Meat vendor Niwat Paokem said pig heads were
especially popular this year.
Pratchaya Kerdthong
While for many Chinese New Year is an opportunity to
honor ancestors and pray for good luck, for Thai food vendors, it’s an
opportunity to gouge those of Chinese heritage for items used in homage
ceremonies.
Such was the case again this year when vendors at the
Wat Chaimongkol market jacked up prices on pork, chicken and fruit,
taking as much as twice their normal profit for the Feb. 3 homage day.
Meat vendor Niwat Paokem said pig heads were
especially popular this year. As a result, he increased prices by 50
baht to 350 baht a head. He, in turn, charged Chinese-Thais 450 baht,
netting him double the usual profit margin.
Pork and chicken meat also saw an increase of 5 baht
over normal prices of 115-120 baht per kilogram.
Higher prices didn’t mean better quality, however.
Because vendors all ordered extra pig heads to try and capitalize on
Chinese-Thai superstitions, the heads on offer were actually a lower
grade than normal.
