Food and travel is the perfect match according to the website’s Tasty Travels report with Paris, Tokyo  and Rome also topping the list of the hottest spots for foodies. And more than 90 per cent of Thai travellers admitted a destination’s cuisine is the biggest deciding factor when picking where to holiday, with beautiful beaches and the shopping scene regarded as less appetising.

The Tasty Travels research also revealed that Thai millennials love to experience a five-star dining experience as well as local street food. Eating experiences are in fact now so high on the millennial travel ticklist, that 85 per cent of Thais in this age group said gourmet experiences stand out the most in their holiday memories.

This topped shopping experience and even spending time with their travel buddy! Hotels.com also found that people prefer to snap their food more than selfies.

“The passion that millennial travellers have for what we at Hotels.com call #TastyTravels, comes from a universal truth – that food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. What’s more, as experiences have become the new social currency, travel opens a door to an amazing array of ‘share worthy’ dishes to try. So, it’s no surprise that younger generation travellers are defining their holidays by what they eat,” said Nelson Allen, general manager, APAC for the Hotels.com brand.

The survey revealed that the food millennials are most likely to post pictures of pasta and pizza on social media, followed by steak or meat, noodles and weird and wacky local delicacies.

Young travellers don’t play it safe with their food choices either, as one in three claimed they’d love to try eel sushi, chicken feet, crickets  and a deepfried Mars bar.

Paying tribute to these delicious destinations, Hotels.com has collaborated with food artist Carl Warner to bring foodies’ favourite hangouts to life. Using the city’s famous food ingredients, Parisian buildings made of cheese, the Pantheon made of pasta while a serene zen garden and tea ceremony are imagined with maki rolls, ginger and shiitake mushrooms overlooking Mount Fuji, in Warner’s tribute to Tokyo.

Each city scene, captured in HD photography, is deliciously constructed with famous foods from each location.

“When Hotels.com approached me with the idea, I instantly knew this project was right up my bean cobbled, blue cheese street! It was a great opportunity for me to bring images and scenes of these hugely popular foodie destinations to life in an exciting and contemporary way. I hope that these images will not only blow people away, but inspire them to get online, get booking and not just ‘sightsee’ but ‘sighttaste,” Warner said.

Flavour-chasing travellers in search of inspiration for their next #TastyTravels can head to the Hotels.com Facebook page to see the three delicious artworks by Carl Warner come to life.

The two new tastes were launched at a recent event hosted by Samuel Dambreville, the brand’s business executive officer, at Emquartier.

The chic Nespresso coffee bar sent off delicate aromas throughout the launch event, as Nespresso baristas handed out iced coffees to the guests. One was A Hint of Mint, made from Ispirazione Salentina, with cooling mint, and another was Pomme D’api, made from Ispirazione Shakerato with refreshing apple juice.

Centred on a “Creators of Summer” theme to reflect summery fun Nespresso-style, the event also enticed the guests with portrait drawing from Juli Baker and Summer, a corner where guests could screen patterns on pieces of cloth as well as fun games.

Many coffee-loving celebrities turned out for the launch, among them Seranee Charnvirakul, Ploychompoo Ampuch, Jarujit Baiyoke, Pimlert Baiyoke, Saowakon Pornpatanarak, Tanos Hongsananda, Varit Hongsananda, Piyada Nanta, Hathairat Charoenchaichana, Saengkhae Hemkamonset, Pornnapa Kiatsrichart, Taron Liptapallop, Oranicha Krinachai, Aurapraphan Sudhinaraset, Netdaw Wattanasimakorn and Thongthep Thepkanjana.

Ispirazione Shakerato and Ispirazione Salentina are available in 10-capsule boxes at Bt260 until September 4 at Nespresso boutiques in Siam Paragon, PopUp boutique at EmQuartier, and Central Embassy.

The programme adapts Stanford University’s “design thinking” process to prepare students to be quality employees of the industry, able to handle all aspects of change.

The interns will be prepared for real-life work through hands-on practice emulating an actual work environment with experts advising them.

There are two courses – Civil Engineering for 30 students and Marketing and Sales for 20 persons. Upon completing the internship, the students will receive a certificate from the AP Academy.

Four interns whose performance is outstanding will be sent on a study trip to Japan, at the Mitsubishi Estate Group’s Mitsubishi Jisho Residence.

