Pla-ta-pian

A foreign friend of mine  assumed that I was taking him out for dinner when I mentioned that I would take him into Phuket Town to see where they made ‘Pla-ta-pian’. 

Pla-ta-pian are in fact a local freshwater fish known in English as the java barb and similar in shape to the carp; while “pla-ta-pian sarn” refers to the popular, locally crafted wind mobiles in the shape of these fish because they are believed to be a symbol of prosperity. 

The mobiles are woven (“sarn”) out of palm fronds (bai larn) that were chosen because the frond is tough but not brittle and it is also believed that the palm fronds were used as manuscripts for Buddhist scriptures.

If you visit Phuket Old Town you will able to find Thai handicraft shops where these colourful mobiles can be bought.