VillageIdiot

What a hideous outfit. It even makes little Ung Ing look chic.

"To each his own." Indeed. For some it is mushy peas and kidney pie reeking of urine. Around our house in my Thai hood there are often pervasive cooking odors that make me want to barf. It goes with the territory - live with it - I tell myself.

The shoe is on the other foot now, isn't it?

"And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film? Who will play Scarlet(t), I do wonder." Good question. A remake would have to be "woke" in every sense of the word. Lizzo as a contemporary Southern Belle would be perfect. Casting a modern-day Rhett Butler might be more difficult and require some input from the various groups that took umbrage at Clark Gable's macho character in the original.

How old are you, Pete?

His answer sounds like a "no" with an added dig at the UK. Many, if not most, of the Australians I've known have been a touchy lot, quick to take offence at trifles.

The Thais I knew used to say that it all began with the red soda pop symbolizing wine as offerings to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) after he passed away. It seems that he had a taste for red wine acquired after a trip to British India in 1872. State visits to Europe in 1897 and 1907 no doubt refined his relish.

I've thought the very same thing about similar incidents in Bangkok. There have been accident scenes where dead and dykng victims lay in the street while these guys duke it out over who gets to "rescue" them. "Money is the root of all evil" goes the old chestnut, often prefaced by "Lack of..." Maybe there is a financial aspect here.

Back to "the happiest country in the world" with you. Just don't forget to pack some warm clothes.

Mainland Vintage Cheddar. I've never tasted a better mature cheddar here in the Chiang Mai area.

555 😄😄😄

C'mon Ralf, that sounds like a euphemism for poon-tang. It's my go-to snack as well. Be honest about it.

I've always considered driving in Thailand as being like participating in a Demolition Derby. Anyone who would enter the fray on a unicycle is deserving of a Darwin Award. They are usually bestowed posthumously but in this case maybe the farangs are still among the living here in Chiang Mai.

For years the consensus has been that Duke's has the best pizza in Chiang Mai if you like the kind made by New York Italians. Everybody has their preferences. Sinatra's was Grimaldi's under the BB on the Brooklyn side. He would have it sent up to his suite in the Plaza when he was in town. The delivery boys would contend for the run and the c-note tip. Little Italy; Arthur Ave. in the Bronx; Court St. in Brooklyn; all have their boosters - foodies who swear their place is the Gold Standard. To each his own. In Chiang Mai I'll stick to The Duke's [Iron Bridge] until something better comes along.

Good point about age and the inability to learn Thai. Jim Thompson, Bernie Trink, and many other well-known people tried and failed after coming here "too late" in life. Living in a country and not speaking or understanding the language is a cognitive impairment akin to being deaf and dumb. Some say it's not important as long as you stay in the tourist ghettos. I'd say it is more important there than anywhere else. In those sleazy locations it is always open-season on foreigners in general and farangs in particular. Away from the rip-offs and scams of holiday destinations it is always a good idea to know what is going on around you as well. Some people seem to be born with an aptitude for learning languages - at least when they are younger. I wasn't, but I overcame it to learn Thai because I didn't want my wife and our children to see me as an illiterate who couldn't speak the language.