“We hope the design thinking process we pass on to the students will be an essential tool they can use in the long term,” says chief executive officer Anuphong Assavabhokhin.

“Design thinking is a customer-centric process used to deeply understand problems. There are five steps – empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.”

Prof Chuenchit Chaengchenkit of the Faculty of Business Administration’s Department of Marketing at Kasetsart University agrees that this programme will offer students an opportunity for self-development in real business.

“It allows them to study how the business works full circle, because AP is a company with a full-circle operation, from land development to project management after delivery. Students of any discipline must understand that, in business development, you cannot do everything alone. You need expertise from different lines of profession.”

Intern Puripat Limwattananonth, a civil engineering student at Mahidol University, said at the orientation, “I liked the programme as soon as I saw the curriculum because it guarantees you’ll be training in what you study.”

For gourmets, the hotel continues to serve great dining experiences with special privileges and treats at its renowned riverside restaurants. For all buffets at Feast, one adult can pay normal price and another accompanying adult pays only Bt35, while Riverside Grill, Giorgio’s and Thara Thong charge just Bt35 for every second main course order.

The spa offers 35-per-cent discount on an elegant, Balinese-inspired massage that will leave the senses soothed and rejuvenated. Based on the belief that health and well being are vital to human satisfaction, members of the public can save up to 35 per cent when applying for annual membership at the Health & Fitness Centre.

Corporate conferences also get a boost with triple Starpointsz on eligible revenue for meetings booked during the four weeks for arrival by September 30. Guests also get a chance to win many awards including accommodation vouchers, spa vouchers and more.

Find out more at http://www.RoyalOrchidSheraton.com/35anniversary.

The Japanese legend performs in English, Japanese and Korean and is capable of reaching the hearts of millions with his savvy skills on the mic. He’s well known in Bangkok, having won the Stand-up Bangkok International Comedy Competition in 2015 and in the USA he came fourth in a Stand-up Competition in 2016.

Zenjiro has hosted numerous TV programs in Japan, and was also featured in TV shows such as “Just for Laughs”, “Ed Byrne Comedy Gala:, and “Japanorama” presented by Jonathan Ross on the BBC; the US Comedy Arts Festival on HBO; and “Raymann is Laat” on Dutch TV channel NTR.

Zenjiro has performed at various comedy festivals around the world, including the Just for Laughs Festivals in Montreal; HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen; the Melbourne Comedy Festival; the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; and the Tokyo International Comedy Festival. In Japan, he won the ABC Manzai Competition and other prestigious prizes, and, in the US, he came in second place in the LA Comedy Store Stand-up Competition.

Expect him to discuss politics, race, sex, and even religion in his comedy routine as he provides his own, often hilarious, interpretation of the world we live in.

Tickets cost Bt300 at http://www.TicketMelon.com/event/raw-comedy-presents-zenjiro. Live Lounge Bkk is in the Trendy Building on Sukhumvit Soi 13.

The cases are engraved with the “Die Mannschaft” official logo in the frame on the back as well as four stars representing the 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014 World Cup wins on the zipper slider. The Lite-Box suitcases in the sporty and elegant Eclipse Grey colour are ultra-light and durable and come with colour-coordinated laptop cases from the Samsonite Openroad collection. They too are embellished with the logo of the National Team. And now you too can own the “Die Mannschaft” special edition. Check it out on the Samsonite website, in Samsonite shops, and in selected dealerships.

Clothes that score goals

Blackbarrett by Neil Barrett is another brand making the most of the World Cup with a themed active collection. Integrated with graphic design, the style is modern and sporty and the patterns are inspired by the ball and goal net. Based on a palette of white on black and dark blue, the collection includes a windbreaker with an attached lanyard, shorts over leggings, tees, sweaters and sweatpants.

Walks on the wild side

Wild checks and wild stripes representing the rough feel of wild animal fur make up the theme of the new Homme Plisse Issey Miyake Yasei collection. Guys can walk on the wild side in outfits boasting a camouflage design of owls and bears concealed in the woods, opt for the stripe in handcrafted herringbone or choose kagami, a dynamic circle pattern inspired by bronze mirrors. Pleats reminiscent of wild animal fur complete the fashions for the autumn/winter season along with totes and mini-shoulder bag versions of the Flat Bag series.

