What’s your job?
I’m responsible for the traffic at Khao San, Rambuttri and Ratchadamnoen roads. I try to make sure the taxis and tuk-tuks park in an orderly fashion, make the traffic run smooth and direct cars during rush hours.

What do you like most about working on Khao San Road?
The fact that it’s a walking street filled with a lot of foreigners in the afternoon and evening. It’s great to see the happiness that foreigners get from this street. As an official stationed here, I feel that Khao San is one of the unique selling points of Thailand.

What do you like least?
I don’t really have anything I don’t like about it, except when things aren’t properly organized and orderly.

Have you seen any strange things on this road?
Just magic shows. Parisa Pichitmarn

How long have you been working here?
About seven years now.

Why Khao San?
My boss provided me with a shop complete with all the equipment, so why not? Plus, I get along with everybody else who works here.

How have things changed in the last seven years?
We were one of the first shops to appear in Khao San, and the only one to have survived today in this building [Buddy Lodge]. Back then it was difficult to open a tattoo shop because of a local mafia, but now there must be more than 40 places around here. We’ve managed to survive in this competitive business because we offer quality and safety. People sometimes complain about our prices, which start from B1,000, but our shop is set in a clean, air-con room. Would you rather pay a bit less and risk getting an infection in a dirty makeshift hut on a sidewalk?

Are tourists back, despite last year’s protests?
It wasn’t that bad actually. The backpackers have a mind of their own. If they want to travel, they will. What really affected us, though, was the currency exchange. We haven’t increased our fees, but some of the return customers thought we did because they get less baht for their money than they used to.

What do you think will be the future of Khao San?
I think it has reached the point where it no longer needs any new businesses. What I want to see happen is some kind of quality control over tattoo parlors. The government should set a standard and shut down all the shops that don’t live up to those standards.
Pumpkin Tattoo Studio. Buddy Lodge Hotel. 256 Khao San Rd., 02-629-4412

First job: Painted houses and mowed lawns to buy music equipment.
Rule for life:  Be yourself, everyone else is taken.
Never leave home without: Amex.
Most inspirational person: My kids and my girlfriend Sofia.
Best DJ gig you’ve ever been to: Haven’t yet!
On a night out you: Have more fun than humans are allowed to have.
Close your eyes and listen to my music, you will see: Fun—whatever that looks like.
Hum this tune in the shower: ”Bananas in pajamas.”
Last lie: I’ll never drink again.
What to expect at your gig: An awesome start to an amazing New Year for all.
Favorite website: www.stumbleupon.com.
Favorite audience: People who live for the music, dance it, breathe it, sing it and live it.

Technique & medium: Digital photography on light-box, screen, photographic paper print.

Why Bangkok Noir? Actually Noir is the French word for black. The title is inspired by film noir, which is a movie style that has roots in  German Expressionist  cinematography. It emphasizes  low-key lighting and  unbalanced compositions; this is the perfect characterization for the kind of mood which I want to photograph.  Bangkok is a world of shadows and occasional bursts of light that make it an interesting model for my camera.

What inspired you to take these images? Bangkok itself. Bangkok’s shadows always interest me more than the scattered light. Bangkok is often characterized as an erotic city but there is so much else going on at night.  There is always activity: you can donate a coffin for homeless people in a temple, get a tattoo, visit night and flower markets—and there is always a special food, bar or disco out there. The pictures are taken from everywhere in greater Bangkok, chosen by instinct, by chance and sometimes by planning.

What draws you to a particular image? As a photographer I always found it very challenging to capture the various light moods in Bangkok at night. Sometimes there is only one bulb, one neon strip, a Tuk Tuk passes by with red, green, yellow lights or sometimes there is a fully illuminated  skyscraper. This light, the reflections, rain, clouds and moon are always moving. Everything is permanently changing. You find an amazing location, the next day it has may be gone.

This exhibition is categorized under the five human basic senses, why is that?

For me, there is no other megacity in the world where the human senses are always this stimulated.  Bangkok is a 24-hour kitchen—a smell, a taste, a sound, something to see, to discover, and if you need a touch, get a massage or try giving one. Bangkok is the perfect blend of form, content and feeling. It’s full of shadows and light. I love Bangkok.

Parisa Pichitmarn

Yamazaki

B28 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., BTS Siam.
What a bizarre look. Is this egg tart overdosing on calcium? The crust is really cakey, not crispy, and the filling has a whole lot of vanilla. More like a pudding, and with no bold egg flavor.

Kanom <WINNER>

B40 per piece. For a complete list of branches, visit www.ka-nom.com
We love how the top is browned nicely and that it actually looks how an egg tart is supposed to look like. In fact, our tasters eagerly queued to pop this cutie pie into their mouths. The flakey crust is nice and crunchy and you can really taste the egg in its thick filling.

KFC <RUNNER UP>

B25 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., BTS Siam.
The appearance is tip top thanks to the browned yellow custard. In fact, we like the KFC filling best, too—great texture and a smooth milky taste. The sour note is the crust which is obviously intended to be flakey but ends up being more clumpy.

BreadTalk

B28 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd. BTS Siam.
Here we go again with that shortbread-like crust that we just hate. The crumbly dough feels undercooked but we must admit that this is the most eggy tasting tart so far—thought that might be too much of a good thing.

Mandarin Oriental

B35 per piece. G/F, Paragon, Rama 1Rd. BTS Siam
It may be an absurdly small tart but it definitely has the best crust thanks to a great blend of butter, salt and a crispy texture. It has a pleasant taste but tips towards being more of a Western dessert. The filling texture is that of lemon curd—minus the lemon, of course.

What’s an Egg Tart?

These pastries originated from Hong Kong in the 1940s in the cha chaan tengs, Chinese tea diners that serve affordable on-the-go dishes such as noodles, pasta and fried rice. Both short crust and flakey pie crust are acceptable but the latter is the choice of connoisseurs. We bet Hong Kong nicked the little tarts from Macau’s Portuguese community as they look just like the pastel de nata that have been around since the 1800s.