Saturday Nine: One Night in Bangkok (1984)

This week's Saturday Nine:


(Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.)

1. This song is from the play Chess. It's been said that the most successful players are fluid in their thinking. Do you consider yourself flexible or set in your ways? It depends on what the situation is, but I generally consider myself to be pretty flexible. Being flexible allows you to learn more and do things more efficiently.
   
   
2. Nigel Short, a real-life chess grandmaster, used to wear a t-shirt that said, "He who cares, wins." Do you always play to win? Or do you play board/card games or sports for the fun of it? I mean, I don't play to lose, but generally, I play games for the fun of it. Unless there's money involved.
   
   
3. The singer is in Bangkok for an important tournament. He maintains that he doesn't mind missing the sights and dismisses Bangkok is just another "crowded, polluted stinking town." Do you find big cities exciting? Or do you think of them as noisy and dirty? I mean, they are noisy and dirty, but I love big cities. There's more to see and more to do and more different things to eat. Also, I've been to Bangkok, and while it is crowded, polluted, and pretty stinky (there's a lot of durian there), I also found it to be a really interesting city to explore.
   
   
4. Air pollution has reached serious levels Bangkok. Do you suffer from allergies, asthma or another condition that could be aggravated by pollution? I have both allergies and asthma, though I don't think the latter is necessarily caused or aggravated by pollution.
   
   
5. To reduce traffic, commuters travel through Bangkok on ferries that make regularly scheduled trips up and down the Chao Phraya River. When was your last boat ride? Couple of weeks ago. My friend Chelsea and I went paddle-boating. But on an actual ferry? I honestly can't remember.
   
   
6. Round trip airfare between ATL and BKK is $1750. If we gave you a travel voucher for that dollar amount, how would you spend it? I would probably go to London. It's next on my to-go list. It's always been a matter of having both enough money and time simultaneously. I'm really hoping to make a trip next year.
   
   
7. The Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok has a McDonald's onsite. When you go somewhere new, do you find it comforting to be surrounded by what's familiar? Or would you prefer to try new things? Trying new things. It's the best thing about traveling. That having been said, McDonald's has loads of new menu items from country to country, so I can't knock them. (McDonald's in Hong Kong have chicken wings and mango-dipped ice cream cones and macaroni noodle soup for breakfast. McDonald's in Italy have mozzarella sticks, double chicken cheese burgers, deep-fried shrimp cocktail, and ice cream waffle wraps. McDonald's in Japan have teriyaki Mac burgers, deep-fried shrimp burgers, yuzu ice cream floats, and peach cream pie.)
   
   
8. One of Bangkok's most popular restaurants is DID, which stands for Dine in Dark. The dining room at DID is 100% light free — cell phones must be stored in the lobby to avoid distracting from the experience — so customers eat their four course meal without seeing it. This heightens the diner's sense of taste and smell. When you prepare a meal, do you put a great deal of care into its presentation? I always like my food to look appetizing, of course. But if I'm making a meal, I'm going to be the only one eating it, so presentation isn't really a priority.
   
   
9. Random question: Think about your last professionally prepared meal. Did you dine in, carry out, or have it delivered? Dine in. I rarely get take out or delivery.