New Books in Popular Culture Chiang Mai 2015
Apr 3, 2026
Camille Bégin, writer and historian of food (author of Taste of the Nation), reflects on a 2015 trip to Chiang Mai amid haze, illness, and failed culinary tourism. Short scenes focus on how smoky skies frame memory, the politics of food travel, meals as care rituals, and the move from academic research to intimate creative nonfiction.
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Smoke Revealed A Hidden Family Crisis
- Camille Bégin recounts a 2015 trip to Chiang Mai where pervasive smoke coincided with her father's sudden odd behavior leading to a hospital diagnosis.
- The family discovered his brain tumor there, were repatriated to France, and he lived with the illness for five years until palliative care in 2020.
A Single Photo Became A Geographical And Emotional Anchor
- A photograph taken by Camille's father anchors the essay: its metadata later allowed her to pinpoint the exact location and reconnect with that moment.
- The image conveys sensory detail (light, smell, touch) and the disorientation of being tourists witnessing normalized environmental harm.
Disbelief Shapes Response More Than Hope
- Camille resists framed hope and instead emphasizes disbelief about climate collapse, seeing obscured visibility as a symptom of incredulity rather than optimistic possibility.
- She centers care for close relations as the practical response rather than abstract hope.
