syllable of the English word "lukewarm", means a child.

combination of these two words, 'look-choob'', is used for a

special kind of sweetmeat made in the likeness of fruits

and vegetables, mostly in miniature, coated on the out-

side with gelatin to give them an attractive gloss.

In olden times 'look-choob' were presented to the

Kings of Siam and their courts as a dessert at mealtimes.

For this reason, the tradition has persisted until today

that the making of these delicate little dainties is a skill

which in its true form can only be learned from the court.

Only ladies of the nobility are considered to have the

requisite knowledge to make really high-quality 'look-

choob'; and it is claimed that nowadays there are only

about three such ladies still living. The making of these

sweetmeats is considered an art rather than a culinary

skill; and they are certainly fascinating in appearance, as

well as delicious to the taste, with a fragrant flavor some-

thing like marzipan.

The basic ingredients are soya bean, sugar and coco-

nut juice. The soya beans are first soaked in water to

separate the skins which are discarded, after which the

insides of the beans are mashed. Nowadays this is done

in a mincer, but in earlier days the insides were pounded

with a pestle in a mortar. Sugar is added according to

taste. The coconut meat is ground and mixed with warm

water to extract the juice, and the three ingredients are

then mixed and heated in a gold-colored bronze frying

pan. During the heating the mixture is stirred with a

bamboo stick until it becomes lumpy and then sticky.

After cooling, the mixture can now be molded by

hand into the desired shapes, and this is where the art,

the delicacy and the traditional Thai dexterity come into

their own. To form the accurate shapes of fruits or vege-

tables in miniature, the molding must be done very, very

gently. Every little line, curve, contour and furrow must

be shaped with the deftest of finger-touches. The exact

reproduction of the originals calls for the most consum-

mate skill — whether they be purple egg-plants, red or

inside, the rough scaly green of the custard-apple, the

rose-apple's delicate pink-and-green waxy texture, the

little white 'mayom' (a local kind of gooseberry), the

'pootsa' or Indian jujube, cherries and grapes that look

exactly like the real thing. Sometimes even two "fruits"

are joined together by genuine fruit-stalks imbedded in

them, with a real leaf or two to make the effect even more

convincing.

plasticine," comments a seasoned 'look-choob' maker in

her late fifties, who has been making them since she was

twelve years old; but whereas plasticine can be molded

into shapes of almost any size, the consistency of the soy-

bean-sugar-coconut-juice mixture limits the size which

can be molded and still hold together.

After molding, suitable food-coloring materials are

painted on, and when these are dry each 'look-choob' is

dipped into clear gelatin. Here too, care is needed to get

the right consistency; if the gelatin is too thick it ruins the

flavor.

families looked disapprovingly at little girls running

around and playing. Grandmothers and aunts would

make them sit down and turn their hands to something

useful. In this way girls taught themselves how to make

'look-choob', gradually improving their technique through

experience as the years passed by. As they grew older and

their skill in this art increased, this helped to sustain their

enjoyment and satisfaction in doing it, so that nowadays

the three or four remaining ladies who still make these

delightful little sweetmeats are making a good living out

of it — and they are training their daughters in the deli-

cate art, too.

'Look-choob' are made to order, in batches. Orders

still come from the Palace, as well as from other cus-

tomers who nowadays buy them as gifts for birthdays, St.

Valentine's Day, New Year, Christmas and so on. But

the largest orders of all are for wedding receptions, when

they have to be made by the thousands.

These graceful and stylish little sweetmeats sell for

two-and-a-half baht each (about ten U.S. cents) for fruits,

and three baht for vegetables, which are more difficult

and time-consuming to make. Some customers order

them for taking abroad as gifts which are in their own

way typical of Thailand's ancient traditional skill. 'Look-

choob' can be kept for up to three weeks in a refrigerator.

Experiments are being carried out to make 'look-

choob' in the shapes of animals. That will probably be

even more difficult, if the same degree of realism is to be

achieved; but no doubt those deft-fingered ladies will