Q&A: David Thompson

"There is that aspect, having the keenness of an outsider, which makes me try to understand things more completely than someone born into a culture, who may take it for granted. But I am more relaxed now. Ten years ago there was this urgent, demanding and scrambling persistence to find the Holy Grail of authenticity. But [that] is a nebulous chalice and sometimes a poisonous one because my sense of authenticity was somebody else's complete and utter culinary apostasy."

"Thai culture is not static, stable or ossified. It's a confusing medley of contrast-ing opinions that jostle for attention and dominance. Thailand is such an anarchic country, there would never be just one way. That's why authenticity is [an] almost impossible thing to obtain."

"Of course; no country stands alone in culinary development. Stir-fry, woks, salty duck eggs, soy sauce, soya beans and soups all came from China. The same with pork, duck and chicken, with Chinese immigrants in the 18th century. Thais were mainly vegetarians and fish eaters. Chinese ingredients and habits integrated with Siamese society.

"I like strong flavours. Thai cuisine is very strong, with spicy, sour, salty and sweet [notes]. There's a complexity, subtlety and refinement to Thai food. But I do enjoy a lot of Chinese cuisine, such as the strong flavours of Sichuan."

"It was only when I moved back to Thailand [three years ago] that I became more relaxed about issues of authenticity. To be there all the time and in that culture, you tend to be as relaxed as the Thais are. I can also do more experimentation, exploration, sourcing ingredients and having things grown for me."

"It's not even an oxymoron but a bloody impossibility because good Thai food is about cooking everything you have at once and not dividing it into courses and individual portions. Trying to put that into a restaurant syntax at the beginning was just a nightmare."