I have drunk fresh coffee all my life. Instant coffee is at best just a source of caffeine in the morning and certainly no replacement for the "real stuff". So one of the joys of travelling to the South of Thailand is the large number of coffee shops and the availability of freshly-ground coffee. Coffee shops in the South of Thailand are part of the urban ethnic Chinese culture.

The story of the Chinese in Thailand is a fascinating one. Chinese �migr�s have come to Thailand, particularly Southern Thailand, for hundreds of years. But the majority of Chinese came in the years just before the Chinese Revolution. That revolution caused a major break in the movement of the Chinese through Southeast Asia, and, together with the growth in nationalism in the region, led to a forced acceptance of a new identity. This is particularly common amongst second and third generation Sino-Thai, who are more likely to identify with Thailand than with China. Nonetheless, certain traditions and fashions of some Sino-Thai families can be more closely identified with China than with Thailand. In particular, Chinese communities are known for their strong traditions of mutual support, particularly among connected families. Also, as in many other Southeast Asian countries, ethnic Chinese families are dominant at all levels of business, from small shops in urban centres to the largest businesses of the country.

In Yan Ta Khao town there were several Chinese coffee shops selling instant coffee, fresh coffee (kopi) and dim sum just around the main fresh market. We walked past a few before we chose one on the corner with a large steamer on the pavement outside the shop. The owner and his wife were both in their sixties. The walls were covered with posters listing funerals of members of the Chinese community, often still with their "Sae" (or clan) given, rather than a Thai-sounding family name. The posters also gave the names of all the people who had contributed money to pay for the funeral services. Most of the Thai-sounding family names were distinguished by their considerable length. Long surnames are characteristic of Chinese-Thai families.

We had delicious coffee and then ice cream, home-made by the wife of the owner. The son of the owner was busy mincing pork meat to stuff dumplings ready to be steamed and served the following day. We spoke to the wife of the owner and asked her whether we could ask her some questions about the business and how she and her husband had come to Trang. Neither she nor her husband spoke much central Thai, slipping between broad southern Thai dialect and Chinese dialect depending on who they were talking to, so she was a little shy about talking to us and suggested we ask her son instead. As he was busy with the pork, we arranged to meet him the next day at his coffee shop down the street and around the corner.

Khun Pornchai (the son) was running his shop when we met him. We asked for "kopi" again and tasted some of the ice-cream he had made. Personally, I preferred his mother�s. He is the eldest of three children. All of them have businesses in the same street. His younger brother has a clothing store, and his sister an electronics store. Apparently, the caf� business has been suffering with the down-turn in the economy, particularly because of the low price of rubber. Visitors to the market have less money to spare on luxuries like soft drinks and coffee. Trang is not a hub for foreign tourism, and so there are few foreign visitors to Yan Ta Khao.

Khun Pornchai�s coffee shop seems to attract a different clientele from his father�s. At his father�s shop, during the afternoon, most customers are elderly ethnic Chinese. They sit for hours chatting with his father and mother. In the morning, the customers are more varied, but all seem to go for fresh coffee and the delicious ice cream and dim sum. Khun Pornchai has a younger clientele, not always ethnic Chinese, who prefer the more "fashionable" and "modern" instant coffee. Funnily enough, the owner of the Laem Ta Sae Resort came while we were there. He is a friend of Khun Pornchai and was amused that we were also asking his friend questions about his life and business.

Khun Pornchai�s father�s story is one common to many ethnic Chinese in Thailand. He emigrated from Hai Lam Island as a child before the war. His parents started a rubber plantation, but returned to China just before the Chinese Revolution. With the Revolution, it became impossible for his parents to come back to Thailand, and he was left here unable to go to them in China. He never saw them again.

He continued working the rubber plantation until he had made enough money to start the coffee shop. His coffee shop has now been operating for thirty-eight years. It is the same age as his eldest son Khun Pornchai. His wife is also ethnic Chinese, but she is Hokkien Chinese. Although both were born in China, they met in Trang province.

Khun Pornchai is fairly typical of many second generation ethnic Chinese. He recognises his� origins, but has no particular enthusiasm to learn more of his parents� history. He identifies himself more strongly as Thai. Nonetheless, he still maintains many of the traditions of ethnic Chinese families, and follows "Chinese" fashions. Outside his shop there are two caged song birds, a common sight in Chinese households.