The Contracting Officer Who Loved Me

(* Alternate title: From Bangkok With Love)


We went to the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand's 2010 Installation Ball the other night, which also happened to be Chinese New Year and the night before Valentine's Day. The theme was "Casino Royale," after the James Bond book and film of the same name. The Hyatt Erawan Hotel went all out to decorate appropriately -- including bringing in this beautiful Aston Martin. We went with a bunch of our Embassy and USAID friends, and it was fun to see everyone all decked out in their formal finest.

The ball featured a silent auction. We bid on a few things and managed -- with some help from our Embassy pals -- to win a special oyster & wine dinner for ten people. There was also a trivia contest about James Bond movies in which each of the 34 tables was invited to participate. Patrick took over the answers for our table and ended up being the only person to get everything right, including the tie breaker questions. (Our friend Michael helped him with the name of one movie.) He won the grand prize -- a set of four James Bond movie DVDs for each of the eight people at our table. That's 32 007s!

The quiz is below for you to test your own knowledge of Bond lore. We're not so sure that Patrick should be proud of his excessively nerdy James Bond mastery, but at least it wasn't a Star Trek quiz!


CASINO ROYALE QUIZ
No Internet assistance allowed, by order of MI6

001. What American company made a vehicle driven by James Bond in Casino Royale?

a. Audi
b. Ford
c. BMW

002. Who played James Bond in Casino Royale?

a. Sean Connery
b. Pierce Brosnan
c. Daniel Craig

003. What is the last name of the CIA agent who assists Bond in Casino Royale and other Bond movies?

a. Panetta
b. Leiter
c. Benn

004. What is depicted on Vesper Lynd's necklace?

a. Celtic Trinity symbol
b. Algerian love knot
c. Diamond pendant

005. What was Le Chiffre's final hand against Bond?

a. Straight flush
b. Three of a kind
c. Full house

006. What was Bond's final hand against Le Chiffre?

a. Straight flush
b. Three of a kind
c. Full house

007. What is the recipe for Bond's "Vesper" martini, as described in Casino Royale?

"__ measures of Gordon's, __ measures of vodka, __ measures of Kina Lillet. Shake over ice and add a thin slice of _____ ____."

Tie Breakers

What were the cards in Le Chiffre's final hand against Bond?

What were the cards in Bond's final hand against Le Chiffre?

Name all of the actors who played James Bond and the movie(s) in which they starred.