Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Feeling foreign and in a perpetual state of confusion

If I'm not in my apartment but you know I'm working, you can usually find me in my other, unofficial office: Starbucks on the third floor in Siam Paragon mall.

That's where I was heading this morning, a bit later than planned, when I saw the first sign of a queue; its end tapered out at the edge of the mall. The traffic was heavier than normal for 11am on a week day; it's a common sign that the traffic has been held up for someone Very Important.

The queue was solid, not straggly, and stretched the entire front of Siam Paragon. There must have been a couple of hundred people in it. The last time I saw something like this was when a famous pop group made a public appearance but this queue wasn't behaving quite right for that. It was too orderly. They weren't here to see someone; they wanted something. Eventually my taxi crept around the corner and dropped me near the door and the head of the line. A hiso (high society) Thai had a big arrangement of pink flowers to present. There must be a celebrity....

Crowds and queuing always reminds me of my foreignness. There's a fuss about something or someone that I don't understand. I am excluded. Usually when I arrive somewhere I don't even know the event was happening because I haven't been able to read the notices in the media and if I do happen upon it I don't recognize the celeb. I can't read the signs (if there are any) so I am there with all these fans who are in a state of excitement and anticipation but I'm quite cut off from the experience.

The queue used the far right hand door and those not interested - or oblivious in my case - used the normal door where the security people check bags. Nobody stopped us from entering thinking we might jump the queue. I really couldn't think what they were all here for....

I know that I can normally be relied upon to take photos to illustrate my blog but this time I needed both my hands to pick my chin up at the anti-climax of it...

This big line of people were queuing to go to a newly opened branch of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

What. Is. That. All. About?

15 comments:

Jen said...

That is seriously insane, even for Bangkok!

Queenie said...

I've never had a Krispy Kreme Donut, so I have no idea whether they're worth all that fuss.

Chris Stovell said...

Believe me, I feel like that in Wales sometimes!

Carol said...

LOL!! Roong that used to work with Chris was very excited when she told us that they were opening in Siam Paragon...I wonder if she was in the queue!

(The donuts are good but they are not THAT good!)

C x

Anonymous said...

Suspect there were freebies on offer - not that I'm cynical or anything, you understand!!! Jane x

Lane Mathias said...

Seriously strange. Now it it was a new chocolate shop .....

Anonymous said...

I can understand the fuss. Some of my best friends are doughnuts.

Take care, Boonie

Wendy L. Trommer said...

It's like that here in the states. Everyone goes ga-ga over Krispy Kremes. I don't get it, either. On two separate occasions, both my son and nephew (one in the US and one in Canada) went out of their way to drive my by one and ask if I wanted to stop and get one. It's a donut, people - and they aren't even chocolate!

Cheryl said...

I LOVE KRISPY KREME!!! But that is a bit extreme. mmmm doughnuts

Jenny Beattie said...

Oh, all has become clear. I googled it and found this promise:

- 1st customer gets 1 year supply of a dozen donuts per week
- 2nd customer gets 6 months supply of a dozen donuts per week
- 3rd customer gets 3 months supply of a dozen donuts per week
- 4th-100th customers get 1 month supply of a dozen donuts per week
- 101th-200th customers get 1 dozen free donuts

Even so...

Sue Guiney said...

You've given me my 1st good laugh of the day. Thanks!

Jayne said...

You describe that feeling of exclusion so well - it must be strange knowing there is so much excitement about and not being able to decipher why (unless you use google. Can you imagine how sick you would eventually be of donuts if you were the first customer!)

Kat W said...

Excellent! Made me giggle at the fabulous & ridiculous image of all those people going mad for donuts.

But when I read your later comment about the prizes on offer... well...I have to admit that if that had been a chocolate promotion I would've been there queuing myself. Lol.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I've never tried them, but they must be good if people are queuing like that.

I wish we had a Starbucks over here (only one is at the airport).

Leila said...

I heard from a good source that they are paying a heap of people 100 or 200 baht a day to queue up - it generates a lot of interest. Hi bye the way :-)