May 18th, 2008 - Train ride to Khorat

The whole concept of bbq chicken thighs takes on a whole new meaning when they are no longer discreetly separated from their respective feet. Somehow the clawed appendages – fried and neatly skewered on shish kabob sticks – were particularly unappealing to us on the train ride from Bangkok to Khorat today. Though now that I think about it, I’m not sure which was worse, those or the equally neatly skewered squid carcasses (at least, we think that’s what they were). Those came at 5 per stick, a real steal I’m sure, and stunk up the entire train cart immediately upon entrance – even though all the windows were wide open. They and the chicken legs were only a couple of the options proffered by the never-ending stream of on-board food sales agents, each loudly proclaiming their product as they walked by. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. I of course had an aisle seat, permitting an up close and personal viewing area of goods – like it or not.
Unfortunately for my lust of photographic documentation, the one ultra hip dude who happened to catch my eye (out of the many selling the skewered squid), either didn’t understand the concept of the camera and my question of whether or not I could take his photo, or simply didn’t want his photo taken. I was sorry to miss out. Somehow his hip tapered-leg jeans, (fake) designer shirt, cap & coiffed hair added a certain panache to his ultra casual stroll up and down the aisles, bucket of squidsticks in hand. Too bad.