Chess Forum / General Topics / November 2005

NO THANKS

In Malaysia, Thanksgiving is a holiday that does not exist.

It is Thursday here and Wednesday evening Stateside. For lunch this
afternoon -- down in the Masjid India section of Kuala Lumpur with its
bustling textile shops, narrow roads with hints of incense, and an
endless flow of men and women walking slowly in their dhobis and saris
-- I shall have a luncheon repast that would interest a Moghul prince.
A friend and I will have a buttered chicken masala curry, a mutton
rogan josh, fried, very crispy cauliflower that turns orange when
cooked, green peas with soy curd, a large bowl of a seasoned creamy
sauce with cottage cheese, a half dozen chappatis and garlic naans, and
some beer to drink for about 35 ringgits or less than nine dollars
total. That amounts to roughly $4.50 each, which is an enormous amount
to spend on lunch over here. But hey, it's Thanksgiving.

I would invite Randy Bauer except he would likely want to see the
health inspection certificate for the restaurant (probably
non-existent) and may quiz the owners on whether they are reporting
their income to the government -- in the belief he holds that property
belongs to the State rather than to individuals, who are merely allowed
to keep what the bureaucrats do not yet choose to claim.

By the time a Bauer type left the place, prices would have to double or
treble.