On the verge of bankruptcy from utility bills, the Buddhist Temple of Dallas struggled to make ends meet. However, it took just one idea to spark a weekly community showcase of a rich, authentic culture.
“It started in 2013, when we found out we couldn’t pay the electric bill,” Chat Kiat, Board Director of the Buddhist Temple of Dallas, said. “People came with the idea and said, ‘Hey, I can help by making food to sell to the Thai community here.’ They never expected it would be this busy.”
The Thai community of Dallas was then prompted to not only support the local temple, but also share their culture. Nearly all vendors in the market consist of family-operated kitchens, where they each have unique recipes inspired by beloved Thai dishes.
“It tells about the people who have come here from Thailand, and they brought their family recipes with them from different regions,” vendor Marut Cholwanit said. “And we all combine together to share with the Dallas community a little bit of Thai culture, and the food we brought with us.”
The market serves Thai staples ranging from Pad Thai, Tom Yum Kung, Krapow Kai, and various popular desserts.
“A lot of people love coming here because of the food,” temple volunteer Panadda Flessner, said. “I want to show them all the famous dishes we have for the dessert, like mango sticky rice, which is very very very famous.”
The market continued to see a rise of customers as word got out through the media highlighting the aesthetics of the market and delicious foods. From there, the temple made the market a weekly tradition.
“After COVID, they decided to do this trade market. So at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 is when actually the vendors started to be out there every Sunday,” Cholwanit said.
Family vendors prepare all week for the Sunday market. For example, vendor Marut Cholwanit recalls his mother arrives at the market at 4 a.m., while he and his wife arrive at 6 a.m., all in order to prepare copious amounts of food for the plethora of customers.
“The heart of the market is, of course, the vendors themselves,” Cholwanit said. “it’s the people, like my mom and my wife, and the aunties and uncles, who come out there every Sunday to provide food for the community, and show a little bit of Thai culture and food.”
The market is enjoyed by Dallas residents of all backgrounds, and vendors and staff aim to share Thai culture openly.
“The market is not only about food, it’s about seeing and sharing culture because you don’t need to be a Buddhist or any religion to come to the market, you can just come to visit, share and experience,” Flessner said.
The Temple not only hosts the market, but also has a library and school, staffed with teachers from Thailand. Flessner volunteers every Sunday to teach local students the Thai language.
“Every Sunday the students learn Thai culture, sometimes instruments, sometimes food [and] sometimes how to pay respect to others,” Flessner said. “Even if they can’t go back to Thailand often, they still learn it here.”
For most people, the prospect of visiting Thailand is simply out of reach. Yet, every Sunday, this quaint market allows the Dallas community to experience a shimmer of the rich Thai culture from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. behind the Buddhist Temple of Dallas.
“All the ceremonies here are identical to what they do in Thailand,” Kiat said. “They don’t have to fly nearly 20 hours and spend lots of money. They can come here, taste Thai food and experience it all.”
