On this incredibly bright and cloudless day I find myself seeking some relief from the relentless white heat of the sun in the air-conditioned sanctuary of the Hua Hong cafe in the old, down-town part of Kanchanaburi. The cafe in itself is somewhat unique with its separate rooms, partitioned off from each other, its black-lacquered wood and its enchantingly old-world feel. Architecturally, it is something of a leftover from the 1930's when this part of town had a thriving Chinese community. These days, the area is largely run down, the paint fading, the buildings crumbling, but it still retains enough of its charms to be redolent of former glories.
It is around half three in the afternoon, so the schools are emptying and a steady stream of young Thais are making good their daily escape from the tyranny of a nearby educational establishment, resplendent in their white and blue uniforms. I watch them filing past whilst I alternately sip either a hot americano or an ice-cold strawberry shake. I wonder why, all around the globe, it seems that kids are condemned to wear European style schools uniforms; what is wrong with the local style I wonder, in this heat it might be far more pragmatic.
Amongst the kids, to quite an alarming extent, I cannot help but observe that there are a large number of the big-boned, the heroically proportioned, the plump, the Rubenesque or what used to be known, in the less PC days of yore, as the fat. They waddle down the road blocking the already far too narrow pavements, sweating and grunting their way through the hot afternoon sun.
In typical Thai fashion, many prefer to avoid the waddling and instead plump themselves onto a groaning scooter, their bodies seemingly settling down over either side of the too narrow saddle as the suspension groans under the weight. Tis often the case that one espies many of the younger, not so gravitationally-challenged Thais on scooters sharing the experience, travelling two, three or even, on occasion, four to a bike. This is not the case with the more full-bodied, amply proportioned kids … just one of these specimens is quite enough for any bike to bear.
There is an interesting phenomena that occurs when one revisits a country several times over a period of years. Much as when one visits a young family every few months, one becomes aware of the changes in the children, how quickly they change and grow, perhaps even more conscious than the parents themselves. Much the same sort of thing occurs when one revisits a country, one notices changes that those who live in the country may not.
Revisiting China, for example, it was noticeable how the traffic is just a little better behaved (still terrible, mind you, but better ...), the expectorating reduced, the air a little more breathable. Revisiting Thailand for the third consecutive year, it is clear that some things are changing, and changing quite rapidly. Riders are mostly wearing crash hats now, whereas this was a relative rarity on previous visits, Bangkok is booming, even if against a background of economic struggle, and the kids are getting fatter and fatter.
There is a perception, fairly commonly held by many in Asian countries, that people from the West are bigger and stronger. They generally put this down to the diet of Western countries and, in particular, to the consumption of meat. For many cultures, China and India in particular, corpulence is even looked upon as a sign of success, a sign of the overweight person having the ability and the means to be able to afford to consume large amounts of food.
The consumption of meat, in particular such things as burgers and fried chicken, has gathered pace to an alarming extent in recent years across the region. Now, in China, it is actually quite difficult to find restaurants that cater adequately for a non-meat diet. There is even a look of incredulity when it is explained that someone does not actually want to eat meat. My friend and guide in China often had to explain my lack of meat eating in terms of my being a monk and thereby having 'special' dietary requirements (I quite liked the bit about being a 'monk', few things could be further from the truth ...).
The Chinese themselves now have many of the same old problems associated with the consumption of meat that the West has suffered for some time. Rates of high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack are all increasing rapidly. Cancer rates, already high because of the toxic affects of polluted air and water and the large proportion of smokers, are now also growing in those types of cancers related to diet. On top of this, the Chinese military have also suffered some less generalised (no pun intended...) problems: it seems that many of the new recruits to the Peoples Liberation Army are now not only much less fit than they once were, but struggle even to fit into the standard issue tanks. This has meant a huge (again, no pun intended...) expense to redesign and refit their armoured weaponry.
In Thailand, the problem is exaggerated somewhat by the less than active lifestyle. To be fair, often the country is simply too hot to exert oneself on a continuous basis and one has to pace oneself throughout the long, hot day. Living daily in such an environment, the Thai's have become highly-skilled exponents of such pacing. During my flaneurial meanderings, I see many examples of the application of their expertise as they snooze happily by the roadside in home-made hammocks, slung beneath improvised lean-tos, contentedly dozing for hour after hour.
This is all very well, and even maybe a necessary adaptation to the conditions, but when you add this lack of movement to a diet high in sweet foods (sugar or syrup seems to be added to almost everything that is not savoury here), burgers and fried chicken, then you have a recipe (I have got to stop doing this...) for disaster. Even during the three years that I have been coming to this land, there has been a noticeable increase in the numbers of rotund, of the well-built, of the generously configured. Those of more ample proportion may not be in the majority yet, but they are weighing in (sigh...) and changing the balance considerably. The big-boned, the buxom and the cuddly are becoming the norm, especially amongst the children. This is not a healthy development either for Thailand or, more importantly, for themselves.
Back in the Hua Hong cafe, I look around at several other Thais enjoying their coffee. Most of them are in their late twenties, several are older. The females are slim and slight and appear to be quite healthy, the gents a little corpulent, but still relatively reasonably proportioned. The contrast with many of the younger generation could scarcely be greater.
Oh well, at least the coffee is good, the air conditioning pleasantly cooling and the cafe itself rather wonderful. In fact, I would have to say this is one of the loveliest I have ever had the good fortune to visit. Kanchanaburi is fortunate in having a wide selection of interesting cafes but, having sampled many such establishments by now, I would have to say that this is one of the most beautiful and an ideal place for those of a flaneurial mindset to sit and ponder on a hot afternoon in Thailand.
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