Holiday Series Day One: Happy Merry Christmas, Thailand!

                You know what I like? Christmas music.

                Yes, it’s that time a year again. Whether you’re Christian, atheist, Muslim, Jewish or Hindu, the holidays are here, and there’s absolutely no escape, especially on this blog. That’s because we, as in all three of us, will be bringing you, as in all three of you who read this blog, information about how the month of December is celebrated around the world. We’ll be looking at twelve countries in total. Why twelve? For the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, obviously. Happy year of the snake everyone!

I have had it with this year!

                Today I’ll be beginning things with the country I studied abroad in, Thailand. You’re probably thinking that Thailand is a majority Buddhist country that doesn’t believe in Christmas, and you’re absolutely right. But that hasn’t stopped us Americans from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo, right? In the spirit of fun, you’ll find many stores embellished with fancy Christmas decorations that would put a lot of Americans to shame. Around the same time, you’ll also see many strings of yellow lights lining the streets, and lots of the color yellow in general. The yellow is for a celebration that the Thai people take very seriously, the birthday of their king. We’ll get into that later.

                So why does Christmas have any sort of presence at all? There is the aforementioned spirit of fun, just as in the United States, in addition to the spirit of money, just as in the United States. Regarding the former, Thais are able to celebrate a major Christian holiday in the spirit of fun thanks to Buddhism, which tolerates other religions. This pairs wonderfully with the Thai concept of “sanuk” [link]. Usually translated as fun, it means to strive for enjoyment in everything you do, a concept I can definitely get behind. Most of what we associate with Christmas is, in reality, pretty fun, so of course it would catch on.

                Money also plays a major role in Thai Christmas celebrations. Just like so-called “Hallmark holidays” here in the U.S., Christmas in Thailand is poised to generate a lot of money for the shop owners that decorate with Christmas trees and tinsel. Some of the decorations are so spectacular that people will come to the store specifically to see them. And while they’re there? They spend money on whatever the store sells, of course. They might even purchase a gift for someone else if they really get into the spirit. And that’s just for the native Thais.

                Thailand generates more of its GDP from tourism than any other Asian nation, and as such engages in many activities to encourage others from abroad to visit. December is already a prime season for tourism, as it is not too hot, not cold at all, and with little rain [link]. Adding Christmas flair into the mix definitely gives visitors something else to write home about. Additionally, it may ease some homesickness for those feeling bad about being away from home during the holidays. Finally, it makes shopping for Christmas gifts for friends and family back home even more fun.

                How does one celebrate Christmas in Thailand? For many expats and even some Thai families, the answer is to start by grabbing a Christmas tree. They can be found at places such as Tesco Lotus, which is to Thailand what Walmart is to the United States. CNN travel [link] has a list of things to do for Christmas in Thailand, a highlight of which is a recommendation to go ice skating.

Taken at Sub Zero Ice Skate Club-My friend Dillon with his personal ice-skating tutor.

Fun fact: The only time in the past twenty years I have been ice skating was last fall in Bangkok, at the Sub Zero Ice Skate Club in the Esplanade Mall. We had just finished a rousing game of full-contact bowling and decided we had to give the building's skate rink a shot. And how was it? Pretty fun! It wasn't all that cold in there, maybe slightly cooler than most air-conditioned rooms in Thailand. Not nearly as cold as a rink here in the States would be, which definitely affected the quality of the ice. The floor was incredibly uneven, and pools of water were everywhere. Still, if one really wants to get into the Christmas spirit, skating here or at one of Bangkok's other rinks is a great way to do it.

There's another great way to cool off in the spirit of Christmas that does far more to invoke the winter wonderland of Wisconsin, and that's Snow Town, a part of the Dream World Theme Park in Bangkok. In Snow Town, children of all ages can sled, throw snowballs, make snowmen, and see an igloo. Best of all, they can meet Santa in his snow house! Apparently. Definitely the most Christmas-y experience one can have in Thailand.

Christmas somewhat blends into the New Years celebration for Thais, but the start of the calendar year is a much bigger celebration for them than Christmas. Though the traditional Thai New Year is celebrated in April with the Songkran Water Festival, December 31st is celebrated in a very similar fashion to the United States. Countdown events abound, with music, fireworks, and general merriment. It is also a time when Thai workers in Bangkok will travel to their home provinces, meaning buses and hotels will be very packed around this time. Buddhists will take this time to make merit at temples, reflect on the past year and wish for luck in the year ahead.

