“The course short and cheap!” says Wisut Jirakobsakul, 25. “If I take a similar course at a reputable hotel, it will run longer and cost more than Bt10,000. I don’t have the time for that.”

  That means the class is the right choice for Wisut, who recently returned to Thailand for his summer break from Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Bluche-Montana, Switzerland, where he’s pursuing a post-graduate degree.

  Students can start on anytime and carve for as short or long as they like, up to five hours a day. The teaching is on a one-to-one basis, and students aren’t required to attend class daily.

  But there’s a catch. The Bt120 you pay is for 20 consecutive classes. You can’t spread your studies over several months.

  “I like the attendance structure. The more students come, the more they learn,” says Thitiporn Uraree, 37, the instructor.

  On the first day, students are familiarised with carving equipment and taught to wield knives correctly. Students must supply their own gear.

  They start whittling soap. “Soap is easy to carve. It helps students learn to carve properly and gently,” Thitiporn says.

  Students progress to vegetables, such as cucumbers, chillies and pumpkins, and fruits like cantaloupe, papaya and watermelon. Then they’re taught how to arrange carvings on a dish. How many carvings and dishes they learn each day depends on their aptitude and the amount of time they invest.

  “Carving is difficult, but it’s not impossible to learn,” says Sumatechai Intagarn, 19, a third-year student majoring in kitchen and restaurant management at Dusit Thani College. “It’s always difficult to learn something new. But practise helps you get used to it.” Sumatechai is taking the course to make soap carvings for his mother.

  Carving demands a lot of concentration, patience and craftsmanship, says Vichuda Jongsujasurith, 21, a fourth-year kitchen-and-restaurant management student at Dusit Thani College. “It gets boring when I have to carve several small roses over and over. But when I finish, I feel so proud of myself. And I can put these skills to use to make a living.”

  The class’s instructor, Thitiporn, has been teaching carving for eight years. She says 80 per cent of her students take the course as a career move.

  “You can make money from carving,” she says. “Carved soap sells for about Bt100 a bar. And hotels in Thailand pay skilled and experienced people up to Bt30,000 a month to work in their cold kitchens.

  Thitiporn says she was once offered Bt800,000 to work on a carving project in England, but chose to stay in the Kingdom to “preserve Thai culture”.

  She worries that carving may become a lost art.

  “I’m afraid that the art of carving will slowly vanish over time,” Thitiporn says. “So, it’s good that this course can be offered at a low price. That allows more people to learn these skills.”

  Central City allows Thitiporn to use its premises for free and the Ministry of Education helps fund the course to keep the tuition low.

  The carving classes are held on floor B2. For details, call Thitiporn at (01) 377 3563.

  Rojana Manowalailao

  The Nation

  ---------------------------

  This Week

  Thursday

  Concert/8pm

  Thailand Cultural Centre, Mini Hall

  Rangsit University’s College of Music presents "Brilliant Night Recital" performed by its faculty members. Compositions by Sarasate, Ewazen and Goedicke will be performed.

  Tickets cost Bt300 (Bt100 for students) and are available at the College of Music and at the door.

  For more information, call (02) 997 2200 ext 3210.

  Friday

  Cantonese language course

  Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan), Sukhumvit Soi 29

  Today is the last day to apply for a 30-hour, beginning-level course in Chinese Guangdong Conversation that will be held from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on August 22 to September 23. The course is for people planning to use Cantonese in social and business settings. No background in Cantonese is required. The fee is Bt2,400.

  For details, dial (02) 259 9160 ext 1661.

  Saturday and Sunday

  Fair/10am-8pm

  Bitec, Bangna

  Green Wave 106.5 FM presents “Green Market 2”, a health-and-home fair featuring more than 200 booths, workshops and music. Workshops will cover areas as diverse as self defence, cooking and gardening. About 20 Thai music bands will perform.

  Call (02) 669 9573 or (02) 669 9576 for more information.

  -------------------------------

  Worth a Try: Painting contest

  Khon Kaen University invites secondary school students to submit original paintings using the theme “Thailand, the peaceful land of all nationalities and religions”.

  Entries must measure 18x24 inches (46x61 centimetres) and be submitted by August 22.

  The contest has two categories, Mathayom 1 to 3 and Mathayom 4 to 6.

  In the Mathayom 1 to 3 category, the first, second and third prizes will be Bt5,000, Bt3,000 and Bt2,000 respectively. In the Mathayom 4 to 6 category, the awards are Bt 10,000, Bt5,000 and Bt3,000 respectively.

  The names of the winners will be announced August 24. The prize-winning entries will be exhibited between August 26 and September 2 at the Food and Service Centre at Khon Kaen University and between September 6 and 8 at the Kosa Hotel in Khon Kaen.

  For details, call (043) 202 425 or visit http://idr.kku.ac.th.