Dear Chiangmai Mail:
It is with regret, but also with a bit of amusement, that
I wish to inform you about my recent discoveries - a bagel-ban has happened
at my favorite department store, Rim Ping. I went there the other morning to
do some regular shopping; there were no more bagels with poppy seeds.
I inquired with the friendly staff, only to receive the
obligatory “mei mee”. Trying to get into it a bit deeper (yes, I do
speak a bit of Thai, and yes, I really like those bagels), I was told that
certain ‘authorities’ have prohibited the sale of these items, because
of the poppy seeds, and possible drug-abuse.
Whilst I am by no means drug addicted (maybe
bagel-addicted), I find that a bit confusing and frustrating. Do the
‘authorities’ really think that having an odd poppy-seed bagel for
breakfast puts you on high-risk to become a drug addict? Do the
‘authorities’ think that the rest of the world is living in a permanent
daze, at least those countries where poppy-seed bagels are available, such
as the US, UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, just to name a few?
Will poppy-seed bagels from now on only be sold under the
(bagel-) table? Could somebody please explain the danger, if any, from a
medical point of view?
Many thanks,
M. Unchie
