Tuesday, January 14, 2014

This week’s People I Love, comes from an unlikely person. Let me explain: I’m all about food pornEspecially food porn from Bangkok. After searching the web about Bangkok eats and treats, I ran across the hashtag, #bkkfatty, which is linked to BKKfatty, an amazing Twitter account totally dedicated to  the delicious food of Bangkok. The genius behind the account is Dwight.
After time spent being a loyal Bkkfatty fan, I found out that Dwight also  runs an incredible volunteer program in Bangkok, In Search of Sanuk. The project provides education opportunities to underprivileged children and rent alleviation for impoverished families and aims to build stronger, healthier communities. As a fellow volunteer and foodie, I love what Dwight does
When did you first fall in love with Thai cuisine? 
I first fell in love with Thai cuisine because a girl I was dating wanted to eat it all the time. But she doesn’t get all the credit, cause I’ve loved feasting since the womb. I later found out I’d be doing a work abroad program in Bangkok and used the appointment to get a job in a Thai restaurant.
What was your inspiration for Bkkfatty?
The inspiration from bkkfatty came after I went crazy on Twitter, posting daily dessert photos that I was sent from the sweet ladies (and men) who make food on the palace grounds. Around that time, I was also making new friends with twitter peeps like@nok_kn and @tri26 who are also food crazy. So I blurted out one day that we should start a Bangkok Fatty group just for food. They thought the name was catchy, so I setup a twitter account.
Cooking at home or going out?
Choices, choices, choices! I love Bangkok because you have more than enough of them. I’m surrounded by food where I live so I rarely have to cook unless I’m really motivated or it’s a monsoon outside. I live about 10 minutes walking to Klong Toey Market, the most infamous of Bangkok’s markets.  That said, I just bought a set of new knives I’m eager to try out.
Besides enjoying Thai cuisine, you run a non profit. When did it start, what was the inspiration?
The non profit came from meeting a kid in Bangkok who I found out was a refugee and was supporting his entire family. This was about 5 years ago. He’s now on an engineering scholarship to UC Berkeley and I’ve got 12 new families to support with rent, food, and now we’re starting to do some education and healthcare related initiatives.
How can someone get involved with your program?
Always need sponsors to help support the families so I encourage people to commit to giving in any email. The same amount you would spend on a nice meal per month is usually a great place to start! That doesn’t usually hurt anyone’s pockets and if I can get enough people to do that I’m sure we’ll be able to help a lot more families.
What are you future plans?
Future plans? I hope to do more food related fundraisers in Bangkok this year. Also my goal is do a bit more traveling both in the region and a trip home sometime soon. I’m always tossing some new ideas though, so we’ll see how things develop from loving both food and giving back
Be sure to check in and see what Dwight working on next 

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