Thai restaurant serves up good food free condoms

By Emmy Fitri

BANGKOK, Thailand (JP): Many believe that sex is taboo, but for some activists, it is an unavoidable subject to explore. And they suggest to play it safe. This is perhaps what Thailand's well-known family planning campaigner Mechai Viravaidya intends to say with his Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant.

Why cabbages and condoms?

Viravaidya believes that contraceptives should be accessible and easy to buy, just like vegetables at the market.

Viravaidya, the chairman of the largest non-governmental organization in Thailand, the Population and Development Association (PDA), established the restaurant in 1989, almost 15 years after his association was set up.

Visitors will first be welcomed by a giant condom made of wood which is hanging at the entrance of the restaurant.

Contraceptives are not available in the cozy restaurant, but the wall, as well as every corner of the room, is decorated with condom-related items.

A wide range of condoms from all over the world are artistically arranged to draw visitors' attention and perhaps also to arouse their "appetite" to use the contraceptive.

Another unexpected sight is the colorful assortment of contraceptives displayed on the wall.

A PDA staff member, Ghulam Rasul, said that Viravaidya, locally known as Mr. Condom, believed that unless radical steps were taken to contain the country's rapid population growth, the government's efforts to promote family planning would be fruitless.

With a total population of 60 million, almost half are people in their reproductive ages of 15 to 49 years old. An urgent family planning campaign, therefore, is continuously being launched and stressed among youths.

"The restaurant is one of our new approaches. We provide access to pills and condoms," Rasul said.

Free condoms are offered in two big wooden boxes which are placed near the entrance of the restaurant.

Visitors are allowed to take what they need. For smaller sizes, the box marked IMF for the International Monetary Fund has the appropriate condoms, while for larger sizes, dip into the box marked World Bank.

"Mr. Mechai wants to encourage people to have a better understanding on the importance of safe sex. If you need it, don't be shy and just take it (the condom)," said Rasul, who is a physician.

The restaurant, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., is a magnet for foreign tourists, but at the same time also welcomes locals who pass by to pick up the free "souvenirs".

Besides the unique wall decorations in each corner, the restaurant offers a wide range of cuisine choices with "naughty" names which are all, as stated in their promotional leaflets, "guaranteed not to cause pregnancy".

Among the items are samlee det deao, a mouthwatering deep fried cotton fish with mango and chili sauce, chicken in herb leaf bikini, which is deep fried chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves served with seasoning sauce, spicy condom salad, a combination of Shanghai noodles garnished with chili sauce and herbs, tom kah kai, a dish of chicken breast in coconut milk and galanga soup and Gung Obb Mapraow On, a combination of steamed prawns in whole coconut.

Sanum Sgnuamsub, a senior adviser of the restaurant, said he enjoyed working at the unique establishment. The former chef of a five-star hotel in Thailand acknowledged that he had received additional knowledge about contraceptives and especially condoms -- its brief history and its implication on populations and health.

With careful wording, Sgnuamsub acknowledged that to a certain degree, the prostitutes in Bangkok and the vicinity drew tourists to spend time and money in the country.

"Many of the visitors ask us about the prostitutes and some also ask outright for assistance on acquiring their services but we cannot do so. We're selling food and promote health here," Sgnuamsub said.

Located in one of Bangkok's busiest districts on Sukhumvit Road, the restaurant is easy to reach as it is quite popular among taxi drivers and even drivers of tuk-tuks (public motorized carts).

Besides the restaurant, PDA also runs a relatively new shop which offers condom-related items, such as key chains, condom flowers and condom mugs.

The association started the shop in 1996 after learning that visitors wanted to take home handy and memorable items which reminded them of the unique restaurant.

Many people, especially neighbors, at first ridiculed the idea and even scorned the restaurant and shop, referring to them as just another place for prostitutes and cheap attractions.

They later understood after the association explained it was all about contraceptives, Rasul said, adding most people working in the restaurant were teenagers from the Sukhumvit neighborhood.

"We never mean to encourage people to have sex freely outside marriage or talk about it openly in public. But it is expected that those who come here are people who already know what they need and what they should do," he said. All waiters are also taught to give information on condoms and family planning.

Apart from the fact that the flesh trade and polygamy are still thriving in the country and despite some teasing, Viravaidya and his fellow activists have proved that they really mean to campaign their cause by successfully running the unique spot.