Light Snacks Will Be Served

WTF File: Bangkok, Right Now

I haven't been covering the political situation right now in Bangkok because I don't have much to add to the discourse. The Red Shirt movement has been hijacked by overzealous groups who seem quite determined to ignite a civil war. The Royal Thai Army is firing live rounds in the streets. Smoke rises over the rooftops only a few blocks from my house. 

I sit at home, safe from all this but aware of all the pain and suffering unfolding around us, deeply disturbed at how this situation was allowed to go this far. Just a few weeks ago I wrote that the Reds represented something good for the Thai democratic process; today I believe that their message has been replaced by an uglier form of change: that of provocation and violence, without any consideration for the Thai public, or the good of this country as a whole.

There is no one left to root for in this situation. There is wrongdoing on all sides. One can only wait for order to be restored, and to pray that as few lives as possible are sacrificed to achieve that expectation. Our enemy now is chaos, and there's plenty of that to go around.  

Who Trims That Thing?

One of Bangkok's many mysteries is this remarkably wide, perfectly flat tree that sits inside a ring of race track at The Royal Bangkok Sports Club. I took this photo yesterday, and it hasn't been stretched for effect (though I did crop it). I want one just like it. If wishes were horses...

 

It's Not Every Day...

That someone lazily accuses you of being unoriginal whilst comparing a glass of Shiraz from a fairly obscure wine region in Australia to a Radiohead album. 

(Note to Rupa: Believe it or not, I really did come up with that tenuous connection all by myself. Actually, no. Me and the shuffle function on the bartender's iPod did, but I think I took note of that.)

BTW: My wine article at The Atlantic can be found here.

Cause It's Friday

And you've had a long, hard work week.

Perhaps you really want to come back and lead your country, if it weren't for one pesky little jail sentence. Or maybe you paid a few tiny bribes to a few tourism officials and got busted, but somehow they walked away without a scratch. 

Maybe you were in charge of millions over a billion baht intended to help farmers plant rubber trees, but didn't really get much done, and then somebody sort of made you answer for it. That's always a pain. Or perhaps you've been slaving away in the editing room, piecing together a docu-drama that lifts the filthy lid on your country's preyed-upon citizens. You know, the ones who behave like jackasses while on vacation and occasionally get scammed or arrested in the process. 

Whatever the case, it's been a long week. The kind of week that, when it's all over, calls for some celebration. Not just any reward though... I'm talking serious luxury. Like a slab of freshly ground beef, wearing a melted crown of processed cheddar, dribbled with heavy duty mayonnaise and slipped between two deep-fried donuts. 

Oh, and don't forget the olives. I like my donut cheeseburgers dirty, no twist.

(If you'd really like to eat this, you can. It is served at the Le Fenix Hotel, on Sukhamvit Soi 11, in Bangkok. It wouldn't hurt to get really, really stoned first. Then call Bravo; that's probably a whole episode there.)

The Shortest Bus... Ever

Driving this bus must be kind of like walking on ice skates. 

Spotted by the roadside in Trang, Thailand.

WTF File: Inflight Gat

Nok Air, a discount carrier here in Thailand that flies to places like Trang and Chiang Mai, is perhaps the only airline on earth that sells advertising space to Smith & Wesson in its inflight magazine. In the September issue of Jibjib, they set aside a one-page soft advertorial for a stainless steel 'Chiefs Special' - which is, apparently, "one of the most desiarable 9mm pistols on the market." That is followed by what looks like a paid ad for a Glock-esque 9mm from S&W, made mostly of composites. 

Side note: Nok might also be the only airline that serves soft pretzels delicately wound around hot dogs.