Restaurant Owner Faces Court Over Sour Curry Comment
A restaurant owner in Thailand is being sued for defamation after a Facebook comment about the sourness of southern curry prompted a legal claim for over 300,000 baht in damages. He says he never imagined a casual exchange would lead to court and insists he would not have filed such a lawsuit himself. The case is set for a hearing on October 19, with the owner’s lawyer representing him due to a scheduling conflict.
The owner of In Saindy Seafood posted a video of himself eating his home-made sour curry, captioned "Sour curry I never get tired of." A user named Heia Neng commented asking if the curry is sour, to which the owner replied, "Is your family's sour curry sweet? Stupid question." They exchanged a few remarks, and the owner thought the exchange was just playful banter. Shortly afterward, he received a court summons for defamation, with the plaintiff seeking over 300,000 baht in damages and a hearing set for October 19. Because the date coincided with his restaurant's reopening after the Vegetarian Festival, he assigned his lawyer to attend the hearing on his behalf. He said he never expected to be sued over such a trivial matter, noting that he often trades light‑hearted comments on his page and had never faced legal action before. While he acknowledges the plaintiff's right to sue, he said he would not have pursued a lawsuit over such a petty issue, adding that his lawyer told him any potential fine would likely not exceed 10,000 baht. He is open to mediation. He reaffirmed that southern sour curry is always sour, while curry from other regions may vary in taste.
