4 Paws of Crab (Live Oak Multimedia Ltd.) is a surprise. It lives up to its billing as a “Narrative Thai Cookbook,” but it has much more. Nora Bateson, an American woman, and Bancha “Bird” Leelguagon, a Thai man, both in their late twenties, met in Thailand in 1989 while both were students. Bird worked in a restaurant and often cooked for Nora, and the idea of using food to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries struck them then.
The result is a CD-ROM with a delightful mix of ingredients blended together to create a successful multimedia experience. Bird had explored America and Nora had explored Thailand. The “Mirrors” section offers personal narratives from each about their experiences and impressions, using audio, video, text, and photos. This part of the disc fits neatly beside the “Recipe” section, which fits neatly by the “Happy Market” section – a listing of 64 types of food to use in the recipes – which fits neatly beside the “Time Romp” feature, which provides brief highlights of American and Thai history (going back over 100 years) to put the rest in context and further illuminate the differences between the two cultures.
Four Paws of Crab is an original and highly entertaining effort.
Very entertaining and educational. Leelaguagoon and Bateson were extremely creative. Graphic interface is also interesting and orignal. Never been outdated given that it has been produced while back. They should make a motion picture.
Rich