Accepting Gifts from Thai Strangers

It is 32 C at 7:30 in the morning. My wife Nancy and I walk on the edge of the road from the guesthouse on the river’s edge in Thaton, Thailand. We hold large packs on our backs, with a small one hung over our front. We spot three trucks, painted yellow, and cross the road like turtles. Two women stand in front of a chalkboard, and five men sit at a wooden table eating rice and chicken with many bowls of condiments. I wipe sweat from my forehead and sigh deeply, dropping my bags to the earth to sit atop the bigger one. Nancy carries her packs to the women at the black board and asks: “Mae Salong?” The woman to her left walks to the men eating, speaks quickly in Thai and points to 8AM on the blackboard. Nancy smiles and nods.
The Thai woman smiles and leads her to the first yellow truck. I set my bags down next to Nancy's and sit beside her. We sit in silence stewing in the morning heat.
An elderly Thai woman in her seventies steps aboard with bags full of rice, fish, and dried banana. She says “Sawadee Ka” and looks up to see the faces of her fellow travelers. Her eyes light up and she smiles wide when she sees two pale foreigners sitting beside her. She ruffles through her bags and pulls out a handful of dried banana. She eats one with a look of instruction and hands the rest to Nancy and I. I say “kop koon krap”, bow and hand half of the dried bananas to Nancy.
I eat them crunching with a smile and bow gently to the elderly Thai woman who smiles and eats as well. Nancy looks at the sticky dried strips which have a dry white film coating. She sniffs them and licks a piece tasting both salty and sweet- the bananas are coated in sugar and MSG. Nancy bites a tiny piece and looks at her surroundings for a way to get rid of the bananas without being rude, but with such a kind gesture towards two bag laden ‘farangs’ this early in the morning, Nancy accepts her fate and enjoys a breakfast of dried sweet and savory banana.