APEC leaders' touchy palates

APEC leaders' touchy palates

THAILAND: Pity poor Vichit Mukura. He's the chef at Bangkok's plush Oriental hotel who has been working for a year on the preparations for Monday's slap-up gala dinner for the 21 leaders and their spouses attending the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has personally tasted the delicacies, which include the country's signature dish -- spicy tom yam kung soup (served in carved pumpkins) -- and smoked barbecue duck red curry.

Some leaders have requested favorite Thai dishes. But others have been hard to please. The wife of Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has specified no flour or cream, according to The Nation newspaper, while South Korea's first lady is not keen on peaches.

But it's the Chinese who must be making Vichit and his 42-chef brigade cry into their tureens. President Hu Jintao has said he doesn't want anything too spicy, while his wife is bringing her own food. -- Reuters