On Wednesday night A and our friends Austin and NG ventured out to Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium to see Thailand host The Netherlands in an international friendly. Holland won 3-1, though the scoreline flattered the Thai team. The Oranje were superior technically and physically and simply outclassed their opponents. Thailand did, however, score a consolation goal in the second half.
(Side note: Holland is home to the tallest people on the face of the planet; that made for some extreme differences in height when the Dutch players stood side-by-side with the diminutive Thais on the pitch.)
I was particularly interested in seeing Holland’s Dirk Kuyt, the player in the white uniform in the foreground above; he’s a striker at Liverpool and I was impressed with his pace and skill. Here’re some more pics:
Rajamangala Stadium.
Thailand scores.
A Clockwork Orange: Dutch supporters after the game.
I recently spotted some exotic potato chip flavors at my local 7-11. And, being a snackfood aficionado and naturally inquisitive to boot, I had to pick ‘em up.
My report follows.
Lays Barbeque Spareribs flavor:
Taste: A hearty blend of seasonings lends this chip a full, spicy flavor. Strong finish with hints of cayenne. Musty aroma. Fleeting aftertaste.
Packaging: The Statue of Liberty suggests this exceedingly bold chip’s rightful association with the American frontier mentality.
Suggested pairing: Chang Beer.
Lays Seafood Mayonnaise flavor:
Taste: Highly-acidic hints of Gulf of Thailand squid, Lao mackerel, and Mekong catfish coupled with an earthy mayonnaise bouquet. Heavy shrimp paste seasoning. Intense and lingering aftertaste.
Packaging: Despite the chips’ arguably over-aggressive seasoning, the Eiffel Tower is a fitting tribute to the product’s roots in a storied Gallic culinary tradition.
Suggested pairing: Sang Som.
Tasto Tuna Salad flavor potato chips:
Taste: Surprisingly nuanced and delicate. Tuna — perhaps more of the canned than the sashimi variety — intertwined with mild suggestions of tomato and lettuce flavorings. Rustic aroma. Slightly buttery aftertaste.
Packaging: Rather uninspired.
Suggested pairing: Chocolate Milo.
Strange Maps on the Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of the World:
On this map, East and West Germany are next to each other, as one would expect. But Romania’s closest neighbour is Armenia? And Poland and India are side by side? Well, this is not a straightforward geographical map, but a cultural one. It plots out how countries relate to each other on a double axe of values (ranging from ‘traditional’ to ‘secular-rational’ on the vertical and from ‘survival’ to ‘self-expression’ on the horizontal scale). This makes for some strange bedfellows – for example: South Africa, Peru and the Philippines occupy almost the same position, although they’re on three different continents.
![Wilco [not my image]](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1062/531302592_b67d14ae31_m.jpg)
So have you been listening to Wilco’s new album, Sky Blue Sky? Well, why not? Get on it.
I think it’s a remarkably coherent — if staid — effort. Just like everything the band produces, the album grows on you. Slowly.
I agree with Rob Sheffield, who says this in his Rolling Stone review:
Sky Blue Sky (great title — Allman Brothers via Laurie Anderson) is understated, erratic, often beautiful, disarmingly simple music; it really sounds like six guys playing in a room, and no doubt that’s how they wanted it.
My favorite track so far is “Hate it Here” (number eight).
I’m a little late in mentioning this, but I wanted extend my congratulations to Jim Benning and Mike Yessis, editors of World Hum — they recently announced that the site has been acquired by the Travel Channel. As Jim and Mike write:
Since we started World Hum in 2001, we’ve tried to explore travel in all its facets and publish compelling travel stories. It’s been enormously fun and gratifying, yet there’s so much more we’ve wanted to do with the site. Juggling day jobs, we just haven’t had the time or resources.
Now we will. We’re delighted to announce that World Hum has been acquired by the Travel Channel. The people behind the Travel Channel are building a lineup of shows and websites that celebrate travel and the journey. World Hum is now a part of that.
As for us, we’re not going anywhere. Thanks to the Travel Channel’s commitment, we’ll edit the site full-time, publishing the kinds of stories you’ve come to expect from World Hum. In fact, we’re going to publish more of them. You’ll see some changes to the site in the months to come. We’re going to experiment with audio, video and other ways to tell travel stories.
For more information, see this Budget Travel interview with Mike.
Long-time newley.com readers might remember that World Hum published a story of mine called “Soup to Nuts” way back in 2001. (I’m happy to report that, six years on, I’m now a proficient chopstick user.)
I'm Newley Purnell, an American journalist in Bangkok. I report for Bloomberg BNA, ABC News Radio, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and more.