Throughout the month of December, Thais will celebrate the birthday of their king. King Bhumipol Aduladej was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 5th, 1927 while his father, Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, was enrolled in the Public Health program at Harvard. So, here's a couple of fun facts. Fact one, the school I studied abroad at, Mahidol University International College, is part of Mahidol University, named after the current king's father. Fact number two, both the current king and his father were international education alumni! The current king received most of his education in Switzerland. So I guess what I'm saying is if you study abroad you may some day be king, especially if you're in line for the throne.

The King of Thailand

How do Thais celebrate the birthday of the king? I mentioned earlier strings of yellow lights everywhere, which occasionally dwarf even the over-the-top Christmas decorations. Yellow flags and flowers adorn virtually every home and business. December 5th is really three holidays in one. In addition to celebrating the king, it is also used to celebrate Thailand in general. It's their 4th of July, essentially, complete with fireworks. And the third holiday? As the king is considered the father of the nation, December 5th is also celebrated as Father's Day. Much like in the United States, Father's Day is used to show respect to one's own father, and fathers in general.

For the last few years, the king has been in poor health. He was finally released from the hospital in August. Prior to that, though, he would briefly leave the hospital for rare public appearances, such as his annual address to the public on his birthday. Thousands of Thais come to be in the presence of the king, wearing yellow. Yellow, symbolizing the day of the week the king was born, has come to represent not only the king, but a contentious political movement as well. That's a huge issue I'm not going to get into, but if you're curious, Google is available to you.

So that's it for day one of our holiday series. Tomorrow we'll have Hannah with a fantastic post on the holidays in the country that both she and King Bhumipol Aduladej studied in, Switzerland! It's gonna be a good time. The festivities resume after Thanksgiving Break on Monday with Holly and Burkina Faso! Fun AND entertaining!

All Hail Durian, King of the Fruits!

As promised, I bring you, the durian. The King of Fruits. One of the world’s largest fruits, and certainly the world’s smelliest. A tropical fruit that is loved and hated, celebrated and banned. A healthy food that is a deadly killer. The durian.

Webster defines durian as “A large oval tasty but foul-smelling fruit with a prickly rind.” Yes, it is all those things, but it is so much more. First of all, this thing is pretty friggin’ huge. Not as big as the jackfruit, but still pretty big. And it’s so prickly that handlers need to wear gloves when touching that rind. And that smell. Let’s put it this way. A popular phrase used to describe the durian is “Tastes like heaven, smells like hell.”

So where can we find the mighty durian? The durian tree is native to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Some argue it could also be native to the Philippines, but others say it was introduced there. Durians are strictly tropical, and can’t just be grown anywhere. They’re grown in Thailand, which is a major exporter, and various other places in Southeast and South Asia. They’re also grown in limited amounts in other regions. They are grown in Hawaii, but some find the quality of Hawaiian durian dubious. There have been attempts to grow durian in Florida, but as the tree is strictly tropical and Florida is very much subtropical, getting the trees to bear fruit is incredibly challenging.

Like the fruit, durian trees are very large. They are evergreen trees. The flowers of the durian tree are typically closed during daylight hours. Oh! And those flowers are usually pollinated by bats. So if you ever wondered what Batman’s favorite fruit is, now you know.

Although this is a close contender.

Batman can’t bring durian with him everywhere he goes though, because the smell would give him away. Well, I suppose he could keep it in a special container in his utility belt, like he does for kryptonite. See, he carries around a little bit of kryptonite with him wherever he goes, just in case he ever needs to give Superman what-for. But it’s in a special, lead-based container, because kryptonite is radioactive, and can give a person cancer. It happened to Lex Luthor.

So what I’m getting at here is the durian smells really bad. Well, some people actually really like that smell, but many don’t, especially those that aren’t used to the smell. According to Wikipedia, the smell has been compared to “civet, stale vomit, skunk sprary, and used surgical swabs.” There are actually many different durian odors, because there are many different kinds of durian.

