Shady Project: Tag thailand

My Fellow Americans...

Shady — Sun, 27 May 2007 20:33:00 -0700

We have been royally gypped when it comes to chip flavors. In Thailand, the Lays company makes some of the most astounding flavors of potato chip possible. These include, but as far as I can tell may not be limited to:

Nori Seaweed
Spicy Seafood
Seafood Mayonnaise
Barbecue Sparerib
Bacon and Cheese
Cheese and Onion
Sweet Basil
Thai Chili Paste
Korean Pork Bulgogi

Okay, so, the first two I can understand not bringing stateside. But cheese and bacon? I mean, is there anything that americans love more then that combination? Maybe guns? I dunno.

We'll start with the flavors that don't disappoint:
Bacon and cheese tastes like, well, bacon. And cheese. Delicious, and nutritious. Well, at least as nutritious as bacon and cheese flavored potato chips are capable of being. The barbecue sparerib flavor is not, as I initially reckoned, the same as the barbecue flavor we have in the U.S. You can actually taste a hint of meat and barbecue in the chips, thus making them actually worthy of the name. The nori seaweed flavor (which I am eating as I write this) taste like a regular potato chip, with a hint of seaweed. Obvious, one might say. However, these chips are the pinnacle of seaweed-as-snack. I've tried the plain old seaweed strips, and they're okay but a bit over powering. Seaweed crackers are nice, but lack some of the punch of seaweed flavor. These chips strike the perfect balance. Seaweed flavor, and potato chip. In harmony. I wonder if I can ship these stateside in bulk...

Now, on to the flavors that, while delicious, really don't live up to their full potential:
Korean Pork Bulgogi tastes nothing like real bulgogi. It pretty much tastes like barbecue, with a hint of a spicy aftertaste. The same can be said of the Sweet Basil flavor; simply replace spicy aftertaste, with sweet aftertaste. Spicy seafood is an odd one. It's definitely different then the sweet basil and bulgogi flavors, but it's still not much different then a standard barbecue chip. Shrimp crackers taste more like seafood then spicy seafood chips do. They're not even particularly spicy.

I haven't had the chance to try the thai chili paste or seafood mayonnaise flavors yet, but I will be sure to record my observations on them for posterity.

Shadyproject. Where only the most important issues are ever discussed.

Pattaya

Shady — Sat, 26 May 2007 01:54:00 -0700

Went to pattaya for a night before leaving for Koh Samed this weekend. Pattaya is what most people who tell you about Thailand are talking about when they tell you about Thailand. Most of Thailand isn't like that at al, but Pattaya and Phuket pretty much give the rest of the country a somewhat questionable reputation. It's loud, kind of skeezy, and is the nexus point for every single Creepy Old Guy in the known universe.

Truth be told, not all of Pattaya is like that. When you come in from Bangkok, it looks more or less like any other place in Thailand. As you get closer to Pattaya City proper, however, you notice an increase in three things:

Neon Lights
Foreigners (seriously, they're so common I didn't get stared at a single time here
Questionably dressed females

These three things slowly increase in number until you reach the famous Walking Street. Think of it as a mini vegas strip, but with less class and taste.

The walking street is filled with foreign tourists going bar hopping, to come visit their particular go-go bar, and hundreds of Creepy Old Guys walking around with women who were, at best, old enough to be their daughters. In several cases, granddaughters was far more likely. Even the younger tourists have this kind of sleazy aura about them.

Each bar seems to have it's own house band composed of either 1)expats living the dream of being in a rock band (and sucking) or 2)Thais doing covers of english songs (and sucking). At one of the bars I visited with my friends, I had the privilege of witnessing a very white, very jewish expat living his own personal dream (apparently) of being a rapper. Yes, he rapped live with a backup band, and his partner for some duets was a real, live ladyboy. It was the sort of thing you read about in travel guides (or some tools blog) and wonder if it really happens.

On the whole, I really didn't care much for Pattaya. It was loud, expensive, and there were way too many Creepy Old Guys and Hos. The shopping isn't so bad, but everything else can take a running jump. I much preferred Koh Samet, Ayutthaya, and pretty much anywhere else I've seen to Pattaya.

First Impressions of Bangkok

Shady — Sun, 13 May 2007 22:38:00 -0700

It's hot. Really hot. I got off the plane at 11:30 PM and walked into 94 degrees of heat plus pretty high humidity. This is going to take some getting used to.

If you're staying or going anywhere off the beaten path, prepare to be stared at. By everyone. I know it's nothing bad or what have you, but it's quite unnerving to have whole groups of families or other people staring at you. And not the polite staring, were they look away when you look at them staring either. Oh no. The full on holy-crap-what-the-hell-is-that type of staring. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.

Wats (temples) are everywhere here. Taking the bus from my apartment to KU university, I pass no less then 4 wats. It looks like every district and subdistrict has there own, not to mention various types all around for no particular reason. It's interesting to say the least. Even the non-touristy ones are amazing inside, with gold and decorations that are simply astounding.

Did I mention it's hot?

Hired transit options are abundant, far beyond simple buses (which come in two types, by the way air conditioned and non). Motorcycle taxis are available at pretty much every street corner, and those guys are absolutely insane. Weaving in and out of traffic (with passengers!) and squeezing between trucks on the streets. The infamous tuk tuk is also available, as are taxi-vans, the skytrain, water taxis, and hired vans for day trips. These are much different then any normal van you're used to. Pimp my ride has nothing on these guys. Fully reclining 9 seats, entertainment system (with karaoke... ugh) climate control, and gps. For a couple thousand baht, they take you pretty much all over Thailand. It's awesome.

Thai bathrooms are strange. Not if you've ever used any bathrooms in the rest of asia, but if you're not used to them, it's a culture shock. And in a country where the temperature never drops belwo 80 degrees, it's tough to find a hot shower if you are not staying in a hotel. Since I'm not staying in a hotel, I've gotten used to cold showers. I still havent gotten used to the whole bathrrom being the shower, however.

That's all for now, I'm going to try to filter through the more then 100 (yes, really) pictures I've taken so far and put them up in the gallery. I'll post some links here when I do.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

Shady — Mon, 07 May 2007 18:50:00 -0700

It's off to... Thailand I go. Incidentally, Hi Ho is NOT what I will be saying to most of the girls there :P

In jfk now, flight leaves at 8 am. 24 Hours of flying, yikes.

I'll be posting here as the flight goes by, and putting up some nice pictures in the gallery.

Keep in touch, all 2 readers!