Isan specialist and author
Dr. Chop Deesuankoke retired Khon Kaen university lecturer.

Plus there are regional food producers from sausage makers to fish sauce brewers, are on hand to give an introduction to their foodstuffs.

Globetrotting Gourmet is providing a ten-evening deluxe Thailand packages such as the Isan Festival two day masterclass a stay at the luxury beach resort of Hua Hin Bangkok — Asia’s buying powerhouse, Thailand’s dessert capital of Phetchaburi and holy pilgrimage cities Nakhon Pathom and Nakhon Chaisi. You’ll remain at 5-star Sofitel hotels all through with guaranteed upgrades, most meals, cooking classes, market tours.

For these who nevertheless want more, a particular day tour of Isan south of Khon Kaen is available on Monday 10 March.

To book or for far more information please call (02) 9550 5510

or pay a visit to http://www.asianfoodtours.com or http://www.isanfoodfestival.com

For a weekend-only package rates for the Thai Cuisine Master Class Weekend plus hotel – please go to http://www.accorhotels-asia.com

ABOUT ISAN’S CULTURE &amp CUISINE

Bordered by Laos to the East and Cambodia to its south, Thailand’s remote northeast Isan region is renowned for some of the kingdom’s tastiest cooking. But it really is a style much less familiar to foreigners. As opposed to the coconut cream curries of tropical and coastal districts, dishes right here largely rely on neighborhood components from an arid area, this kind of as delicious gai yang grilled chicken, som tom green papaya salad, fiery jaeow chilli jams, and sticky or glutinous rice. Not only that, the place hosts the best examples of ancient Khmer temples to be observed outside of Cambodia, and the country’s most intricate silk weaving.

Cultural Crossroads

Isan is alive with the flavours of neighbouring Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and the region’s cuisine is some of the very best on offer in the Thai kingdom. Late night Bangkok revellers have long clamoured to Isan hawker stalls for snacks in their capital city, and a number of upmarket Lao and Isan restaurants now cater to the city’s affluent, as well.

About Khon Kaen

Isan’s commercial capital city of Khon Kaen lies some 450 km from Bangkok, and right now is a significant regional development centre and university city of 200,000. The city is served by three flights every day from Don Mueang (DMK) airport in Bangkok, plus normal bus service and numerous trains every day. Flights take less than an hour, road and rail from six to eight hrs.

About Accor

Accor, the European leader and a significant global group in hotels, the global leader in solutions to corporate clients and public institutions, operates in virtually 100 nations with 170,000 personnel. It gives to its consumers more than 40 many years of experience in its two core corporations:

Hotels, with the Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule one and Motel 6 manufacturers, representing much more than four,000 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 nations, as effectively as strategically related activities, this kind of as Len?tre.
Solutions, with 30 million men and women in 40 nations benefiting from Accor Services goods in human resources, advertising and marketing services and expense management.

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