Keds gets lively

Keds iconic Champion lace-up sneakers have made the perfect blank canvas for the footwear brand’s collaboration with Rifle Paper Co’s Lively floral print. The artistic and on-trend floral twist on the canvas sneaker upgrades all your favourite casualwear, but also plays nicely with more dressed up pieces. Every casual outing turns into an Instagram-worthy moment with the Triple Decker in Rifle Paper’s Juliet floral print. Pair these stunning canvas slip on shoes with your favourite denim, summer whites, or sundresses and bring a shine to your walk.

While everyone instantly recognises Coke, Coca-Cola today offers drinks across many beverage categories, several of them designed especially for Thai consumers.

To introduce the company’s products that are currently available in Thailand, the Coca-Cola system in Thailand recently hosted an exclusive workshop to showcase a wide array of drinks across many categories.

The sparkling category includes Coke Original, Coke No Sugar, Coke Light, the newly introduced cross-category innovation Coke Plus Coffee, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and A&W Root Beer. The ready-to-drink juice category covers Minute Maid Splash, Minute Maid Pulpy, Minute Maid Vita Kids and the recently launched Minute Maid Orange Fibre and Minute Maid Honey Lemon.

The hydration category includes the latest Aquarius Grapefruit and Aquarius Citrus, Namthip and Zico 100-per-cent coconut water.

The workshop also featured a testing activity featuring products under Coca-Cola brands recently launched in the kingdom plus several innovations introduced from other countries such as Japan’s Ayataka Tea and Georgie Coffee.

The event wrapped with a mocktail workshop demonstrating the versatility of products from Schweppes – namely Schweppes Manao Soda, Schweppes Dry Ginger Ale and Schweppes Tonic Water – and of course Coke – led by well-known mixologist Ronnaporn “Neung” Kanivichaporn.

Claudia Navarro, marketing director of Coca-Cola (Thailand and Laos) Limited says, “Coca-Cola aims to give people more of the drinks they want through constant innovations in product development no matter where they live. Coca-Cola always listens to consumers, then responds to their needs by offering products best suited to their tastes and which meet their moods at different times of the day. There are a multitude of reasons that motivates Thais to grab beverages – as a basis to make different culinary treats more enjoyable, to refresh themselves, or to mark celebratory moments and occasions”.

In addition to these efforts, the company acknowledges that health and well-being trends are a reality in today’s social context. So in response to these trends, The Coca-Cola Company seeks to provide choice in its portfolio, including no sugar options and a wide variety of products for Thais to enjoy and is actively promoting the consumption of sugar in moderation. Globally, the company is reducing sugar in more than 500 of its products worldwide. In Thailand, many Coca-Cola’s products have been certified with the ‘Healthier Choice’ logo by the Food and Drug Administration and the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. These include Coke No Sugar and Coke Light with zero calories, Aquarius Grapefruit and Citrus, Coke Plus Coffee and Minute Maid Orange Fiber and Honey Lemon.

Globally, 40 per cent of Coca-Cola’s sparkling brands are now available in smaller packs. In Thailand, the 180ml serving size for all Coke variants and Coke plus Coffee in 240ml are being introduced.

The aim, says the company, is to make Coca-Cola become the brand that not only “understands” but also “stands” at the very centre of the consumer’s heart

Located along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, this new 10-floor museum has adopted the retail concept from A Muse by the Sea and will bring together world-class experiential retail, art, culture, entertainment and dining under one roof.

It takes inspiration from research that reveals Asian millennials as “Super Consumers”, prominent drivers of global consumption with spending power set to reach US$6 trillion by 2020 as they grow to account for 45 per cent of Asia’s millennial population.

The museum will house an extensive selection of international brands – many of which will be concept stores and flagships debuting in Hong Kong with a brand new image – and promote itself as an aspirational destination merging art, culture and commerce in Hong Kong and Asia.

Visitors can explore the outdoor Sunken Plaza, modelled on amphitheatres and installed with programmed water patterns and a misting system for a cooling effect. Equipped with a large eight-metre-tall LED screen, the plaza will offer a range of cultural events ranging from outdoor movie screenings and live music, to art and design related performances.

Find out more details at the K11MUSEA page on Facebook.

