Grandpa Yaeng, Uncle Kham and the block of ice (from: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; nr 3)
Mr. Yaeng and Mr. Kham, smallholder farmers, had bought plows in the village of Ling Ha and had sold them for some extra money. Before taking the bus in Chiang Mai, they decided to buy scrap iron from all the companies they came across.
They came to an ice factory. Grandpa Yaeng went to ask about scrap iron and at that time Uncle Kham would start stealing ice cream. The Chinese owner of the factory kept the ice under sawdust behind the temple and sold it in blocks. While Yaeng bought old iron, Kham stole a block of ice….
When they met again, Yaeng said, "Wear the ice in a piece of cotton on your back." 'Do not worry; it'll be fine,' said Kham, wrapping the ice in a piece of cloth and tying it to a piece of wood he carried over his shoulder. Soon they found a bus, got on and drove home.
They got out and Yaeng asked, "Kham, where's the ice cream?" "Here, straight to the point." "I've looked, there's nothing." 'Yes.' "Well, see for yourself." Kham himself looked and said 'You're right, it's not here.'
Tasty pomegranates
'Where did you put the ice cream, Kham? I have pomegranates here and I want to eat them with ice.' 'But, I don't have any ice cream. I put everything in this rag.' "Young man, don't kid me! Listen, give me some ice and I'll share the pomegranates with you.' said Yaeng.
'Yaeng! Take a good look! That rag is soaking wet and you keep talking like crazy.' How stupid can you be? Yaeng still didn't understand. They went home. Yaeng furiously threw down the scrap iron and came to ask Kham again for the ice.
“Yaeng, I already told you. That rag is soaking wet. Then see for yourself. Everything is wet' said Kham wearily. Yaeng got angry. 'You're a bore! You just say anything! Where did you hide that ice cream? Bring it here.'
And so it went on for hours. None of them gave in. People they met all said 'Yeah, ice melts, you know. Keep it under sawdust and it won't melt, but wrap it in a piece of cloth and it will melt.'
Finally, Grandpa Yaeng went back to the Chinese. "Is it true that ice melts?" And it was clear: 'Yes, of course it melts. It's real water, you know. If it comes into contact with warm air, it melts.'
Back home, Yaeng said to Kham 'It's true, damn it! You were right, Kim. Ice really melts, damn it!'
Source:
Titillating tales from Northern Thailand. White Lotus Books, Thailand. Translated from English and edited by Erik Kuijpers.
The author is Viggo Brun (1943) who lived with his family in the Lamphun region in the 1970s. He was an associate professor of Thai language at the University of Copenhagen.
This story also comes from the oral tradition in Northern Thailand. For more information, see elsewhere in this blog.