Bangkok, Apr 10: After cooking lunch for the Cabinet on Tuesday, all the cooks were rounded up and sent back to gaol. But this was not part of some elaborate plot to poison the country`s top politicians, but a project to allow inmates of the central women`s prison to showoff their culinary skills. The menu included Phad Thai noodle, fishcakes, fish liver curry, yellow curry with papaya and prawns, clear soup, steamed seafood curry, salted egg fried incurry paste, stir-fried mangetout with prawns, rice vermicelli with crab sauce and palo eggs, all served with steamed hom mali rice. And just in case the minister were still hungry, they were offered fresh fruit and a range of Thai desserts.
The programme grew out of a similar project launched on February 1 to give inmates of the central women`s prison training in foot massage.
The scheme proved so successful that it was soon extended to other skills, including cooking.
Since the start of the scheme, female inmates have been able to sell the fruits of their culinary talents at the Krua Chuan Chim restaurant every day in order to get incomes while imprisoned.



Judging by the approval with which their food was greeted by the Cabinet, the inmates have done sterling work.



Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra himself greeted the food with glowing accolades, saying that it was tasty, and particularly praising the rice vermicelli with crab sauce and the palo eggs.


Bureau Report