No eating out for the next month or so, it's that time of year in Rhek Thum.

Nobody makes any efforts to inhibit their breeding, or coming in contact with food. Yesterday I had a hankering for som tom. Looked okay from the motorbike. Saw a few here and there after dismounting. Ordered, then the lady threw the first ingredients into the big clay pot and a black cloud blew upward.

She ignored the flies, and turned away to grab more ingredients. The flies darted back into the pot. She threw in the papaya and started pounding away, flies popping out as she did. And, since I had no doubts a few didn't survive her wrist technique, popping inside, too.

But I paid, 'cause everyone here knows there is no point in not paying. And, not one to be wasteful, the food was eaten. I just told them they were raisins. Didn't matter, my dogs didn't care whether they were raisins or not.

But somebody surly could do well, manufacturing fly strips here in LOS.

Or, like in Mexico, just fill clear plastic bags with water and hang them over the food areas.

...Or, like in Mexico, just fill clear plastic bags with water and hang them over the food areas...

How does that work?

Brilliant.......loved it.

For a moment, I couldn't decide, should I laugh or be sick.

At the end, I said, what the heck........this is Thailand.

Try outback Australia if you really want to see flies,Thailand has nothing on there,it is those tiny black one's that hover around you that really annoy me.

...Or, like in Mexico, just fill clear plastic bags with water and hang them over the food areas...

How does that work?

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I don't think anyone really knows why, but the story goes that the flies are frightened by the enlarged reflection of themselves, or the magnified version of a buddy on the other side.

Whatever, it works. They use them in Texas at BBQ joints, too.

Yeah the missus has bags of water hanging in the shop, never thought to ask her but that must be it, I like the vendors with the fan motor powering a circle of plastic strips, it works better than the human being with the four foot pole and a plastic bag waving it periodically. Make no mistake but mossies are the real enemy, got dengue this month last year

Yeah the missus has bags of water hanging in the shop, never thought to ask her but that must be it, I like the vendors with the fan motor powering a circle of plastic strips, it works better than the human being with the four foot pole and a plastic bag waving it periodically. Make no mistake but mossies are the real enemy, got dengue this month last year

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You have a sharp wife.

But bags and strips are just a start. I don't have a solution to the situation I encountered a few weeks ago in Hua Sai.

Went to buy some spicy Issan sausage from a vendor in front of the temple. Been there a few times before. Walked up, didn't see her. Waited. Heard her voice; encouraging words. Leaned forward and looked behind the cart. Her three year old had his pants around his ankles. When he finished, she shook him.

Damn. Too late to back away, she'd seen me.

In the States, you have to wash hands between handling two different kinds of meats.

Maybe the cook needed one of these ...

You only need to watch the first 10 seconds.

Sometime---diarrhea (So bad)

I've never seen a som tam bowl get washed apart from at the end of the day. How about the rats that crawl all over the street cafe's once they've packed up for the night? I always make sure any BBQ is hot and watch like a hawk if having something stir-fried in the street.

Sometime---diarrhea (So bad)

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Ah, but sometimes it can be soooo good ….

Heij, Thanks for the laugh!

Glad you just paid the 25 baht or whatever and didn't make a scene , a classic story.

Years ago the little lady and I were a bit hungry and in unfamiliar territory. The wife spotted a shop and suggested we eat there. She can normally pick the good ones.

As we approached the steps to the shop, a lady appeared to welcome us inside. At this exact moment, one of the largest rats I have ever seen STRUTTED over to the lady and stood on his hind legs, right next to her. It was taller than her knee and kind of sniffed at her leg. It looked like one of those <deleted> yappy dogs that the hi-so wannabe's roam around bangers with.

Anyway, the lady glanced down at the rat and kind of wiggled her knee as if to get it to move on, however it wasn't even slightly perturbed. The lady started talking to us again, but I kind of lost track of what she was on about.......I'm sure that <deleted> rat looked at me and winked. Needless to say, we moved on.