One Night in Bangkok

Saturday 9: One Night in Bangkok (1984)

*Playing along with Sam and the gang. Join the fun here.

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) This song is from the play Chess. It's been said that the most successful players are fluid in their thinking. Do you consider yourself flexible or set in your ways?

I think I'm flexible in a lot of ways and I'm up for trying new things, but I have noticed that there are some things I'm getting less flexible about as I get older. Like manners.  I have given at least a couple of cashiers a piece of my mind when they made mistakes due to the fact that they were more interested in chatting with their coworkers than doing their job.

2) Nigel Short, a real-life chess grandmaster, used to wear a t-shirt that said, "He who cares, wins." Do you always play to win? Or do you play board/card games or sports for the fun of it?

I play for fun.  I used to be quite competitive, but these days it's nice if I win, but it doesn't matter if I don't.

3) The singer is in Bangkok for an important tournament. He maintains that he doesn't mind missing the sights and dismisses Bangkok is just another "crowded, polluted stinking town." Do you find big cities exciting? Or do you think of them as noisy and dirty?

I don't necessarily think of cities as noisy and dirty, but I'm not really a fan of them, either.  I like many things they have to offer and don't mind visiting to take advantage of those things, but at the end of the day I want to go home to someplace quieter, slower, and less crowded.

4) Air pollution has reached serious levels Bangkok. Do you suffer from allergies, asthma or another condition that could be aggravated by pollution?

I have allergies and very mild asthma that could indeed be aggravated by pollution.

5) To reduce traffic, commuters travel through Bangkok on ferries that make regularly scheduled trips up and down the Chao Phraya River. When was your last boat ride?

I believe it was three years ago when we vacationed in Chincoteague.  We did a sightseeing tour and a fishing trip.

6) Round trip airfare between ATL and BKK is $1750. If we gave you a travel voucher for that dollar amount, how would you spend it? 

If it would get me from here to Australia I'd use it for that.

7) The Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok has a McDonald's onsite. When you go somewhere new, do you find it comforting to be surrounded by what's familiar? Or would you prefer to try new things?

Normally, I'd say I like to try new things, but I've also never been anywhere that would be so completely different as Bangkok. Something familiar might be nice...unless I had someone who knew what they were doing as a guide.

8) One of Bangkok's most popular restaurants is DID, which stands for Dine in Dark. The dining room at DID is 100% light free -- cell phones must be stored in the lobby to avoid distracting from the experience -- so customers eat their four course meal without seeing it. This heightens the diner's sense of taste and smell. When you prepare a meal, do you put a great deal of care into its presentation?

First of all, I don't think I could eat in that restaurant.  I would be terribly worried about what they might be serving me.  Yeah, no way would I be able to do it.  *shudder*

For everyday meals I really don't put much care into presentation.  I'm just rushing to get dinner on the table before I collapse for the night and my husband gets home later and is more exhausted so he really doesn't care.  I do take great care when I prepare special meals, though.  I like to have that picture perfect Norman Rockwell look for the 10 seconds before everyone dives in. 

9) Random question: Think about your last professionally prepared meal. Did you dine in, carry out, or have it delivered?

If pizza counts, we had it delivered.  Otherwise, we went to an old neighborhood bar/restaurant for dinner a couple of weeks ago.