The event, which is held on the first Thursday in July, offers plenty of fun, the chance to make new friends and an opportunity to hone your craft with exercises to figure out how to add that extra oomph to your next performance. The workshop will be hosted by actor and director Ricardo Hizon. Attendance is free for all BCT members and Bt100 for everyone else. No outside food or drink is permitted.

Find out more by emailing Ric at rh.helix@gmail.com

Treasures from the deep

The World restaurant at Centara Grand at CentralWorld offers a special seafoodthemed buffet every Saturday night through the end of August featuring allyoucaneat river prawns, fresh raw oysters on ice, delicate rock lobster, steamed crab, tasty sashimi cuts and much more. The buffet is priced at Bt1,890plus and gets underway at 6pm.

Book your table at (02) 100 6255.

Dumpling delights

Fook Yuan Chinese Restaurant at Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel Bangkok serves up mouthwatering dim sum for lunch including steamed stuffed wonton sheet with shrimp, crab meat or foie gras, Chinese steamed bun stuffed melt lava, steamed shrimp dumpling and deepfried tofu sheet stuffed with shrimp. Prices start at Bt75 and from Monday to Friday, you get a 20percent discount on food only.

Reserve your seat at (02) 641 4777.

Dusit dining

Every three months as it prepares to close, the Dusit Thani Bangkok offers alltime favourite dishes series from its awardwinning outlets. From July 1 to September 30, tuck into Fried Egg Noodle with River Prawn and Black Pepper at The Pavilion, Stirfried Lotus Root at The Mayflower, Thien Duong’s famed Fried Rice Red Curry Paste, Fermented Ground Pork and Pork Sausage or try the western special at Hamilton’s Steak House of President Salad with Panfried Scallop, Duck Liver and Smoked Duck.

Make a reservation at (02) 200 9000 extension 2345.

Mooncake magic

A limited range of The St Regis Bangkok Mooncakes are available for preorder from today, before the official launch on August 1 at The Lounge on Level 1. Earlybird orders, prepaid before August 15, will also benefit from a 10per cent discount. In addition, all orders for at least 100 boxes of mooncakes come with a 20percent discount and free delivery within Bangkok and the surrounding area. Presented in a tastefully decorative box, The St. Regis Bangkok Mooncakes are priced at Bt1,288 net per box of four and come in four flavours –chestnut and macadamia; durian (monthong) with double egg yolk; mixed fruit and nuts with double yolk; and green tea red bean.

Find out more at (02) 207 7777.

SITTING JUST across from Siriraj Hospital on the opposite side of the Arun Amarin Bridge, the Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics might just as well be invisible for all the recognition it receives from the general public. Founded in 2002 and part of the hospital’s medical faculty, it is the only facility in Thailand, indeed in Southeast Asia, training the clinicians known as prosthetists and orthotists in the prescription, design and production of customised legs, arms, hands and other limbs.

“We all know medical professions like nurse, physiotherapist and medical technologist, but people look blank when we talk about a prosthetist or orthotist,” says Assoc Prof Dr Nisarat Opartkiattikul, the director of Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SSPO).

Students from different countries including Japan and Germany practise producing artificial limbs in the school’s lab.

And while she was aware of the disciplines and was long involved in the medical faculty’s education policy, Dr Nisarat, a pathology specialist by training, admits that she knew nothing about the production of prosthetics and orthotics when she assumed the position of school director in 2010.

“I was worried when I was offered the job because I don’t like working in a sector I know nothing about. But I believe that God sent me to do this work. I am happy working here, which is why I have enjoyed such a long tenure,” she says, though she acknowledges it hasn’t been an easy path. Back in 2010, the school was not in good condition and enrolment was low – 16 students for the first year of the course, dropping to just five for the second year.

Dr Nisarat took two years to get a full grasp of her new job, some of it spent visiting prosthetics and orthotics educational facilities at overseas universities and institutions. An accident during a trip to Chiang Mai in which she broke an arm and suffered a spine injury that left her temporarily paralysed in her lower body provided first-hand if unfortunate understanding of the need for such training.

Though it took less than two months for the feeling to return, she came to understand how people felt when left disabled. “I didn’t know when I could get back to normal; it could have been months or even years,” she says.

“I’m happy working here. Even though our job has both lower recognition and lower income compared to other medical-related professionals, seeing our patients able to move around or perform daily tasks with the new limb we have made for them is overwhelming. It’s like we have given them their life back,” she explains.