Because of the effluvium, it is often banned in closed areas. So that means it’s not allowed on public transportation, like buses and trains, and it’s not allowed in hotel rooms. There are signs in places where durian is not allowed, often along signs such as “no smoking”, etc. The smell is very difficult to get out of a room once it’s there, hence the bans.

But the taste is really good to a lot people. Wikipedia says that Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods compared the taste to rotten, mushy onions. I disagree, but I generally avoid eating rotten, mushy onions, so I don’t really know. The flavor has been described as “rich”, and almost like custard. When I tried it, admittedly only once and in a very small amount, the word that came to my mind was “meaty”. It didn’t really taste like meat, but it was such a different taste compared to other fruits that I simply didn’t know what to call it.

Durian is most famous for being eaten raw, but it is used in many dishes as well. It’s often cooked, baked into cakes, made into candies, even mixed into shakes and ice cream!

I'm Lovin' It!

Of course, as Kelly Clarkson says, everybody has a dark side. Even our friend Mr. Durian. And our friend the Durian is actually a killer. He finds many ways to strike. The most common cause of death from durian is from falling durians. Let’s put it this way: If a durian had fallen on Sir Isaac Newton’s head as opposed to an apple, we wouldn’t have physics. Well, okay, we’d still have physics, we just wouldn’t really have the scientific knowledge to talk about it. It’s not like the fruit would fall and gravity, magnetism, and nuclear interactions would stop happening.

Anyway, I guess I was exaggerating. Both falling durians don’t actually cause death, but many do. In the case of those that don’t kill, the victim survived because the inflammation that would normally occur due to that kind of head trauma is prevented as a result of the copious blood-loss, itself a result from being struck by a giant, spiky ball.

There are other methods the durian takes to claim its victims. Year of the Durian has a page of deaths resulting from durian in 2012. Highlights include being crushed by a durian tree (they have shallow roots), having one’s head smashed by a bag of spilled durians, having a heart attack from consuming to much durian and Coca-cola (are durians the new Pop Rocks?), and over-dosing on the fruit whilst having diabetes and hypertension. I have heard rumors of some wives in Southeast Asia brandishing a durian as a weapon against cheating spouses, but those are unconfirmed.

In recent news for the world of durian, a durian-eatingcontest was the highlight of the “Melbourne Malaysia Festival.” The festival was meant to celebrate historical ties between Australia and Malaysia, and what better way to do so than through the magic of durian? Just so long as they avoid too much over-dosing on Coke around competition time. In other news, somebody one first place in a science fair competition by using durian rind to make paper. That reminds me of those old scratch-and-sniff stickers, only you don’t need to scratch. Finally, someone in the Philippines attempted to set offa bomb that was hidden inside a durian fruit. I of course do not condone such heinous acts, but I acknowledge that the shrapnel from a durian rind could definitely do some serious damage.

So when you’re out studying abroad in the Asia-Pacific region or even just in an Asian market, keep an eye out for the King of Fruits. Love it or hate it, it’s going to be one unforgettable experience. 

Goodbye.

Cambodian Music

You probably have never heard ‘60s and early ‘70s Cambodian music. If you have, congratulations! You’re at least 20% cooler than I thought you were.

Here’s a nice introduction for those of you that are cool-ness challenged. The song is Chnam Oun 16 (16 is read something like “dawp-bram-muay”) by Ros Sereysothea. I’m informed that it was featured in a movie by the same title. A translation of the lyrics from Khmer into English is below.

This year, I'm 16... This year I'm 16

There are no worries

fa la la la

Life is like flowers,

giving off a nice scent

fa la la la la la la la

This year, I'm 16... This year I'm 16

There are no worries

fa la la la

What is love?

Is it bitter, sour, or sweet?

fa la la la la la la la

[Source]

Going by the lyrics, it was essentially the “Call Me Maybe” of its day, only actually really good. The song remains popular in Cambodia to this day.

Unfortunately, only a few years after the song was released, the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime came into power. Ros Sereysothea, and other iconic Cambodian musicians such as Sinn Sisamouth, lost their lives, along with two million others. Cambodia, and the Cambodian music industry in particular, have never fully recovered.

Thankfully, their music has been preserved, and will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.