ABSTRACT
The process of modernization in any country produces winners and losers, social groups who support modernization and social groups who resist. The campaign (occurring at the time of writing in 2018) by the authorities in Bangkok to regulate street food there exposes this deeper conflict in a clear manner. This conflict is located in differing visions of the city: one preferring a modernized, planned Bangkok; and one seeking to preserve a more open, flexible space. Economic and political interests also conflict on this issue. An application of Nietzsche’s (1993) views on the conflicting human drives towards the Apollonian (order and structure) and the Dionysian (chaos and creativity) provide further analytical clarity in this case. This conflict in Bangkok provides an interesting issue for urban and Thai tourism, too, as street food is widely seen as an attraction for the city, so tourism can play a role in preserving this heritage. This may be seen as a supporting force for the street food vendors, but it can also freeze locations in some arbitrarily set time and negatively impact on the dynamism and creativity that made the city attractive in the first place.
