Pro-Social Lunch

No, no, this wasn’t an Anti-Songkran lunch! This year’s rude awakening is that we’re simply too old to be part of the water fight. So, we left the splashing tumult to the emerging generation. So gone are the days when someone like Joe would show up on Kaosarn and/or Silom Road in his torso-hugging tank top. No more occasions for him to feign nonchalance when good-looking boys pointed their guns and shot their water at him. Sadly speaking! Another glaring truth is that once you’ve reached a certain age, it’s no longer so terrible to admit that you’d rather sit, eat and invariably end up debating how to make perfect desserts for your husband…….or your imaginary boyfriend. So, there we were! At Samsen sub-district - the ultimate neighborhood for old-school, high-street Thai food, if you will. And the food this place proffers is nothing short of top-notch. Yes, you can totally take our word for it! Now, with our satiated stomach, full-on sense of connectedness, unabashed exuberance, positive energy, and bloody Thai smiles, we’d like to say in unison “Happy Thai New Year, Dear Friends!” – April 14, 2011.

Thai Dinner in Indian Temple Quarter

I took a bunch of ex-strangers out for a popular Thai restaurant in an Indian temple neighborhood. I had been there many times. With ex-boyfriends, ex-husbands, and, of course, a few forgettable flings. One thing I didn’t forget though was that the place used to be wholly good. But this time, while the food was well beyond passable, the service was well below bearable. Obviously, somebody was naïve enough to think that famed food alone should suffice. To put it kindly, the service was so atrocious that it became an attraction unto itself. And that was why, to me and team, Friday night, Jan 7, 2011, was doubly exuberant.