What a Boring Buddhist!
The Last Supper, but without the human sacrifice and with the calories.
Gretchen Evans, 136 YinD
One of my favorite mealtime discussions revolves around the question of one’s ‘last meal’.
I like to frame it like this: If you knew tomorrow was your last day on earth, what would you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Any food imaginable is readily available in this scenario and niche picks are 100% on the table.) I feel like this gives everyone the opportunity to share something about themselves. I also figure a food-based discussion is always a winner in Thailand, right?
Well, I proposed this question to Emily’s host dad at dinner. His answer was: “I don’t have to worry about that. I have all that I need already.” This made me giggle. It made me think, “What a boring Buddhist!”. In other words, he gave me a typical ‘Thai’ answer. I wanted to shake him and say, “This isn’t a test of your inner virtue! I promise you I’m not trying to challenge your battle with gluttony!”
My question is simply good-spirited and judgement free. It’s supposed to be a fun invitation to reveal our greatest indulgences and cheat meals. I mean, my answer is full of carbs and guilt-free. Unfortunately, I further perpetuate farang stereotypes with my last meals, but we’ll get to that later.
Now, I don’t truly mean it when I say, “What a boring Buddhist!”(I actually quite appreciate this kind of perspective from my friends and peers who practice this religion). I’m simply poking fun at the cultural differences in the way we think. I notice these types of straight answers from my students at school, too.
When I pose this question — I’m seeking creativity, to think outside the oval plate boundaries of som tam, to enter the magical portal of whimsy. What about mouthfuls of sugary cotton candy, of freshly steamed corn just plucked from the field? Guay teow with the best egg noodles ever prepared (dare I say with wagyu as the meat)? I’m not asking for farang food responses to appease me or pressing for dark, insatiable secrets about repression of eating and how body stereotypes in Asia pressure young teens to develop eating disorders and body dysmorphia. No, no. This was supposed to be fun. Let’s hyperbolize for the sake of it!
By the time I revealed my answers, Emily’s youngest host sister joined the discussion with her own. For Bright, a good ole bag of jellies and other assortment of candies will do, and that is exactly the answer I was looking for!
Comment below what your last meal(s) would be, and, in case you were wondering, here’s mine:
