Miang kham is a traditional Southeast Asian appetizer, first introduced as a royal dish served in the Siamese courts. The name "miang kham" translates to "one bite wrap", from miang (food wrapped in leaves) and kham (a bite). The dish is served with an array of ingredients finely sliced and served separately, allowing guests to assemble their own leaf-wrapped bites.
Each ingredient, piled on to a wild piper leaf, contributes its own charm: ginger and bird's eye chili peppers bring the heat, lime adds tartness, dried shrimp gives a burst of salinity, and toasted coconut and peanuts lend a sweet, nutty crunch. This coterie of ingredients is then drizzled over with a sweet tamarind-based sauce. Instead of clashing with one another, the ingredients come together in an explosion of flavors and textures, rivaled by very few dishes.
In a similar vein, the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein has been bringing together the works of different renowned architects since the 80s, building structural gems on its grounds in collaboration with Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, Álvaro Siza and SANAA, to name a few.
The beauty of this ensemble lies in the uniqueness of each structure, each built by architects with incredibly magnetic and idiosyncratic styles. Yet, at the same time, these structures coexist and even complement one another in telling the story of Vitra's design legacy, reflecting a corporate philosophy that celebrates diversity.
Miang kham and Vitra Campus are exemplars of harmony when differences are celebrated, similar to how our communities thrive by bringing together individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, each who bring their own perspective and ideas to the table.
