Look at the pictures from 2013 in the opening post, and compare with the following:
This is what’s being offered as Kinam in China today, at a whooping $415 per gram, for what is obviously Sri Lankan walla patta and has as much to do with Kinam as my great uncle Larry.
This in the shop of one of the ‘big’ bosses in town, whose friends insisted that I pay him a visit just to be able to take in all the wonders he has on display. Everything I was shown was some sort of ‘Kinam’ and had as much to do with kinam as, well, you-know-who...
I was silent on all of the carvings and miniatures just out of respect for all the effort that had gone into chiselling them, but I had to set the record straight on the bags of ‘Cambodi Kinam’ shown above. I insisted that the wood was from Sri Lanka, and that he shouldn’t advertise it as either Cambodi or Kinam. They mocked and jeered in turn, as they spat blood-red beetle nut juice from their lips.
“Do you know how many times I’ve been to Sri Lanka?” I said. “How many times has
he been to Sri Lanka? Ask him!”
“Hahahahaaaa! Sri Lanka!....” the red-toothed beetle-nut-filled mouth kept hollering.
“My company literally MOVED to Sri Lanka last year,” I insisted. “My colleague
lived in Sri Lanka for three months! I’ve distilled
hundreds of kilograms of walla patta. I can recognize WP with my eyes closed!”
“Chiem Po Chai Kinam!” the guy shouted.
All his Guallams were Bruneis, too—and a dodgy old Malaysian oil I wouldn’t swipe on a dog was being showcased as the pinnacle of ancient Vietnamese oud.
The disgust and repulsion I feel having seen what I just saw cannot be put into words. They took pictures of me while I wasn’t looking, supposedly to show proof that I visited or whatever. I’m on the train South as I write this, headed to my distillery where new batches of unmentionables await collection. Sadly, I won’t be sharing any Cambodian walla patta this time. Let’s see what my teacher has distilled for your grandchildren.