Woman Turns Fruit And Vegetables Into Art


By Erika Janik | July 22, 2016

FacebookTwitterEmail

Listen Online

Fruit and vegetable carving is a tradition that goes back centuries in Thailand.

Monsiri Baird learned to carve as a child in school in Thailand. All the students learned, boys and girls, to carve basic items like cucumbers. But Baird didn’t use her skills until years later when she was looking for a hobby.

“At university, I thought, I should do something that I like so I think of this,” said Baird. 

She kept practicing and practicing in her free time. Now she teaches others to carve so that the skill will carry on in her new home in Wisconsin.

“I just want to expand this skill to some other people,” said Baird. “It’s going to die with me so I expand to other people – to my friends, to my community.”

Baird’s favorite thing to carve are watermelons because of the three colors of the rind and flesh. She carves for herself but also for community events and weddings.

“In Thai they say,” said Baird, “when you are eating, your tongue not only tastes, but your eyes have to taste, too.”

 

Erika Janik

Erika Janik

Erika Janik is the co-creator and former executive director of Wisconsin Life. She is the author of six books, including Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction, Apple: A Global History, and  Marketplace of the Marvelous: The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine. She’s currently the executive...
FacebookTwitterEmail
2018-01-19T17:52:57-06:00Tags: , , , , , , |

Sign Up Form

Sign Up for Our Bi-Weekly Newsletter

Get your favorite Wisconsin Life stories, meet the crew, and go behind the scenes.

Our Favorite Collections

"Wisconsin Life's" featured collection for December 2024 includes stories to help get you in the holiday spirit.
Ice, cold and winter are an integral part of what it means to live in Wisconsin. "Ice Week" explores the many ways that ice defines us.
Food plays a central part in many holiday traditions. This series honors the foods and meals that make the day.