Making an Alms Bowl

I have to say I was pretty uninformed prior to arriving in Bangkok. I did talk to a lot of people, got some recommendations and an overview of some important cultural taboos, but I had no plan of attack. I wanted it that way. I didn't want to get caught up on the things I had to see, where and when I was going next and I really didn't want to read the enormous Lonely Planet that I had only thus far flipped through to see the glossy color photographs. I would read it on the long plane trip and get some ideas I thought. Wrong. I slept. I ate. I chatted with my neighbors. No big deal, I have time to kill, I have finally been perusing its pages and slowly been picking up details I probably should have known prior to my arrival. Oh well!

One of those details is regarding an alms bowl. I had read about this community in Bangkok that still made alms bowls by hand. It apparently takes anywhere from 1 day to an entire week to make a bowl. The traditional bowl is made of metal and multiple pieces are hammered together to make this beautiful bowl that rings when you flick it right. Nowadays, most alms bowls are made in factories in India or China in probably 2 seconds.

So, what is an alms bowl? Hang on for just a second.

I had also read that monks made their morning rounds collecting alms. I had no idea where and from whom they collected alms. That was until this morning. Finally reading my LP book in my "hotel" I was distracted from my reading by this monk about my age shaking his bowl and kindly asking for a donation in a combination of English and Thai. Thaglish? Overflowing with generosity, I dropped some baht in his bowl, which was also overflowing with corn flakes. And then it all came together. Wala! I'm a genius.

For more videos of my trip, short ones I promise, thus far only of Bangkok and strip shows and the like, search tadpierce on You Tube and then click date added and the most recent videos will appear at the top. You're a genius!