Food Fest draws big weekend crowds

SAPHAN HIN: The 11th annual Phuket Food Festival kicked off on Wednesday with an official ceremony presided over by Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatwichai.

Seventy food and drink stands from Phuket and neighboring provinces are serving food at the event, organized by the Phuket Food Vendors’ Club and the Phuket City Municipality.

The first day featured a competition to find the tastiest “Hor Mok Phuket”. The winner among the seven contestants was Panee Plubthong, owner of the Hor Mok Phuket stand at Kaset Market, located behind Robinson department store in Phuket City.

The secret to truly delicious Hor Mok is “to go easy on the salt,” she revealed after receiving her award.

The festival is every seafood lover’s dream, with a mouthwatering selection, including shrimp, shellfish, mixed seafood salads and fresh oysters served with full-flavored seafood dips.

To wash it all down are towers and jugs of beer, along with a wide assortment of other beverages.

More than 200 tables are set around the field in front of a large stage where a variety of live entertainment and cultural shows are performed nightly.

For those in need of a little exercise after dinner, there are stalls hawking every imaginable souvenir, traditional Thai clothing, jewelry and other products.

A favorite for the kids is the merry-go-round, together with the mini-roller coaster and other funfair attractions, all at 20 baht per ride.

Jaras Sae-Tan, President of the Phuket Food Vendors’ Club, said that this is the second year all participants have been asked to use recyclable and biodegradable containers.

Phuket Gazette