Bangkok

LVZ reporter on the Bangkok food supply

New place. New time. New topic. For four weeks I will move my workplace from the LVZ city desk to Bangkok. After the visit by my Thai colleague Punnee Amornviputpanich in Leipzig in September, the second part of the journalist exchange initiated by the Goethe-Institut promises both interesting and whimsical “Close-Ups” – the programme’s motto – of a different culture, a different society.

“Make sure to bring a few German sausages along,” Punnee had asked me – certainly for reasons of international friendship. They weathered the flight very well, but I left the corresponding mustard on my kitchen table. What now? “No problem, we’ll go to ‘Otto,’ a German shop,” Punnee said. I could imagine that we’d find a few German products there, but that we would find mittelscharfer (medium-hot) Bautz’ner Senf in the middle of Bangkok (for the princely sum of three euros per tube) immensely surprised me. Not to mention the availability of tinned fish from the isle of Rügen, bottles of Nordhäuser and Komet pudding powder from Saxon Grosspostwitz.

On my very first day, I also learned something new about scharf (which also translates as “sharp”): if you give someone in Thailand a gift that is sharp (as in pointed) or perfume, don’t be surprised if they give you back a (small) coin. The reason: such things are not given as gifts, but “sold” – unless you are unnecessarily trying your luck.