Not all of us can afford the best in clothing and shoes, and often, we have to make do with cheaper substitutes.
This was exactly the scenario at a Bangkok school this week, when an English instructor witnessed one of the students in one of his classes wearing a cheapfucker ripoff pair of 'Adidas' trainers.
The trainers, or 'sneakers' as they are known in the colonies, were on the feet of a male student who was, most likely, 'proud as punch' in front of his friends, at being able to wear the trendy-looking slipper-type shoe in a tasteful powder-gray tone.
The fact remains: they were fake.
Not only were they fake, the manufacturers hadn't bothered to take many steps to ensure that their fakery wouldn't be exposed. The name emblazoned across the side of the shoes was not 'adidas', but 'abibas'; the trademark adidas sign of the trefoil - the three-leaved logo - had sprouted an extra leaf; there was an unreadable word on the outside of the shoe near the heel, and there was a big fuckoff 'M' on the tongue. It's unclear why.
The instructor later told us:
"This kid would have got his head kicked in back home, but here they are slightly less discerning. The trainers still looked pretty comfortable though."
