First came milk. Next pabulum. Something sweet. Salty too. Sour. Yech, didn’t like beets. Taste buds take time adjusting to food. Italian from Portland Maine was the first extreme followed by Chinese from Randolph, Mass. No other ethnic cuisines existed until I entered a corner bar on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

Concannon and Sennetts had several pinball machines and a mural of a naked woman riding a pink elephant over the bar.

Next door was the Phoenix.

A one-armed woman served Mexican food.

Tacos. Enchiladas. Chili. Spicy. Salsa. 25 cents beers. BU co-eds.

Big Al’s Taco Stand approaches that utopia.

Big Al has had seven taco stands in Pattaya. The first in front of Big C. Still there. The next was in a bar on Soi 8 with so many old hags in it that they sweated dust. Big Al lasted about 3 weeks.

Next was in an alley behind Pattayaland. 

My daughter liked it.

Lasted 4 weeks.

Not Al’s fault. The owner’s wife was jealous of Big Al. The owner was from LA. He thought he was connected. Even had a bodyguard. The wife told Al to decamp. She took over and was out of business within a week.

Stupid bitch.

Everyone is a genius as long as they have money in their wallet.

I liked Big Al’s Mexican food. His culinary skill was a gift from his years as a guest to the Reprobates’ Society. Something to do with what he writes about in his book. TOUGH GUYS.

“I always hated niggers until my sister told me we were octOroons. My math wasn’t so good. So I didn’t tell anyone in Folsom Prison I wasn’t really white and stuck myslf in the kitchen to keep from starving.” 

Big Al cooked for a lot of beaners and I stuck through his rapid transistion from the bar next to Coyote a go-go, the Swedish rock bar, the lesbian restaurant on Jomtien Road, and the mausoleum next to Walking Street. They all closed without real explanation other than Big Al saying. “Got me a new place to eat.”

And this new one suits me fine.

One street over is the bar at which I am at war. The denizens feel I should be drinking in there and I’m tired of the lowlife scuffles at the Dang Bar. The biggest neanderthal sees me drive by and follows my bike to Big Al’s The hod carrier takes one look at Big Al and orders food. It’s good. Better than good. It’s real Mexican food and the hod carrier loves it. Not me. The food.

It’s almost as good as El Centro.

Big Al’s next to Oasis A go-go on Soi Buakhao.

They play LOUIE LOUIE in that shelter of nudity.

Last night I asked Big AL if they do deliveries.

“Yeah, you come here and you can deliver them to your house.”

Sounds good to me. His taco stand is close to my house.

Soi 25(Chaiyapoom) off 3rd road closer to Soi Bukhao.

Take-out Tel (thai) 083-768-1489

Take-out Tel (farang) 086-889-7511
Open from 5 till dawn.

Drunk hours.