Fried rice and egg
From Dr Sumet Tantivejkul
One day His Majesty went to Khao Khor to open a monument. After the ceremony, His Majesty wanted to return to the palace to change his shoes to prepare for a trip into the jungle. We hadn't had lunch; no one had had any lunch. It was already two in the afternoon. During the 20 minutes for His Majesty to change his shoes, we thought we would be able to have a quick bite to eat.
We rushed to the canteen, only to find the staff who had not accompanied His Majesty had already finished off the food. There was only a bit of fried rice left at the bottom of the pan, and three or four fried eggs. We grabbed it anyway. Then we saw a plate of fried rice just like what we were having, with one fried egg slammed on top and a thimble of fish sauce on the side. My friend was ready to go for it. A Royal Page warned, "You can't have that. It's the King's. His Majesty asked me to get it for him."
Just think of that. Fried rice from the bottom of the pan. I almost cried; His Majesty ate exactly the same food as we did.
- From an interview with Dr Sumet Tantivejkul in the column "In His Majesty's Footsteps" in Style magazine, May 29, 1987.
(The story, written by Usnisa Sukhsvasti, was first published in Bangkok Post's Outlook on June 27, 2012.)