Coconut Scraper, Wood, Thailand, 19/20th CenturyThose fortunate enough to have visited Thailand have experienced some of the finest and most interesting foods in the world for numerous reasons. First, Thailand, previously known as Siam, is strategically located in the corner of Southeast Asia, where it welcomed travelers and traders from both East and Westbound ships, bringing diversity and styles that merged into Thai cuisine. Spices from India and Indonesia have long been incorporated into Thai cooking as well as the close proximity to neighbors Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China which helped assimilate their cooking into a unique style where flavors and tastes are layered and unequaled in the world. Second, the soils of Thailand arguably produce the finest crops in all of SE Asia as their two monsoon seasons provide the necessary rains to grow produce all year long and the alluvial deposits continually provide fresh, rich soil. Third, much of SE Asia was colonized by the Dutch, The British, and most importantly, in the culinary sense, the French, which introduced a much softer cooking style that beautifully agreed with and augmented the Thai style. But almost everyone who has visited Thailand agrees that Thai cooking outside Thailand, while often very good, does not taste nearly as good as the real thing….that which had been experienced in Thailand. Perhaps some of the flavors are perceived through the tropical ambiance and sensory mixing of sounds, sights, and smells. Perhaps the refreshing cold beers so well complement the oftentimes spicy Thai foods that a relaxed, euphoric attitude adds. Perhaps it is the artistic presentation, as bright colors strikingly contrast with each other to display gorgeous dishes to stimulate the senses. Or perhaps it is because the modern world is supplanting the traditional, not only in the everyday advancement of technology, communication, and travel, but also in the daily lifestyle. In Thai cooking, one of the most important ingredients is coconut milk, which is used in everything from soups to rice to curries to chutneys to desserts. And modern processes very quickly produce coconut milk from the raw coconuts, but at a significant cost. Traditionally, coconut milk was produced by a very tedious task of scraping the meat from the coconut and then slowly straining water through it. Every home had at least one coconut scraper on which the cook would sit, as if riding a horse side saddle, and slowly grate the scraper across the meaty interior to remove the meat before c using it to produce the milk. The difference in the process is clearly recognized in the taste, as the richness of tradition is displaced with the somewhat tainted and diluted acceptance of progress. Once common everywhere, coconut graters have slowly disappeared from everyday life, replaced by electric graters that radically alter food prep time, but unfortunately also lose flavor. Fortunately, many restaurants and street vendors still employ the old methods to maintain the richer flavors of old, but everyday home use has disappeared. Traditionally, the coconut graters, called Karai, were carved from wood and usually took the shape or form of animals, primarily rabbits, which, coincidentally or not, is the same Thai word, Karai. From the mouth of the scraper, long iron tongues emerge that flatten and grow into circular serrated blades to scrape the meat. This beautiful hardwood Karai, or coconut scraper, in the shape of a rabbit, or Karai, with metal eyes, is probably from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It features a collar around its neck and long ears that lay flat on its back. It is 28 inches long, maintains the original scraper and is in excellent condition. For additional information on coconut scrapers, this is a link to an article from the Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/…/388…/scrapers-on-the-scrap-heap. Late 19th/Early 20th century