Your friend Jim George thinks you'd be a great addition to Ricochet, so we'd like to offer you a special deal: You can become a member for no initial charge for one month!
Ricochet is a community of like-minded people who enjoy writing about and discussing politics (usually of the center-right nature), culture, sports, history, and just about every other topic under the sun in a fully moderated environment. We’re so sure you’ll like Ricochet, we’ll let you join and get your first month for free. Kick the tires: read the always eclectic member feed, write some posts, join discussions, participate in a live chat or two, and listen to a few of our over 50 (free) podcasts on every conceivable topic, hosted by some of the biggest names on the right, for 30 days on us. We’re confident you’re gonna love it.
ung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.
kets in Chinatown to find a spare VCR part, or one of the street markets or high-end malls for that fake Chanel bag or real Dunhill wallet that you’ve always wanted.
ide have dreams about making it big in the city in muay thai boxing, but they usually end up as day laborers on a construction site or taxi drivers struggling to feed, house, and clothe themselves. Many women come with big dreams of modeling or finding a rich husband; most end up in low-paid retail work, or becoming domestic servants or prostitutes.
American Abroad,
Thanks. It is wonderful to get an international flavor. My family in America loves Thai food. What is your dream meal? Pictures please. Maybe you will have to go to a restaurant to research things.
I see this is your first Conversation. Congratulations! Ricochet is an expats dream too.
American Abroad,
If you would add the tag “Group Writing” to your post. You make a tag by editing your Conversation. After the main text box is another small text box to put tags in.
Here are examples.
http://ricochet.com/tag/group-writing/
Some years of my life blend together in my mind. The year I lived in Bangkok doesn’t.
This is a very apt description.
A wonderfully vivid post, AA! Sounds like Bangkok could be an exciting, unique setting for a book or movie. Is there a way of translating that long proper name for the city at the top of your post?
The City of Angels, the Great City, the Residence of the Emerald Buddha, the Impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the Grand Capital of the world endowed with Nine Precious Gems, the Happy City, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.
Sorry I don’t have pictures for you, but Thai food is meant to be eaten, not stared at! My all-time favorite Thai feast is spicy papaya salad (som tam thai) with grilled pork (moo yaang) and sticky rice (khao neow). And of course a couple cold Beer Changs to go along with it.
Thanks, 10 Cents, for the encouragement you provide everyone on Ricochet. I have been on the site for years, mostly as an eager reader and infrequent commenter. It is thanks to you that I wrote my first post. I am sure that I am not alone in wanting to thank you for embodying the friendly spirit of community that is Ricochet.
Bangkok is the economic engine of Thailand, where 22% of the Thai population resides in the metropolitan area, per Wikipedia. Once outside of Bangkok, there’s still a beehive of economic activity going on, but it’s nothing like the scale of Bangkok. My wife’s family is from Isaan, or northeast Thailand, so that is where I spend most of my time, farming. Most of the people up this way earn their living from the land, in one way or another. But many of the men seem to disappear into Bangkok for a time for a construction job, then return home. It’s a hard life for many, but made easier, I think, from the very strong family ties that exist here. While I spend a few days in Bangkok every year, I find myself eager to leave. It’s always a shock to my system beiing there. I understand the allure, but it’s not for me. And don’t even think about driving in the city. I’d never before seen a corpse lying on the side of the road until Thailand. Now I’ve seen several. I love Thailand, just not Bangkok so much.
The OP is such a wonderful description of Bangkok that it is hard to find anything to add, but I would mention that the hotels in Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong (at least when I was last there) were so far and away superior to anything that exists in the West that they should have a word other than “hotel” to describe them.
The food I had in Bangkok should make your local Thai food place close its doors in shame (sort of the opposite of China).
And it is worth repeating the thing about the traffic. When you look out your hotel window and see the gridlocked cars, and then look again 5 minutes later and see the exact same cars that haven’t moved, it’s enough to make you homesick for Los Angeles. It is possible to get somewhere, if you are willing to risk your life in a tuk-tuk that careens through the gridlock like the ball in a pinball game. There are even destinations worth that risk. Or you can travel on the river, if you don’t mind the smell of raw sewage.
But I wouldn’t want to live there.
Great Post. Thank you.
AA, is this the grilled pork you like? One of my favs.
