The Thai New Year has begun, and in St. Louis, the occasion is marked by festivities at Wat Phrasriratanaram, the Thai temple in Florissant. They’re open to the public, and for the first time, we had a chance to drop by.
While the food and entertainment are strictly Thai (except for the Coca-Cola products for sale), this is a real multi-ethnic crowd, which means that newcomers don’t feel conspicuous. While there were some signs on the food booths that were only in Thai, most had English as well. The first task is finding the booth where one hands over $5 to buy a packet of food tickets. (The clue is that there will be programs spread out on the table at the right place.)
There are a couple of booths selling various items of merchandise, but what draws the crowds are the food booths and the entertainment. A small parade begins the afternoon, and then inside the wat, there’s dancing and music, Thai boxing and even a Miss Songkran Beauty Pageant. Some of the food comes from the area’s Thai restaurants — if you’re a regular restaurant-goer you may well see some familiar names and faces — and some seems homegrown.
We tried chicken satay with peanut sauce and fish ball kebabs with 
chile sauce A sign advertised "Thai tacos," which turned out to be crispy, made-on-the-spot cookie-like shells filled with coconut, and we liked those, but missed the roti, which we don’t associate with Thai cooking either, and a shrimp version of the tacos. We had a fine chicken curry, another vegetable one, a hard-cooked egg with a creamy red coconut sauce, and saw an attractive plate of noodles being gobbled up by a friend. Fresh mango flew across the counter; it was gone by the time we got ready for dessert.
And that brings us to another piece of advice: Go early. As we were walking in, someone recognized us, smiled and said, "Step it up. They’re running out of some things already." And she was right. A green catfish curry was among the first items to disappear.
Lines for food can be long, and especially at the stands that aren’t run by restaurants, service can be slow as food is cooked and assembled. Slow, but definitely fresh. Still, there’s plenty of people-watching, including some lovely costumes on the dancers and pageant participants, and some absolutely enchanting children.
And pay particular attention to the incredible fruit and vegetable carving. It’s a folk art, with the layers of natural color adding to the effect. The beauties decorate some of the food booths, and one that seeks donations for charity.
Wat Phrasriratanaram is located on Lindsay Lane, which intersects Highway 67 (N. Lindbergh Blvd.) at the first stoplight north of Charbonier Road. This year’s festival ran from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The dates for 2008 have not yet been announced.
Wat Phrasriratanaram
890 Lindsay Lane, Florissant
314-839-3115