Asoke intersection is a busy place on any day, but it’s been seeing more foot traffic than normal lately as thousands of protesters and looky-loos converge there daily.
As incidents of violence become more common at the anti-government protest sites comprising the “Bangkok Shutdown” campaign, many restaurants in the area are closing their doors. Meanwhile the nearby malls such as Terminal 21, Siam Paragon, and Centralworld are also closing early, taking food courts and and mid-range change off the menu for many protestors participating outside normal working hours.
So who’s feeding this legion of feisty whistleblowers? Opportunistic street vendors have emerged to feed the hungry stomachs of the political activists.
Earth, a twentysomething Soi Cowboy resident and moo ping seller, told us “I usually sell at Soi Cowboy, but I would be going to the protests anyway.” So he hung a whistle around his neck and wheeled his cart out the occupied Asoke road. “Business is great,” he said. “Better than normal.”
Other vendors see the protests as a unique business opportunity rather than a way to do their part in reforming the current government. Toey, a middle aged vendor from Udon Thani, usually sells her Isaan specialties on Lower Sukhumvit Road, often at Nana, but she moved to the Asoke protests in order to capitalize on the crowds’ hankering for catfish, som tam and barbecued meats. “I’m not protesting, I came to sell only,” she said. “I don’t like [the protests].”
One might expect the protest area to be ripe with regional southern cuisine due to the South’s traditional political affiliation, but instead Asoke’s demonstration zone is devoid of any stalls serving up fiery Klua Kling or gaeng tai. Ironically, a close look at what food is being consumed would reveal that the most popular regional cuisine present at the center points of the shutdown is strangely Isaan. And even more ironic is that a large majority of these vendors feeding the protesters are from areas of the nation that typically support the governing Pheu Thai Party of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Check out our gallery of street vendors cooking up rations for the masses below.
lawanda.jones.16503 says
where the fried crickets