Hey Bruce, I didn’t know you were familiar with Isaan. There are a few folks on Ricochet with connections to Thailand.
The picture above is deep-fried pork (moo tod). It is served with chili sauce (sauce prik). I much prefer the grilled variety with the spicy sauce (nam jim jaew). Photo below:
Keep the food coming. (Anyone know how to clean off a monitor?)
The tuk-tuks are largely gone from central Bangkok. They can still be found around the Palace, but mostly those who want to pinball though traffic now take the mototaxis. But as Bruce pointed out, it doesn’t take too long in Bangkok before you see a corpse on the road, so I stay off of the motorcycle taxis. The solution to traffic is just to find your little neighborhood and live locally.
I don’t understand what you mean by corpse on the road. Is this after a car accident? Is it because of poverty?
What types of cars do people drive? Japanese? American?
Do most people shop on foot or bicycles?
One more favorite: crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli (kanaa moo grob):
My local street place does this dish perfectly, if the crispy pork is freshly made. All for the ridiculous price of $1.50, with rice and a fried egg on top.
I’m not 100% sure I’ve even tried this. The variety of food available is amazing, and I’ve found very little that I don’t enjoy, but I do have my favorites. Like salted grilled tilapia, som tum, pad kaprao moo kai dao. Since my wife is at the farm for a few months and I’m here in Chicago, this discussion is making me miss these Thai meals (and my wife). I’ve never been able to find a Thai restaurant stateside to do justice to this cuisine.
This is one of the things that we order in the states.
It usually has a peanut taste and is spicy.
Thailand has an incredibly high rate of fatalities on the roads. It is usually motorcycle drivers driving against the flow of traffic at night who get hit by cars or trucks. Speeding and drunk driving are also major causes of road deaths.
Toyota is far an away the most popular car brand here, but Ford and Chevrolet are making a small dent in the Japanese manufacturers’ market share.
I agree with you about the foreign country’s cuisine. I did find an exception in a small Japanese restaurant in Olympia, Washington. It turned out the cook was from where I lived in Japan. More often it is American-(whatever country) than the real stuff.
10 cents, these were all vehicular accidents involving motorcycle or moped vs auto or truck. I’ve seen 3 bodies roadside now. Mopeds are everywhere, and they often drive pretty recklessly (IMHO). Add this to the large numbers of trucks on the road, many times in disrepair (e.g. no lights at night) and the result is predictable. I’ve seen numerous, horrendous accidents with likely fatalities, but only 3 bodies so far.
Looks like this is turning into a food thread, but why not? Thai cuisine is worthy. This is tom yum, a staple available everywhere, and delicious.
Japan has a lot of 50cc scooters. That is many people’s first vehicle. They are required by law to drive on the shoulder side of the far lane. Also they are not supposed to go over 30 kph. No one does that as far as I can see.
This is sweet and spicy, right?
Have you met many ladyboys? Is Bangkok the world capital for them?
We have two ladyboys (katoey) at work. One works in the canteen and the other as an administrative assistant. Bangkok most likely is the capital for this, especially since gender reassignment surgery can be completed here for under $10,000. So if 10 cents wants to become 10 dollars, we can make that happen in a weekend.
10 Cents, tom yom is sour and spicy I would say. Sugar is one of the condiments that’s usually provided, so it’s as sweet as you want it to be. As far as ladyboys go, no idea about Bangkok, although my brother-in-law (or is it sister-in-law?) is a ladyboy. They’re certainly a common sight in Bangkok. A game my wife likes to play with me is guess the sex. I always lose.
What a way not to make a buck!!!
Can you give gift certificates? What else do you get for the man who has everything.
Is there a cultural phenomenon or reason for this specialty?
Good question. I don’t really know.
Partially it is due to the fact that Bangkok is perhaps the most libertarian (some would say libertine) city in the world. As such, it is tends to attract social misfits and alternative lifestyles without much question or judgement. I can easily see how ladyboys would like Bangkok. They can easily get a job here as a cashier at the local department store and live normal lives and not face any social stigma of deviancy.
That doesn’t explain such large numbers, however. I don’t have a good explanation for why Bangkok has more ladyboys than an equally liberal city like Riyadh or Los Angeles. Perhaps some serious research has been done on this topic, but I am not familiar with it.