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Time Out Bangkok:
‘Expats we Love’

Philip Cornwel-Smith: Author of Time Out Bangkok Guidebook, the best-selling Very Thai and the upcoming book Very Bangkok. Philip Cornwel-Smith was visiting his friend in Thailand in 1992 and, within four days of being in Bangkok, was offered a job. “I found myself editing the first city listing magazine, Bangkok Metro,” he recalls. “There weren’t listings in Bangkok then; it was a new way of doing things. There were only newspapers and magazines. It was really hard to find information in those days.” It was an exciting time to be in Thailand, even when the economy crashed in 1997. “The crash made the whole city much more interesting, and the stories about Thailand changed in those years. Before that time, it was really diccult to get away from the cliché of sleazy Bangkok. After the financial crash, the city became a business story, and a lot of cultural things happened. That was when stories on design, spas and herbalism came out, which are now already common.”

Five years after the crash, Philip brought Time Out to Bangkok. “It was a guidebook about the contemporary city and its culture – places to go and things to do. Before that, guide books to Bangkok were either for backpackers or people with suitcases on wheels who like posh restaurants and smart hotels.” Bangkok, Philip notices, has gradually changed over the years. “When I came to Thailand everything that was fashionable had to be important, everything that was Thai wasn’t fashionable. It was very strange coming to a country that seemed biased against its own culture. That has changed because of a lot of policy improvement.”

What do you like most about living in Bangkok?
”I like that Bangkok is constantly surprising. And so you always have to keep rethinking because something bizarre is bound to pop up.”

What do you dislike most about living here? “The things that I care about most don't hold any social status and are therefore very vulnerable to disappearing. I like old markets with their very old cultures that are all about community-meets-business-meets-improvisation. And I see these being swiped away.”

What has been your worst experience of culture shock in Thailand? “I was in the street market when I first arrived in Thailand. The cooked-to-order street food was in front of me but I didn't know what the ingredients were and how to order. There were no prices and no menu, and I couldn’t speak any Thai.”

What’s the worst thing that happened to you here? “I was in a wai-kru ceremony (a ritual to worship sacred spirit healers) and, after a while, I realized it was actually a black-magic ritual.” How did you know? “There was a real kuman thong [amulets sometimes made with baby body parts]. It was fascinating but really creepy.”

What’s your favorite Thai dish? “Larb ped yang [spicy roast duck with Thai herbs].” And your least favorite? “Yen ta fo. I don’t like that preserved tofu and the pink-red sauce they put in.”

What annoys you the most about Bangkok? “I’m a fast walker with long legs so people texting in the middle of a path drive me nuts – Bangkok people very often walk really slowly. I’m always treading on people's heels.”

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in Thailand? “I went backstage at the procession for Bangkok’s 222nd birthday, but unintentionally ended up in the procession walking in a traditional Lanna-style costume and making an offering at the city pillar shrine in Lak Muang.”

And the naughtiest thing you’ve done here? “To the English, nothing could be naughtier than living in Bangkok. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.”

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