11 November 2008 - Life In Thailand Part III

Life In Thailand - Part III
11 November 2008

I will continue in my effort to let people know what life is like here in Thailand - more specifically here in Isaan. It is a rather daunting task in that there is so much to describe and the challenge is to keep it somewhat organized.

There is a very great diversity of foods available here. Some of this diversity is due to the fact that local people eat so many more different foods than Americans are accustomed to. On Sunday, a man returned from working in the fields carrying a small woven basket in the shape of an urn. The basket was very similar to the types that local people use to carry as well as store their cooked kao knieow (sticky rice). The man gave the urn to baby Kwan's grandmother. He was not coming back with leftover rice. He was returning with dinner - an urn of large crickets. The crickets were removed from the urn and placed into a 5 gallon plastic bucket. To keep the crickets inside of the bucket, the grandmother placed her straw sombrero style hat upside down over the opening. I had seen small grasshoppers eaten several times before but this was the first for crickets.

In the open markets, you can buy fresh eels, snakes, frogs, turtles, snails, shellfish, and a variety of live fish. Tubs of water have air bubbling through them to keep the fish, and eels alive. The snakes, turtles, snails, and frogs are kept in buckets with nets over them.

Besides fresh live fish, you can buy grilled fish either plain or encased in salt. In addition fish can be purchased dried. The dried fish can either be undressed whole or dressed butterfly style. Thais eat a great deal of fish. What I find most interesting as well as informative is that they consume fish the size that we often ignore in the USA. Any sized fish is fare game for a meal or more correctly part of a meal.

In the open market there are tables with chunks of pork laying on them. The pork always looks exceptionally well. The vendors have made small devices out of electric clock motors that spin a tassel through the air to keep the flies away from the meat. The consumer inspects the various cuts and tells the vendor how much of each that they want. The vendor cuts the meat and weighs it on an old spring scale, places it in a plastic bag, seals the bag with an elastic band, and takes the money.

Beef is usually not as readily available in the open markets. Local beef here in Isaan is purchased directly from the butcher. The butcher typically has a lemonade stand type structure where one or two hind quarters of beef are hanging from the front of the roof. The customer walks up to the stand and lets the butcher know what they want. Thais in Isaan do not eat much beef. When they do eat beef it is usually associated with a celebration such as wedding, or ordination of a Monk. For those occasions, the lower half of the hind quarter is purchased and brought home. The beef leg is then processed at the site of the celebration. Normally it is the men who will sit around large disks of hardwood and mince the beef with heavy machete type knives to turn the beef into a paste. The beef paste is then mixed with chili and eaten by dipping kao knieow in it by hand. All the while the men are chopping the beef they are drinking beer and Lao Kao (moonshine). It makes for a lively atmosphere. Some portions of the beef are cut into small thin slices, boiled and are eaten directly after dipping it into a chili sauce. Liver, intestines, skin and stomach are boiled and also eaten. Very little is wasted.

Westerners complain about the toughness of local beef - I guess they don't turn it to paste and eat it raw. For them, imported beef from Australia, New Zealand, or France is available in specialized meat markets or western associated supermarkets. In the supermarkets most of the cuts that we are familiar with are available.

Fruits and vegetables are very abundant in Thailand. Many of the fruits are not available in the US. Some of my favorites are jackfruit, mango, mangosteens, rambhutans, and loghan. The pineapple is much better than in the USA. Last week we bought two prepared pineapples for $1.20 USD from a truck parked along the sidewalk outside of the open market. It was so fresh that we watched the woman peel and cut it before our eyes.

The people of Isaan eat just about anything that is green. The markets are filled with all kinds of leaves and twigs. I have eaten some of them and they are fine. For others, once was enough. Perhaps you need to eat them with nam blah (fermented fish) to really appreciate them. I stick with the traditional cabbage, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, basil, potatoes, and green beans.

We have a cultural tolerant household so I eat a more western diet. At the western supermarket I can buy peanut butter, jelly, pasta, tomato sauce to make spaghetti sauce, M&M candy, cookies, Ritz Crackers, cream cheese, oats, boiled ham, cheese, and many other western foods. I am not lacking for any type of food. In Bangkok the choices for western foods is even greater.

Although I do not eat potato chips, they are readily available. Many are brands that are familiar in the USA. Not so the flavors though. I doubt that Lays markets a squid flavored potato chip. Seaweed flavored? Chicken flavored? Shrimp flavored?

Most of the vehicles in Thailand a fairly new. I think that is attributable to economics. I don't believe that people were able to afford cars except for in the past 10 years. There are no old clunkers running on the roads. Most of the vehicles are 5 year old or less Toyota pickups, followed by Nissan, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi. There are even some Fords and Chevy trucks but they are not that popular with the Thais. Passenger cars are mostly Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. There are not very many SUVs here.

Life in Thailand is family and community centered. The people are more outgoing and inquisitive than I am accustomed to in the USA even by California standards. People share their family details and personal situations much more than back in America. The Isaan people are more uninhibited than Americans about personal relationships. In no time at all you know who is doing what to whom and how often! People are always joking and laughing. People exhibit a great deal of commitment to family, religion and community. Elderly people are respected and looked after.

Sons and daughters are very close to their parents. The youngest daughter is expected to take care of her parent's for the remainder of their lives. Sons although apparently off the hook financially are expected to do what their parents ask them to do such as manual labor around the house and providing errand service. Daughter-in-laws without hesitation assist their mother-in-law in cleaning house, and kitchen duties during their visits. Girl friends make great efforts to gain the acceptance and more importantly support of their boy friend's mother.

Uniforms are very prevelent in Thailand. School uniforms are compulsory even in university. The school uniforms, other than special days for Boy Scouts, Sea Rangers, Girl Scouts, are not military style. They consist of consistent color style, and accessories for students associated with a particular school. Shirts and blouses can be white, tan, brown, yellow, light blue, or dark blue. The shirts have an emblem of the school sewn or embroidered on it. Boys wear dark blue trousers, light brown trousers, dark shorts, or light colored shorts. Girls wear conservatively colored skirts. It appears that the girls exhibit their independence by pushing the limits with the fit and length of their clothing. Jewelry if they wear any is very subdued - no bling bling here. Girls wear flat leather dark shoes or low heeled pumps. Conservative and unassuming are the key words for school apparel.

There are many types of police here and they have a unique uniform for their organization. As you pass the many photo shops in Thailand, you will see displayed family photos. A huge majority of these photos incule some one in a military style uniform - usually white resembling a US Navy Captain or Admiral. Just about all the political posters show candidates in these uniforms. Thailand is neither a police nor military state so I was confused by all these uniformed people - men and women. I asked Duang about it and found out that government officials, as well as doctors have those types of uniforms. It doesn't mean that they are in the military. Since there are many levels of government and government is a large employer, this explains why there are so many uniforms in photographs. Thais are very class conscious.

On Sunday, on our way to Tahsang village, we came upon a road block. The police frantically whistled and motioned us to stop along the side of the road. I was being thankful that I wasn't driving because often the police will pull people over to collect a "fine". I was fined one day last year at lunch time. I was fined 200 baht ($6 USD) on the spot for "staying too long in the passing lane". We all had a good laugh afterwards especially after I took another 200 baht out of my wallet, placed it in my shirt pocket and told my passengers that it was for next policeman who wanted a falang to pay for his lunch or drink. Sunday it was different besides not being lunchtime, the police were controlling traffic.

A member of the royal family was coming down the road. This happens quite often in this area because one of the King's nieces lives in Udonthani. I suspect that members of the royal family live throughout the country to maintain a high profile amongst the people. Members of the royal family represent the King at all kinds of functions such as school graduations, opening of businesses, opening of trade shows, performing merit at Wats, visiting hospitals and orphanages. There is a one-half hour show each evening on one of the national TV networks that shows what the Royal Family was up to that day or if nothing in particular what they did in the past.

The motorcade came up and turned down a side road in front of us. The procession was at least 15 vehicles. Windows were darkened so we never saw who it was. Once they passed, traffic which had been stopped in both directions was allowed to start.

When royalty is travelling in the city, policemen are stationed at every intersection to stop traffic in both directions until the convoy passes. When I lived in Pattaya, several times I saw the Prince pass by - or rather blow by. Perhaps the blockade is to protect the people rather than protect the royals.

In June Duang and I were given a choice. Vacate our room at the hotel for the day by 08:30 AM, return at 4:30 PM or stay in our room until 4:30 PM because the King's niece was attending a reception at the hotel starting at 11:00. It was not personal; all other guests (paying customers) were given the same opportunity. This is a common occurrence in Thailand and is accepted by most without question.

This is not a problem or an issue for me but it is definitely different than the US. I explained to Duang that such treatment would be given the President in America but not to his cousins or nieces and definitely not a rich person.

Life in Thailand continues for me to be an education and a wonderful experience. With a little cooperation from the US government I will hopefuly be able to share a little bit of life in America with Duang. We need a visa first for us to visit this coming June. We tried last year and failed but we don't give up easily.