Bangkok vignettes

Sidewalk amulet sales are a common sight everywhere in Thailand. People take their amulets very seriously. Some sell for hundreds, and occasionally thousands of dollars. 

I love Bangkok's street life. Thai culture is displayed in the events that are continuously being played out on every street in the city. People jam the sidewalks to buy, well, just about anything. I am always astonished at the sheer volume of fresh produce, meats, clothing, sweets, eggs, trinkets, amulets, ice cream, hot dishes and cooked food available all day every day. I often wonder how anyone can sell enough to sustain their families. But judging by the masses of people that buy, apparently they do.

As one wanders through the streams of people, stepping around sleeping dogs, being jostled by strangers on the crowded sidewalks, and exchanging smiles and greetings with vendors, there is a kaleidoscope of images that meld into a wonderful microcosm that says "This is Thailand".

This post is a collage of my most recent photos on the streets of eastern Bangkok.

Photos by the author. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Early morning alms. Monks make their rounds, chanting blessings after receiving food from the pious.

A man sells cooked corn and other vegetables from his baskets that he carries slung from a pole across his shoulder from place to place.

Students at a barber school give free haircuts on the street as their instructors observe and assess the techniques.

 A man plays a kaen, a complicated reed instrument, on the sidewalk 
for spare change.

A common open air kitchen where rice and noodle dishes are cooked and served at sit down tables or in takeaway containers.

A young girl naps on a rice bag between rounds of begging.

These street-side vendors show why Thailand is known as
"The Land of Smiles".

A vendor softens grilled dried squid by passing it several times through a ridged hand-cranked wringer.

A tailor in a covered market.
His old machine is operated by a foot pedal.

 Kanom krok, a traditional Thai sweet. A soft cake made from rice flour and dried vegetable pieces, it is topped with a sweet coconut layer, covered and baked over steaming water. Aroy mahk! Delicious!

As in most cities of the world, some people must find places to sleep off a night of heavy drinking, as they have nowhere else to go. This man was on a pedestrian overpass at 8:00 in the morning.

 A man begs in a busy intersection near a large market.

 Scene at a small Chinese Buddhist temple. Many Bangkok Thais have Chinese heritage and such temples are commonplace, frequented by all Thais, whether Chinese or not.

 Vendors peel and section jackfruit on a sidewalk next to a bank.

 Flower vendors sell masses of blooms every day, as people buy them for placing on altars in their homes or at the office or to take to a wat  (temple). The two people on the left are stringing together garlands of jasmine and marigolds that they will sell for 20 baht (60 cents).

 It is common to see flowers and multi-colored fabrics encircling very large trees. Often it is a bodhi tree, the tree where it is said the Buddha was meditating when he reached enlightenment (this one is not). These locations act as places for prayer, or to mark the scene of a fatal accident, or near businesses as good luck.

Time out for homework at a busy market.

School Lunch

Thais love to eat. They eat at all hours of the day and into the night. When not eating a main meal, they snack, and they love a bit of sweet treat now and then. The traditional food is flavorful and well known universally for its spiciness. Everywhere one goes in Thailand, there is food available, from small mobile carts on street corners to open air cafes, to large markets, to fine dining in elegant hotels. We are still sampling menus of restaurants within a ten minute walk of our home and are not near to having tried them all: Of course, we return often to those whose fare we have found to be particularly delicious, or whose environment is inviting, or best of all, both.

The school’s three canteens (Elementary, Middle School and High School) reflect the country’s penchant for food. The cafeterias are open air, and next to one another, stretching for nearly the length of a city block. Not really three separate cafeterias, but at slightly different levels to designate where each age group is to eat—but it isn’t required that they do. I counted no less than twenty food stalls, not counting the large beverage stall that sits strategically in the middle directly across the room from the food offerings. No carbonated drinks are sold, but students have whispered that if you ask the right people, they will discretely pour some into a cup for you.

In order for the students to be able to follow their stomachs in the Thai tradition, there is a 20-minute mid-morning “milk break.” Originally for elementary children, it is now a full-fledged gastronomic smorgasbord opportunity for all students K-12.

I spend too much of my 40 minute lunch break trying to decide what to eat. Sometimes I have a craving for one dish or another and head directly there, but usually I simply wander along, unable to make up my mind, as the cholces are simply overwhelming. I was stunned to find that the school menu is several pages long. Not only are there many stalls, but within each are several options. There is a Japanese food stall offering sushi, salmon, pork or beef steak, and sashimi; A vendor selling Korean food; Several stalls of Thai dishes: Noodle soups, fried noodle and shrimp or chicken (pad thai), vegetarian dishes, fried rice dishes, grilled chicken, sweet curried chicken or pork; or one might wish to have western fare such as hot dogs or burgers and fries, or move on to the stall with quick snacks or the one with a variety of sandwiches. Not only is the food delicious, it is also inexpensive: I generally eat for less than $1.50, which will easily buy a good-sized dish and a bottle of water (cold bottled water goes for the equivalent of 21 cents). Occasionally I will treat myself to fresh fruit or a chocolate dessert, or as I did yesterday, to an iced cappuccino. I have not heard anyone complain about the cafeteria food; in fact it is just the opposite. This is by far the finest school cafeteria menu I have had the pleasure to sample. The secret? Rent out the stall spaces to independent vendors. Happily, there is not one fast food icon to be seen amongst them.