Where have all the men gone?

A popular advertisement on Thai television for dried Taro snacks suggests all the eligible men have gone. At the Pantip webboard, many women agree, with some despondent of ever finding a handsome man who is not already taken - or gay.

At the start of the advertisement (link harvested - it died), we are shown a large group of men and women. They get paired off by gender, after the voice-over man says the number of women in the population exceeds the number of men.

So, there are more women looking for mates than there are men - or to put it another way, there is already a shortage of men for single women to chose from.

The ad shows men and women from both camps waving at each other, flirting and carrying on. People in both camps have already found people on the other side who attract their interest.

Enter the voice-over man again. Sixty per cent of the men, he says, are married. Those men then march off stage, which leaves the women looking stunned, as the potential pool of talent has just shrunk considerably.

Next in line? Men who are crazy about their work, and have no time for a mate. The ad shows four men dressed in suits, chatting animatedly into cellphones. Off they march. Next? 'The handsome ones!'

Enter sappy sounding string music, which suggests romance is in the air. The women swoon. But then - the handsome ones crack into gay minces. They may be handsome, but they are gay! 'Off you go!' says the voice over man.

That's probably the key scene in the ad, and the funniest. So what's left? A couple of hopeless looking cases. One looks like a teen rebel or a crook, while the other guy is huge and engrossed in his food. Nothing there of interest for the women.

'Best to look after yourself, then - starting with what you eat,' says the voice over. The closing scenes of the ad shows the women enjoying their own company instead, having a good time eating dried Taro.

At the Pantip webboard, readers have left responses to the ad. A few women posters say they spot very few (real) men at their university these days. The only handsome ones they meet are gay. One asks when on earth she will find one to be her mate.

Another breaks down the male population this way: in 100 men, 35 have wives; 50 are gays; another 10 are in gay relationships; another four are of no use to anybody; which leaves just one who could serve as a potential mate.

One large guy who responded said he did not like being lumped in the last category. A fat reader replied jokingly said he was fat, plus ate Taro...but might have to switch to another brand.