Q:  Do you want Covid-19 (Corona Virus), or the worst air pollution in the world?

A:  Uh, yes please

Ahh, burning season in Chiang Mai again.

Aside from stinging eyes, chronic sore throat, and choking down toxic air, there’s the global pandemic going on—Covid-19.  So how has life been impacted?

Washing Eggs

I buy my lunch at a local restaurant that sets out all the food in chafing dishes. The other day, I ordered two boiled eggs to go. I was already questioning my decision since a fly was crawling on them—the eggs were peeled and ready to eat. The the server spooned one egg into a small plastic bag, and as she tried to spoon the other egg in—it was bobbling precariously—she pushed it in using her thumb. I had just seen her looking at a phone with another server, and she didn’t wash her hands before handling my order. 

(Sigh). What to do? Toss the fly-crawled-upon-un-sanitized-thumb-pressed-upon eggs? I decided to let it be a game-time decision—see if I was hungry at lunch time. Turns out, I was hungry.

I’ll admit, it was the first time I’ve ever washed eggs in soap and water, but that’s exactly what I did—for the entire twenty seconds per CDC directions. Then I ate them. They weren’t too soapy.

Working outside to breathe in the fresh air, or nah?

Which brings me to issues of hygiene, or lack there of. I frequently buy groceries at a large supermarket. I also used to buy mini egg tartlets that were perfectly creamy with just a hint of sweet. Then one day, I saw a Chinese family conversing loudly in the pastry section. They were literally standing right next to the table of mini egg tartlets and talking and talking—exhaling air-borne water droplets all over the place—and none wearing a face mask. The pastries sat displayed in open air, on tables for customers to self-serve. I self-served myself to two tartlets. But since I decided they would not survive a twenty second soap and water cycle, I threw them away. I have since ceased to buy open air pastries.

God bless the Thai-Denmark collaboration.

What the world needs now: Rainbow milkshakes!

Likewise, I had to stop going a cute little café I used to frequent because one day, one of the servers was coughing—and no—she did not catch them in a tissue or elbow or face mask (I keep saying face mask because face masks are all the rage here except for people spewing spit on pastries and workers coughing on customers). The server caught her cough into her hands. Then promptly picked up a muffin and an Americano and coughed all the way to the customer. The customer didn’t flinch. She was Thai. I flinched. And never went back.

Pigeon eating breakfast, working on khao niaow (Thai sticky rice).

Honestly, these occurrences are numerous and daily. The level of hygiene standards here are what would be considered reckless and risky by US standards. I have scarcely witnessed Thai females wash their hands after using the toilet—including food servers and kitchen cooks. I have ceased to patron some establishments; others I continue to patron. I don’t have a kitchen, so it’s either eat processed meat sandwiches from 7-11 or food from restaurants of questionable sanitary standards. 

Pick your poison: Covid-19, the worst air pollution in the world, or coughed upon-spat upon food?

A:  Yes…