Chicken Little

Sampatong, Thailand. October 2018

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At the back of the Sampatong market in northern Thailand a makeshift cock fighting ring popped up next to the buffalo stalls. It was the area of the market mainly inhabitated by chain smoking men. The men were busy prissing and preening their prized birds; others intently studied possible new purchases.

As far as I could see the men weren’t the main authorities when it came to buying and selling chickens. It was this young boy. While the men smoked and talked this lad buzed around, arms waving, feet scratching in the dust. It was he who darted this way and that picking up birds, showing birds and packing birds. While I enjoyed the colour and atmosphere of the cock fighting I also followed this boy with my camera. He occasionally smiled in my direction, happy knowing that someone was noticing his efforts. Maybe he just smiled because he was enjoying himself. Either way, I clicked while the chickens clucked, trying to capture the true essence of this sporting activity until I found the right picture. The older man looking serious but out of my focus while the boy beamed and bounced with no time to stop.

Did the cocks fight to the death? No, they are prized birds; a source of fun, finance and meaning. At the first sign of domination by a bird the fights were stopped. The endless frying of chicken bits at the market and here in Australia didn’t stop though and my chicken and rice from a nearby stall was delicious.