Very Thai,
Everyday Popular Culture
by Philip Cornwell-Smith with photographs by John Goss, (River Book) 995 Baht at Bookazine or Suriwong Book Center.
Rather than displaying tired, albeit pretty, pictures of Thailand with introductions to the TAT-sponsored sights of the kingdom, Very Thai attempts, and succeeds beautifully, in showcasing a kaleidoscope of the everyday popular culture of this fascinating country. “Coffee-table books and advertisements like to present an Amazing Thailand of dancers and temples, elephants and floating markets, with lots of fruit carving…Most of the time, what residents and visitors experience is the unsung popular culture. Everyday things, being the public’s choice, are no less Thai and do frequently amaze,” writes the author in his introduction to the book.

Very Thai – all 255 pages and 500 photographs – is broken down into four sections: ‘Street’ dwells on public space such as security guards, drinks in a bag and dinners on stick; ‘Personal’; on the private domains of body, home and identity such as uniforms and cute; ‘Ritual’ explores beliefs and luck and encompasses Royal portraits, modern shrines and lucky numbers; and ‘Sanuk’ looks at the lighter side of life, and how Thais integrate the art of having fun into their every day lives including temple fairs, gambling and the popular whiskey mixers at tables.

“The chapters link the past to the present, Thailand to the outside word,” writes Alex Kerr, author of Lost Japan, in the preface. “Very Thai is a precious documentary of many customs that are dying away, or transmuting as Thailand loses a bit of its ‘Thainess’ and blends into world mass culture. It’s a snapshot of a moment in time.”

Having been the editor of Bangkok’s Metro Magazine for over eight years as well as editor of Time Out Bangkok Guide, among other publications, Cornwell-Smith has a refreshing and insightful way of looking at all things Thai. What, for so many of us is everyday and mundane, appears to fascinate him and challenged him to capture in words to the point where his observations of new trends and pop culture have been invented into the lexicon of ‘Thainess’.

Some of the subjects which Cornwell-Smith covers include the occult, which features pretty extensively in this autopsy of Thai culture, covering the gamut from Thai ghosts to spirit mediums. “Old wooden houses set the westerner swooning with nostalgia, but cause many a Thai to freak,” goes the first sentence in the chapter, Ghost Stories. We learn that the ghost naang thane is a ‘flirtatious lady poltergeist’ found in banana trees, while phi krasue “consumes the ‘host’ woman’s entrails. At night her disembodied head trails innards and a glowing heart while feeding on raw meat and waste in foetid places like kitchens and toilets, wiping her mouth on laundry.”

But the author isn’t happy to rest on his laurels. He not only offers the diagnosis of conditioning, but also goes into the morality of prescription. “Ghost stories helped sustain resource and social order, while instilling awareness of hygiene, safety and what to avoid: greed, faeces, spitting, uncooked innards, straying after dark, ruffians, the unsociable, the angry, the delusional.”

Other topics tackled vary from the predictable look at high society, katoey & tom-dee, beauty queens, muay Thai, cuteness, insect treats and soi animals to the unexpected and delightful look at sniff kisses, animal contests, lucky numbers and dinners on a stick. The text is erudite and informative, and arguably weighty. But it cuts to the chase, and dishes up a spicy visual salad seasoned with wonderful insights and observations. It’s one book that you won’t want to lend to your neighbour. Keep it handy when someone asks you an inane question like, why are Thai pink tissues so tiny?
by Zig Zag


Breaking the Code
Now that Polecat no longer writes this column, we are able to mention the Da Vinci Code again without fear of scorn.
For all Dan Brown fans, a web quest based on his Da Vinci Code has been created by Random House. "Solve riddles...crack codes...and unveil a lost Da Vinci secret," goes the link on the author's web page at www.danbrown.com.

The answers get more complex with the more arcane riddles that need solving, using Google search engine and some cunning. Here’s the first riddle:
My Friend, I bid you welcome to this quest.
Before we start, I pose a painless test.
To prove you're worthy of this noble game.
Please type (with care) Da Vinci's given name.
The answer is Leonardo. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure as the next prompt suggests:
Was that too simple? Yes it was, my friend.
Once more to prove yourself 'fore we begin.

The second riddle isn't so easy, if your Renaissance Art history isn’t too sharp:
You seek a famous fresco in Milan
(Use Google and the truth will quickly dawn)
The Last Supper answer will initiate you into ascending riddles of difficulty. And for atmosphere, there’s organ music playing in the background. You really feel you are crawling around the catacombs of Westminster Abby. The succeeding riddles were too tough for me, and I’ve read the book. When in doubt, cheat. The answers can be found at www.binarytoybox.com.
Two hours of playing The Da Vinci Quest really does put you in the protagonist’s shoes, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. And the very least, it puts you in good standing with (some of) the literary crowd at the Writer's Bar. Impress them with your street credentials. “Not only did I read The Da Vinci Code, I cracked it!” It worked for me.