Noisy diners, long walks, desert/dessert

I took boyfriend Maiyuu out for lunch yesterday. He chose the place, and ordered the dishes. It was our first time out for a meal since we moved to central Bangkok.

We took lunch at an eatery in Soi Sri Bumpen. Decorated in green, the Krapao Krob eatery serves excellent Thai food, offers an extensive Thai menu, and even makes home deliveries.

A farang was sitting to the left of the entrance as we walked in. A Thai girl served him. 'Krub! Krub! Krub! he said in a loud voice.

This was a man who wanted to be noticed. I am flattered that when I walk into eateries in the tourist district, many farang want to 'reach out' to me, by showing me how important they are.

Some put on a showy display of their Thai language skills. Others stride into the middle of a highly visible public place, such as a street, to pull out the cellphone and make one of those Deal Clincher telephone calls.

Well, that's the impression they give. Maybe they are just calling their Thai headmaster-boss to see when they are due at tomorrow's lowly staff meeting.

Twenty minutes later, as were tucking into our meal, the farang paid his bill.

He let loose another impressive burst of Thai - short witticisms, uttered loudly, to impress upon this farang diner the fact that he was Well Known to the people who run the restaurant, was Local, and Very Funny as well.
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Sri Bumpen Road

After lunch, Maiyuu took me on an hour-long walk back home. Our journey took in the green eatery on Sribumpen Road at one end, and the Ibis Hotel at the other.

At the end of the street, we took a left at the 7-11, then walked down the next soi on the right towards Sathorn, passing a few places I remember from my early days in Bangkok.

Here, a building where a Thai woman - one of my first friends in Bangkok - asked me to invest in an internet shop she wanted to open. That would make me a shareholder, right? Don't be silly. She just wanted my money.

There, a place where I visited a high-price dentist. 'He was too expensive,' said Maiyuu, as we walked past the spot yesterday.

'You have a good memory,' I replied.

On North Sathorn Rd, we emerged at the towering LH Bank (Land and Houses Retail Bank), which wasn't even built when I arrived in this city nine years ago.

'Back then, it was a vacant lot,' Maiyuu reminded me.

We walked through the shopping arcade on the ground floor, looking for any shops selling traditional Thai desserts. We found none, though we did see Thais in university uniform sitting in smart cafe-style eateries.

'I miss foi thong from the market,' said Maiyuu, referring to a Thai dessert we used to buy regularly at our old home in Thon Buri.

That all seems so long ago.

Just before we reached the rear of our condo, Maiyuu took my hand. We walked together, hand-in-hand, for about 20m.

He also took my hand earlier, just outside the mighty LH Bank. What came over him? Normally he is too shy to show affection outdoors...or am I just imagining it?

I looked at him. He was smiling, and looked happy.

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I can't spell the word 'dessert', as in after-dinner sweet things, I have just discovered.

I tend to use the word 'desert', as in dry sandy things, even when I mean the sweet edibles.

I looked up the word on my blog, as part of my 'research' for the last story. I made the mistake about half a dozen times. I have now corrected it.