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The Bangkok Podcast


Jun 6, 2017

Live from Bangkok’s Chinatown, it's Sunday night! Well, at least it was when we grabbed our mics, left the cozy comforts of our condos and recorded a live episode of the show from the streets of Chinatown to get to the bottom of this reported "War" on Bangkok's street food. We'll tell you what we discovered on episode 2.35 of the Bangkok Podcast.

For the better part of the year, news reports, blogs, and pundits the world over have been raising the warning flags of an active war on Bangkok’s street food scene. Whether highlighting the plight of the vendors who rely on the revenue to survive, lamenting the loss of an inexpensive source of food for the working class, or pointing out the irony of Bangkok’s reputation as a top street food destination; all of the reports have a common thread: Street food in Bangkok is doomed. But is it really? To find out, we visited Yaoworat Road in Chinatown, visiting one of Greg’s favorite noodle shops (incongruously positioned inside an opera house/second-run cinema/gay pickup joint) to see just how far reaching these new government mandates really were. Listen to find out what changes we noticed, what actions we think are still likely to come, and what doom-and-gloom predictions likely won’t come to bear. Without giving too much away, we’ll just tell you that we’re declaring the war on street food non-existent. But please bear in mind that we are not investigative journalists. Our observations are based on this single trip and casual visits to street vendors in this immediate area. It could be worse elsewhere, but it sure looks like street food in Bangkok isn’t in immediate peril.

Love, Loathe, or Leave

As you’ve heard us talk about before, there are plenty of green spaces in the heart of the Bangkok metroplex, but occasionally, you can find a large stretch of beautiful, untouched, pristine lawn just begging for a blanket and a picnic. But invariably, those areas come with large KEEP OFF THE GRASS signs. Listen in to find out if we loathe it or if it’s something we hate some much we’re ready to leave the Kingdom over.

Want more?

If it’s your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it’s a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We’d love to hear from you, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg’s tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that’s your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast!

(Direct download .mp3)