Prosthetics is a medical speciality that designs and produces an artificial device to replace a missing body part, usually a leg, foot, arm or hand. Orthotics, meanwhile, refers to the making of devices such as braces that are used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system.

Assoc Prof Dr Nisarat Opartkiattikul, director of the Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics.

While prostheses are often associated with soldiers who have lost limbs in battle, here in Thailand most of the people needing such devices have been left handicapped by road accidents, diabetes, congenital anomalies as well as injuries sustained in the restive south.

Services in prosthetics and orthotics were initiated in Thailand prior to 1960 by the Princess Mother, mother of the late King, who set up a prostheses factory for those who had lost their legs in wars. Lerdsin Hospital assumed the training component, running a three-year course, lower than degree level, for prosthetic and orthotic technicians, which shut down after producing around 170 technicians in 10 cohorts. The Sirindhorn Institution then worked with King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok on a similar three-year course for four intakes. Sirindhorn School took up the relay by launching a four-year course under the Faculty of Medicine and upgraded it to graduate level by adding anatomy and pathology to prosthetics and orthotics studies.

“Prosthetics and orthotics professionals require not only technical skills for making the artificial limbs but a good knowledge of medicine, engineering, rehabilitation as well as a level of artistic skills to make the right artificial limbs for each patient,” says Dr Nisarat.

As no two amputations are totally alike, each device is customised to the individual patient. The prosthetist or orthotist will design the new limb based on the amputee’s need and lifestyle and taking account of the muscle and tissue remaining, fitting the device so it can be worn without pain or discomfort. Each device incorporates sockets built from hard epoxy or carbon fibre that are softened as necessary through padding around the bone.

Certified prosthetist and orthotist Sarawanee Phaipool explains how an artificial leg works.

The Sirindhorn School has two clinics, one on the first floor for those who need an artificial device and wish to pay for it through the universal healthcare system or social security. The Centre of Excellence for Prosthetics and Orthotics on the second floor is for the better heeled and fashions devices from more expensive materials, usually replacing the standard wood and metal with carbon fibre. The clinic also has a service for cosmetic prostheses and podiatry treatment, producing customised insoles or inserts for special shoes.

Prostheses generally last three to five years before a replacement is needed. Prices vary depending on materials, components and design, ranging from thousands of baht for a wooden device to more than Bt1 million for the more sophisticated.

“A prostheses is never 100-per-cent the same as the real limb but it can make all the difference in leading a quasi-normal life. However not everyone gets the type that they want even if they can afford it. We have to consider what is most suitable for them,” Dr Nisarat explains.

For a middle-to-high income country like Thailand, the World Health Organisation recommends 10 prosthetists and orthotists for every one million of population. The kingdom is home to some 69 to 70 million souls, meaning it should have 700. However, in the 16 years since the school opened, just 170 prosthetists and orthotists have been trained and even if the 200 technicians who completed the earlier three-year courses are added in, the shortage is still significant.

The leg prosthesis cast is customised for each amputee.

Currently the Sirindhorn School can produce around new 18 prosthetists and orthotists every year and is at the same time providing tele-education for technicians working across the country so that they can improve their knowledge skills and become qualified prosthetists and orthotists after finishing the course.

Certified by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) as a Category 1 facility offering a four-year formally structured education leading to a university degree or equivalent and thus recognised for producing qualified prosthetists and orthotists, the SSPO is now attracting students from other countries. “We not only have technicians from around the world enrolling for our course here at the school but also for our tele-study programmes,” says Dr Nisarat.

The students hail from Africa (Malawi, Senegal and Rwanda), Europe (Macedonia and Serbia) as well as from Afghanistan, India and Vietnam and have all undergone three years of technical training with the support of international organisations helping casualties of war. Now, with that support all but finished, the technicians wanting to be fully certified in their chosen profession can do so at the Sirindhorn School.

It’s another story for Thai students. Dr Nisarat admits it’s hard to enrol a higher number as the costs, both in equipment and technology terms, are high. And although the SSPO now has both a Thai and an international curriculum as well as a recognised graduate programme, plans to promote the school as a faculty are still very much in their infancy as the facility requires more lecturers and a PhD programme.

“We need more experience and more time before we can be promoted as a faculty,” says Dr Nisarat.

>> For more information, check out http://www.SSPO.ac.th.