I recommend a trip to Big C for anyone visiting Bangkok, because it really helps you figure out what is going on around here. All the staff and even the other shoppers were so startled to see us there, that they bent over backwards to make our shopping experience enjoyable. It is also very reassuring for Laurie to discover that she can have all the comforts of home here in well, her new home. There are some good things about globalisation!
Of course, there are a few ways in which Big C differs from your average American superstore. For one thing, you can cook your own pork balls next to the meat counter. We did this and brought them home for Paul to have for lunch when he got in from Singapore this afternoon. And they were great! Also, they have purple rice in the produce section:
And I am sure that all the carry-out food is good, if you could only figure out what the heck it is:
All in all though, Big C is just like any other superstore in the world, and has even succumbed to the imperialist domination of sushi. You know, sushi is ok, but really it is not good enough to explain why every supermarket - on every continent and in every city, even Knoxville - has a sushi counter. No one even likes it that much, we just pretend to because it is low calorie and makes us seem less provincial. Somewhere out in space, there is a sinister extra-terrestrial mastermind, who is putting some kind of drug in supermarket sushi and at a pre-ordained moment, we are all going to become zombies.
We got home and managed to put away the groceries just before Paul arrived. This evening we ate on the terrace at the Arun Residence hotel and restaurant (http://www.arunresidence.com/main.htm). Great Thai and Italian food and a funky place to stay with a fantastic bar up a rickety staircase, with the best view of Wat Arun in town.
