Conversation in an Asian medicine store

About this recording

Kristin Post

Creator

Kristin Post

Date created

March 8, 2001

Duration

4:39

Location

Chiang Mai, Thailand

File

MP3

License

This recording copyright ©2001. Terms of use

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• Search LEARN NC for apothecary, Chiang Mai, Eastern medicine, eating, fish, food, health, medicine, natural healing, spices, Thailand, tofu, tradition, and translation.

In the classroom

All over Asia, you will find market booths or stores filled with dried spices, dried animal parts, and flowers. These are used to create medicine and home remedies.

At the beginning of this conversation, we are talking about a fish stomach. There are apparently two kinds. If you find the real kind, it will be pricier. The other is fake, made from a flour and vegetable paste. You can find the fake one in any general market. This fish stomach is used as flavoring and meat in noodle soups. There may not be any health effects from this.

The saleswoman also mentions a blood tonic, which is good for lowering blood pressure.

You can also hear in this conversation the difficulties in translating cultural words, like spice names, and cultural know-how, like health practices. You can also hear how people try to get around a lack of vocabulary by describing things and trying to form a common understanding.

Transcript

Saleswoman

Improve the kidney.

Kristin

Name. do you know the name?

Saleswoman

[speaks in Thai] For the Chinese name — hoi sua. For improve the kidney.

Kristin

All from China?

D

Cumin — we have that… we just use this as a spice, we add it to food.

Kristin

This is…

Saleswoman

This is spice, yes, yes. And have in the uh… when you come in the morning — you chew on this.

Kristin

Say what that is again?

Saleswoman

Umm. We… stomach of fish. Stomach fish.

Kristin

You put that in food too?

Saleswoman

Yes. In food. Slice and boil and put in some (?) in for sticky. And uh…put some sauce. A little sauce. And take it. For hair really good. Laughs.

Saleswoman

[Question — she speaks in Thai.] Blood tonic.

Kristin

If you hurt your back. Very interesting. So this is cinnamon, yeah?

Saleswoman

Yeah, cinnamon.

Kristin

Just for food, yeah? Not for health.

Saleswoman

This cinnamon is one of spice… together with this… very famous in Thai, cinnamon with star, star anise.

Kristin

Star anise, yeah.

Saleswoman

Star anise. Boil with uh… egg and uh… sour bean… sour bean in… I don’t know what it’s called. Made from… sour bean.

Kristin

Sour bean. Tofu? No. Sour bean. I don’t think we have the same.

Saleswoman

Is…

Kristin

Soy bean? Tofu? Dofu? White? Like this?

Saleswoman

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Kristin

Tofu? Dofu.

Saleswoman

Tofu. Can you spell it? [pause — perhaps writing it down].

Kristin

In China, dofu, I think.

Saleswoman

Well this… uh… very… uh… traditional food of Korea. Koreans like to take. Is like?

Kristin

In Japan? Tofu, yeah

D

Like in soup.

Saleswoman

Made from sour (soy) bean.

Kristin

Like this — thick, big, wet. And you cut it up… and fry…

Saleswoman

Have many… have many shapes in Thai. Have many… is very famous. You can. Available in Thai. And uh… at noon… uh for lunch or for breakfast you can fry it. Very famous. With the taste… sweet. And help for scent (?).

Kristin

Is this pepper?

Saleswoman

[Perhaps replies in Thai.]

Kristin

Camphor? With the [sniff]?

Saleswoman

[Repeats self. Speaks in Thai. Talks to other in the store]… Not available in that country.

Kristin

This is…

Saleswoman

This and this. I don’t know the name in English, but together… chicken soup, in chicken soup… this for size… sight… and this for kidney.

Kristin

And this? You know the name? Saffron?

Saleswoman

This…safflower. Safflower, not saffron. Safflower, not saffron. Not same. This for health. This reduce cholesterol in (?) secretion.

Kristin

Hum. And this one?

Saleswoman

This (?). Name of medicine that available in Thai.

D

Okay. Good to know.