In a country where most people were uneasy discussing sex, Mechai Viravaidya pushed the conversation out into the open. He made contraceptives readily available throughout the country, and even launched a chain of restaurants named Condoms and Cabbages. Mechai has helped improve the lives of millions of people in Thailand. And the Thai people have thanked him with an honor that is perhaps the greatest measure of his impact. When people in Thailand want a condom, they don’t call it a condom. Instead, they refer to it by the name of the man who taught them the importance of using one – they ask for a “Mechai.”