My latest globorati post is about the Ecuadorian capital’s rejuvenated historic center.
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Check out “The Top Ten Weird and Bizarre Japanese Soft Drinks.”
I would kill for a taste of the Pepsi Ice Cucumber. Not to mention the Coolpis Kimchi Drink.
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Bolivia, FIFA, and Globalization
Simon Romero had an excellent story in the New York Times yesterday about Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, fighting to defeat the high-altitude soccer ban I mentioned recently. I particularly like the lede (as well as the delightful image, above):
Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, donned a green jersey the other day, watched a llama sacrifice for good luck and flew to a snowy spot nearly four miles above sea level, where he scored the winning goal in a brief match pitting him and his aides against a group of mountain climbers.
It was a textbook lesson in Andean political theater, and the perils a globalized sport can meet when it comes up against a small country’s nationalist passions.
On the surface, Bolivia’s president was simply staging an amusing stunt to fight a ban on international soccer games at altitudes above 2,500 meters, or 8,200 feet.
It’s well known that Mr. Morales will play soccer against virtually anyone, from the foreign press corps to local squads in the hinterlands, to let off steam, and recently broke his nose doing so. But in fact, the ban, enacted last month by soccer bureaucrats in Switzerland, played right to Mr. Morales’ trademark populism, and gave him an opportunity to act as a unifier of his otherwise fractious country.
“Bolivia’s dedication to soccer cuts across the deep dividing lines in the country, which are economic, racial, regional and ideological,” said Jim Shultz, a political analyst in Cochabamba, in central Bolivia. “Fighting the ban is great domestic politics.”
(Emphasis mine.)
A friend of mine who’s studied politics in neighboring Ecuador once told me that he felt the Ecuadorian national football team was the single greatest cohesive force that the nation has working in its favor. The game trumps race, class, politics — everything.
Two related books that I recommend highly: “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization,” and, in the case of Bolivia and its “market dominant minority,” “World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability.”
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Me As a Little Guy
You may remember “Uncle” Joel, a long-time friend of the family whose remarkable photography I’ve mentioned here before. He snapped the image of me — here — as a three-year-old.
This morning I woke up to a surprise that has made my month: Joel unearthed this old image of me and my Dad back in 1975 or 1976, when I was a just a little guy. I’d never seen it before. And I really, really love the shot. It’s eerie for me to look at because my Dad was probably 28 at the time Joel snapped the pic, which is a few years younger than I am now, and I think we bear a strong resemblance.
Other observations: I’m not sure what, exactly, I’ve got coming out of my mouth (perhaps the drawstring from my hoodie?). Also, I love my Dad’s jaunty sartorial sense: the anorak jacket, the blue collared shirt, the dope shades, and best of all, the hat. Oh man, the hat. I love it.
![Asia's Top 5 Terrorists [Not My Image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/190/550139660_e53a916c6c_o.gif)
I have a new story at Tripmaster Monkey. It’s called “Threat Level: Yellow! Asia’s Top 5 Terrorists.”
That’s the subject of my newest Globorati post.
Jay McInerney reviews two new books that “attempt to account for the transformation of sushi from a provincial street snack to the international luxury cuisine of the 21st century.”
(Cartoon via.)
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.