Thai people love to eat and have even coined a phrase, “gin prumprua”. It is hard to translate, but basically means that the Thai love to snack throughout the day and center their social interaction around food. I recently read an article entitled, “A Surprising Reason Not to Ban Coffee and Donuts From the Sanctuary”. The article concluded with, “When others eat food or drink coffee while they listen to your sermon, it may actually make your message stick better.” The Thai would heartily support that assertion. When I lead seminars in the west I do try to make sure there are some treats provided, but here in Thailand I need to be extra careful to factor in the “food element” when planning for most any teaching event, meeting or activity. God was aware of the power of food, fellowship and celebration and planned not just a couple of long feasts for Israel, but a total of seven (Lev. 23). Pray that western missionaries will be sensitive to such cultural traits and use them to enhance the communication of the gospel.
