As a traveler, I’m always on the hunt for “authentic” experiences and thankfully, they do still exist out there in the world. It’s one of the reasons I like countries like India so much – the culture is so thick, dense and historic; you just can’t Disney-fy it!
And yet, what to make of places like Chinatown in San Francisco, an exotic neighborhood of red lanterns and green-tiled rooves that is almost entirely fake. Oh, there are Chinese people living there – thousands of them – but the decorations are complete artifice.
The story goes that Chinatown was already drawing tourist interest before the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed much of the city. After the neighborhood burned down in the fire, the racist San Francisco city planners started talking about moving all the Chinese people out to Hunter’s Point, one of the worst areas in town. Thinking quickly, the nimble-minded Chinese civic leaders came up with a plan to quickly rebuild Chinatown in an exotic, Chinoise style, the intention being to draw in more visitors (and their tourist dollars). The idea worked to a tee, the city turned a hefty profit, and the Chinese were allowed to stay.
As my wife and I approach Damnoen Saduak, the most famous floating marketing in Thailand, I can’t help wondering if I’m having another “Chinatown moment.”
Located about 60 miles southwest of Bangkok, the market was built as a royal initiative by King Rama IV, whose hope was to link the Mae Klong River with Chinese riverways to support transportation and trade.
The market is, indeed, an awesome sight – a long canal dotted with canoe-like boats, where mostly-female vendors in traditional garb sell colorful fruits and vegetables, breads, dumplings, desserts and even pan-fried savories like crab cakes and pad thai. Like Chinatown, however, it’s mostly fake – an exotic experience created for the tourists. The food is all real of course – nothing false about that. It’s a great place to grab a tasty bite to eat, snap a few selfies and stock up on toy elephant souvenirs, tiger balm and clothing. But is this a working market where actual Thai people come to do their shopping? Not so much.
The authenticity-seeker in me screams “Ugh!” I should probably hate Bangkok’s floating market. And yet, for some reason, I kind of love it. Like Chinatown in San Francisco, Damnoen Saduak is bright, fun and festive. Okay, sure, it’s not authentic, but somehow the market is preserving a version of old Thai culture. Call it a living museum for profit. The journey there is pretty fun as well: A long mini bus and canal ride. Along the way, our boat driver points out a giant lizard sunbathing on a log and screams “Bleh!,” leaving us to wonder if that’s the local word for “lizard” or is she’s just expressing her disgust. From that time onward, anytime my wife and I see a large reptile, we always say “Bleh!”
I find it hard to fault locals for doing what they have to do to maintain their livelihood. Isn’t that what we all do? If they can somehow make their nut in a way that also showcases the area’s rich history, who am I to judge? To the haters, I say “Bleh!”
(Human beings are complicated, aren’t they? We all maintain certain pretenses, put up false fronts, to make ourselves feel good. We dress a certain way. We live in a certain neighborhood. We post selfies on Facebook to demonstrate our elevated status. Annoying? Yes, sometimes. But what’s the alternative? Beating ourselves, calling ourselves “Losers,” wallowing in self pity? I say, go ahead and swagger if that’s what you need. Fake can be colorful. Fake can be exotic. Fake can be fun. Just don’t take it (or yourself) too seriously!)