Going vego

We are in day 2 of a nationwide vegetarian festival, which means that the places where I normally eat in my Thai market are serving only vegetarian food.

I like eating fried rice, pork and basil leaf. It comes with a fried egg on top. Even the egg was unavailable yesterday, though shopowners told me cheerfully that I could have a vegetarian mixture and basil leaf on top of the rice instead.

Since when can a vegetarian not eat egg? I wanted to complain, but held my tongue.

I visited three eateries in the market. None would make the dish I wanted. 'We are not selling that - only vegetarian,' said one owner.

'For how long?'I asked.

'Nine days,' she said.

In the end I settled for vegetarian noodles. I told myself that they would cleanse my system, and my health would be better off for it.

Still, I was hungry again within an hour - as I knew I would be, as vegetarian food is not as filling.

How would I get through the next nine days?

Boyfriend Maiyuu and I order three or four dishes from an eatery under a tent opposite our condo every night. I pick them up after work. Would the owner of that place, too, be serving only vegetarian food?

When I went to pick up our order last night, I asked what was in the four white styrofoam boxes which she handed over.

'Is it vegetarian?'

'No - we don't sell it,' she said, smiling.

The owner, Jay, understood my suffering. Most food places in the market are flying yellow and red flags proclaiming proudly that they are selling only vegetarian food.

Thankfully, a few brave souls are willing to carry on with business as usual, where at least customers get a choice.

The vegetarian festival is popular among Chinese. As I live in a market with many Thai-Chinese families - some of whom are so Chinese that the older members cannot speak Thai - I should not be surprised if I can't get meat.

Those who partake in vegetarian food for the festival believe it purifies the body and mind.

Yet the list of food on the no-go list is not confined to meat: any vegetable with a strong smell such as garlic, onion, Chinese chives and parsley can also be included in the ban, according to this backgrounder (link harvested - it died).

The truly dedicated dress in white, and pay homage at Chinese shrines.

The Chinese run one shrine along the railway line next to my place. I have seen a few people clad in white wandering around there since the festival began.

Last night I visited a canalside restaurant on the outskirts of the market. They, too, were selling meat.

A few hours later, I was sitting in the condo carpark, waiting for shopowner Jay to finish my food order. I was thinking longingly of bed.

Weaving among the cars was a young man with his shirt off. As he walked closer, I saw it was Mr Esan from Floor 5. I haven't asked his name yet. He lives with his girlfriend - and knows that I fancy him.

He was chatting on the telephone. As I sat, I admired his well-built chest. He has a large tattoo on one shoulder, which is a pity.

I passed Mr Esan on my way to get my food. 'Why are you wearing no shirt?'I asked. He had tied his shirt around his waist.

'It's hot!' he said.

I rubbed his chest for him, and felt his arms.

'You don't feel hot!' I said.

He squealed, enjoying the attention.

On the way back, heading towards the entrance, I passed Mr Esan again. This time I rubbed my hands up and down his waist.

Mr Esan laughed. He was still chatting on his cellphone, just as he was when I first saw him 10 minutes before.

He was probably talking to his girlfriend, who also knows I fancy her mate. I am sure she doesn't mind: he's straight, so is unlikely to stray.

The security guard enjoys the game I play with Mr Esan. As he passed me in the carpark, he pointed towards Mr Esan, as if he wanted me to touch him again.

No, I thought: twice in one night is enough. We are supposed to be observing a religious festival where the object is to cleanse the mind. How can I do that if I am feeling a strange man's bare chest?

Postscript: The dish I long for is pad grapao moo sap....see the image below, which I took from a Thai blog.