One thing that the Thais do very well, perhaps influenced by or influencing the Japanese, is packaging.  Everything is packaged here, from the efficient and ecologically sound use of banana leaves to steam certain sweets and wrap other foods, to the excessive triple layers of an iced coffee bought from a street vendor, who will put the coffee in a lidded cup, placed in a bag, which is tied off then placed in a second bag.

But all of it is very good at ensuring that the items stay enclosed until you are ready to take them out of their package.

One cute example I discovered on Wednesday night at the Siam BTS Station is a vendor that sells fancy cupcakes for thirty baht each.  You can buy the cupcakes in two- or four-packs that come in a cute little box with a cellophane window and handy handle for carrying. 

How were the cupcakes themselves?  Well, they were kind of dry and dense with frosting that tasted too much like vegetable shortening.  But they looked pretty and were neatly packaged and, really, that’s what counts.