Bet you are wondering what those two things have to do with each other. I was too when Shalinn suggested that we eat lunch there on my last day in Bangkok. But if Shalinn wanted to go, I knew it must be safe, because she seems to pick really good restaurants. So we walked from her apartment, turned off of a not so clean street (after walking by the worst smelling place I've smelled since I have been in Asia) onto a cute little sidewalk lined with bushes, trees, and vines. As we walk into the restaurant, I realize that I was not dressed appropriately. This was a FANCY place. They served Thai food. The food was good (although the green papaya salad was thai spicy...it made me sweat) and the service great. Not only does Cabbages and Condoms have a restaurant, they also have 2 resorts located outside of bangkok. One is aptly named "Birds & Bees".
The idea behind the name stems from the fact that many years ago family planning did not exist in Thailand. Many families had 7 children or more. An association was formed called the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) <--- appropriate acronym? I think so! Today this association has programs that cover 1/3rd of Thailand, helping to lower the population growth rate from 3.2% to 1% (in comparison, the US's growth rate is 0.963%). PDA also established a national AIDS program that provides information on prevention of transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus. The restaurant and resorts were created to draw national and foreign attention to PDA's cause of teaching safe sex/family planning. So basically, the organization wanted condoms to be as normal and easily found as vegetables.
So....I bring you the decor of Cabbages and Condoms.
And in case you wondered, they don't give mints at the end of the meal, they give condoms!
2 comments:
ummm... WOW!!!!
seriously - free condoms at the end of your meal :) that makes me laugh!
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