My One Hand Clapping world fuses phrases, references and
vocab from both the West and Asia (past and present) to create its own unique
vision. Some are real, others imagined. I’ve decided to compile a guide to them for
my readers, which I hope they'll enjoy and maybe even find informative. It will start
with entries from Zen City, Iso and Man in a Zen Ambulance. Rather than
being static the guide will be a sort of ‘living’ compilation. So I’ll add or replace entries as the spirit moves me, readers ask what on earth this or that means, and I pen more stories in the series.
Well, here goes:
Atomic Age – the
mid to late 1950s.
Bushido / ‘the code’ – warrior code of the
Japanese samurai that drew on Zen Buddhism and Shinto teachings. A warped
movie-trivia version of the code was adopted by the Colonel’s psychopathic
gunfighters, the Four Truths.
Generalissimo Vissaek –
that terribly nice fascist dictator of Siam and quixotic ally of the Axis powers.
Iso Isetta – the
iconic ‘little Iso’ bubble car was designed by Renzo Rivolta, a successful manufacturer
of refrigerators. These wonderful cars were incredibly expensive in Bangkok
because of the heavy import duty.
Kamikaze Boogie –
Thai rockabilly hit penned and sung by Johnny Izu.
Kouk Moun Kid – the
long-forgotten star of home-grown Siamese Westerns.
Noir Age –
roughly, the 1940s and early 50s.
Siam – the
original name of Thailand. It was changed by Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram in 1949 as part of his modernisation
programme, along with making men wear hats, women wear gloves and everyone
putting on shoes when they went outside.
‘Siamese salute’ –
slang term used by some foreigners in the Noir Age. It refers to the
traditional Thai greeting, which involves bringing the hands together. Properly
called a wai.
Shoho – name of a notorious
girl gang, it means ‘Auspicious Phoenix’. The girls took the name from a famous
aircraft carrier in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
‘slippy shippy’ –
slang term for goods smuggled into the Bangkok docks by ship.
Teddy Boy – Street
fashion that erupted on British streets in the early 1950s and quickly adopted
by cool yakuza. It celebrated an Edwardian look, replete with velvet-collared
drape jackets and waistcoats. Die-hard Teds can still be found in remote parts
of Britain.
Ticals – currency used in 1940s Siam. Plenty of references
to it in Reynolds’ novel, A Woman of
Bangkok.
