Last Moments of Freedom

Today I would be checking out and checking back in with the group. But first I thought I would head back to Aw Taw Kaw market. The coolest way to get to the market is to transfer from the BTS Skytrain system to the MRT subway system. The hotter way is to walk from the BTS Mo Chit station, and that’s how I found my way to the market. I was shocked to find the large empty end of the market full of vendors showcasing handicrafts and other merchandise. I later learned that this was a temporary exhibition; the market is not much larger than it was on my last visit in February 2006. It did not take me long to find my beloved freeze-dried jackfruit chips (so addictive, let’s call them crackfruit). The ones I find at this market are not oily like the ones I find in the U.S. I am very happy, and I celebrate with a roasted young coconut. The seller waves off my request for a spoon, so I sip the juice and stash the coconut meat for later consumption. I also purchased a kit with all the ingredients for a miang, which is a snack consisting of a leaf you form into a little cup and fill with strongly flavored little tastes such as dried shrimp, ginger, lime, shallot, hot chillies, toasted coconut, and a little sweet soy sauce. The Swiss Army Knife will come in handy.

I jumped onto the MRT at the Kamphaeng Phet station immediately adjacent to the market, and switched to the BTS Skytrain to take me back to the hotel. I checked in with my friends downtown on their availability for lunch, changed in to a more business-appropriate shirt, hastily jammed everything else into my bags, checked out, and got back on the Skytrain in the other direction. Satyapon and his colleague James Pate have been assisting me with trademark matters in Thailand for many years, but when we get together, it is never for Thai food. As they pointed out, I would be eating Thai food for the next three weeks. So we headed to a pub in the nearby Landmark hotel for a wide variety of Western foods: barbequed ribs, lasagna, and pepper beef on a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, shavings of parmesan cheese, and a hint of basil. (Here’s a hint: add more basil.) We shared some New Year’s oranges in the office before I headed back to the hotel.

Oddly, the hotel did not have me on the list to check in. Fortunately, Kasma arrived within minutes to clear up the problem (they were using a list from a previous trip). Dropping our bags, we made a beeline for the massage parlor. This time I submitted to the two hour traditional Thai massage, which I have described in previous years as a kind of cross between Western massage, chiropractic treatment, and torture. This year my shoulders and neck seemed to be a particular problem. Perhaps they were more notable because the legs and feet had gotten their workout the day before. Although I did not emerge rested and refreshed, I was at least hungry and ready for dinner.

As has become a tradition, we journeyed up the street to Thon Krueng for dinner. Whether the food was unusually good, or the massage had “unblocked” my sense of taste, I found each dish to present unexpected, subtle levels of flavor I had been missing in California. The first three dishes arrived quickly: morning glories (sometimes called water spinach) stir-fried with garlic; a shrimp salad; and a fish mousse cooked in individual portions. The dressing on the shrimp seemed more complex and nuanced than our California dressings, but I could not put my finger on the difference. Meanwhile, the fish mousse was tender and light. A large fried fillet of cottonfish (trevally) was accompanied by a small bowl of dressing featuring shreds of green mango. This fish, too, struck me as one of the best fried fishes I have eaten in a long time. Our final main course was a darkly roasted duck. Crispy on the outside, with ample meat under the skin, it was an above average duck, even if we were becoming too full to really do it justice. Finally, for dessert I had roasted bananas in a salty-sweet coconut milk with a liberal sprinkling of corn kernels. Throughout the meal I violated my new “rule” of refraining from taking extra courses after firsts and seconds. So much for my diet. After dinner I passed out until quite early in the morning.