The Human Bakery ~ Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi, a glorious town during the Dvaravati period, is located on the bank of the Mae Klong River. The provincial area abounds in natural attractions and historical sites. It's a great place to stop for lunch on your way to the bakery.
Ratchaburi is located 80 kilometres west of Bangkok and borders on Myanmar to the west having the Tanaosi Range as a borderline.
It occupies an area of 5,196 square kilometres and is administratively divided into nine districts: Muang Ratchaburi, Photharam, Damnoen Saduak, Pak Tho, Chom Bueng, Bang Phae, Wat Phleng , Suan Phueng, and Ban Pong, and one sub-district: King Amphoe Ban Kha.
Photharam is where we are headed. A long way off the beaten track, you'll find yourself inside a dark room where realistic-looking "human body parts" are stacked on shelves and hanging on meat hooks. The place looks like a mortuary or the lair of a serial killer, but in fact, it's a family-run bakery with a difference.
What appears to be putrefying body parts are the bread sculptures of 28-year-old art student Kittiwat Unarrom from Potharam, Thailand.
"Of course, people were shocked and thought that I was mad when they saw the works. But once they knew the idea behind it, they understood and became interested in the work itself, instead of thinking that I am crazy," said the fine arts masters degree student.
As an undergraduate art student, Kittiwat started painting portraits. He then moved to mixed media and finally dough - a natural medium for him since his family runs a bakery.
Along with edible human heads crafted from dough, chocolate, raisins and cashews, Kittiwat makes human torsos, arms and feet.
He uses anatomy books and his vivid memories of visiting a forensics museum to create the human parts.
He now is receiving regular orders from the curious and from pranksters who want to surprise their friends or colleagues. However, I'm not too sure how your beloved would feel opening the fridge to find one of these inside.
By the end of the year, Kittiwat's confectionary slaughterhouse will go on display at Bangkok's Silpakorn University. It's his final dissertation, and he hopes it will secure him a master of arts degree.
"When people see the bread, they don't want to eat it. But when they taste it, it's just normal bread," he said. "The lesson is 'don't judge just by outer appearances."
