Thai frenzy for mango sticky rice after US festival cameo

Bangkok's famous Mae Varee mango sticky rice shop has barely kept up with demand over recent days. At one point so many delivery drivers had lined up outside to collect orders that the police arrived, concerned that their bikes were blocking the traffic.

- Rebecca Ratcliffe Navaon Siradapuvadol

“Yesterday we needed to close the delivery orders from time to time because we couldn't prepare [the rice) in time,” said Naparom Suntiparadorn, whose family owns the shop. On Sunday, orders were six or seven times higher than usual.

The frenzy came after a 19-year-old rapper known as Milli became the first Thai to perform solo at Coachella festival in California, and marked the occasion by eating the sweet treaton stage. Her performance, including the way she mocked cliched stereotypes of Thailand (“I don't ride an elephant”) and the Thai government, was applauded by many young Thais. “The country is good, people are good, our food is good but the government is bood [rotten]," she said.