Thai rapper Milli’s mango sticky rice stunt at Coachella boosts sales of beloved Thai dessert

Bangkok (Reuters) — Thai rapper Milli’s fans have been craving mango sticky rice in Bangkok this week after the 19-year-old ate bites of the much-loved dessert on stage at the Coachella music festival in the US.

Milli, real name Danupha Khanatheerakul, is Thailand’s first solo artist to perform at the pop and indie rock music festival, which attracts tens of thousands of fans each year. Featured artists this year included Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Swedish House Mafia.

Sales in Thailand jumped after Milli brought a bowl of the popular dessert on stage and took a few bites as she performed a song called “Mango Sticky Rice” last weekend.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said this week that the Ministry of Culture is considering inscribing mango sticky rice on UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, local news outlet TPBS reported.

Thais eat the dessert, consisting of sweet sticky rice soaked in coconut milk, served with ripe mango, to cool off during the unusually humid months of March and April.

In the capital Bangkok, dozens of delivery couriers were seen queuing outside a well-known vendor called Mae Varee to fulfill booming online orders.

“We had to close the apps in order to catch up with the orders before resuming them. We turned it on and off, on and off throughout the day,” said Thanyarat Suntiparadorn, 29, owner of Mae Varee. Reuters.

Thanyarat said that even though the mangoes are already in season, Milli’s performance has helped boost sales by more than 100%.

Shoppers also flocked to Bangkok’s Chinatown, where vendors had to double their mango stocks to meet demand.

“I normally like to eat mango sticky rice but… after seeing Milli on stage, I now eat it almost every day,” said Suphakomkao Klaypongpan, a 29-year-old customer.

Top image: A customer holds a plate of mango sticky rice at a night market on April 21, 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images