The Great Cooking Oil Shortage Of 2554

Hot oil bubbles and foams over an open flame at a sidewalk stall

The word on the forums lately has been that there's a shortage of cooking oils in Thailand. Evidently it's gotten to the point that limits have been set in stores to avoid hoarding - as often happens wherever there's a shortage of something, perceived or otherwise.

My sympathies certainly go out to the poorer folks there who will undoubtedly suffer the most if costs for a bottle of oil rise and stay inflated for long. Those making 100 baht a day (about $3.30USD today) can ill afford the price of a bottle going up to 85+ baht per liter. Goodness knows the bigger folks (i.e. the KFCs, Burger Kings and McDs) will find a way to hold body and soul together financially.

Having just been surrounded by corpulent company on the beaches there recently a comment I posted in fun on a forum yesterday created an image in my mind that's stuck, though, so I'm borrowing my words from there to post here. I know it's inspired me to have a few more salads!

Mysterious disappearances on

the beaches of Pattaya

- Imaginary News Service

Dozens of morbidly obese tourists have mysteriously

vanished over the past week from the beaches of the

tourist areas of Pattaya in what is being called yet

another blow to tourism during an already challenged

High Season.

"One minute Gustav was there, snacking on his ice

cream and donuts - and the next minute he was gone,"

said one woman, staring idly off into the distance at what

appeared to be ten Thai men, struggling to drag an
enormous bundle in a beach blanket across the road into

an overgrown area near the Pattaya Rendering Yards.

Meanwhile, across town, the Mayor was speaking to a

crowd at a fat rendering group luncheon, congratulating

them on their unexplainable upswing in their business

during these somewhat slow economic times.