I don’t know if the word “coolie” is disparaging or not. Probably so.
Anyway, I used to have one when I still lived in Bakersfield that I wore while working in my veggie garden and tending to my layers.
It was the kind with a frame inside that sat snugly on my head and held the hat up, allowing air to circulate through. I got it in Hong Kong while in the Navy. It was great, though I did attract a lot of attention in that very conservative town.
Where can I get another one? One with the frame?
Peace,
mangeorge
If you don’t want to mail-order, head down to your local nursery. I’ve found them on the wall behind the gardening tools quite often.
They’re quite good. Try your luck at a Vietnamese grocery. The bigger stores here in Sydney often sell them (nearly all the Vietnamese here would probably be embarrassed to wear one, but there’s a market in old ladies who are new arrivals in the country, recently sponsored here by their adult children who came in the 70s and 80s. It’s not uncommon to see them wearing these in busy suburban streets here).
They are incredibly light and comfortable on your head (the er… hats, not the old ladies).
The one’s I’ve seen don’t have any infrastructure to keep the hat from contacting your head. According to Wikipedia, San Jose’s population is 9% Vietnamese, so I bet you would have no problem finding one down there. Plus, you can ge get an excellent bowl of pho and a Bánh mì while you are down there.
I can get a pretty good bowl at (ahem) Pho House here in Berkeley. Cute, huh. 
But, while shopping in San Jose for a hat, I may stop in.
On a cool evening. Good stuff.
Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen them in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which is probably just a BART ride away.
Psh. Over in Seattle we’ve got Pho You. It was intentional, though, so I don’t know if that makes it better or worse…
Amateurs! The legendary Pho An in Sydney has the slogan: So Pho So Good.
The Chinese restaurant next to my Dad’s place in Milbrae is Fook Yuen. I have no idea how it is pronounced, but I giggle every time I go past it. It’s not bad, but its dim sum is way overpriced.
One of my local Pho restaurants has a latina waitress. I try to say what I consider the normal pronunciation of “fuh” when ordering pho. She goes, “What? Tofu?”. I go, “No, I want some “fuh” or “foe””. She goes “What?”. Goddamn stupid twat give a goddamn large #16, all right? This is at a goddamn Vietnamese restaurant. Jeez it’s hard to get decent help these days. I’m scared now, and have gone back to ordering “foe” and seem to be doing better.
I was going to say exactly that- if you are in Berkeley, then you are close enough to a great Chinatown to find one.
The hats referenced all seem a little floppy. The hats I’ve always seen (in the movies, granted) seemed more rigid and had a sharper point. Is there a difference?
The hats shown are Vietnamese. Chinese ones are different, with a sharper point.
I need a hat. I think I’ll go to Old Chinatown this weekend. 
I have awestruck respect for the foodie sensibilities of Berkeley (and I’m not being facetious), but I’ve eaten in both towns and cast my vote for the superiority of San Jose’s Vietnamese food. We’re not a glamorous town, but by george we have fabulous pho, banh mi and bun.
There’s a big Vietnamese mall on the corner of McLaughlin and Story here which may have the hat you’re looking for, though I won’t vouch for it. It does have clothing stores selling Vietnamese duds. What I will vouch for is the excellence of the large food court, which is a bit like a poor man’s trip to Vietnam. And the “Paloma Cafe” has Vietnamese coffee so good that you’ll become an addict.
You should have told her to go pho herself.
That alliteration is really annoying.
The first one is a “Shanghai Shader.” OK, kind of desperate - who calls a hat a “shader?” - but it works, I guess. Next is the “Bangkok bonnet” - better. But the “Phuket pith-helmet?” That is just clutching at straws.
I guess we should be thankful that the link to “Ho Chi Minh Heat Helmet” is broken.
I’ve had some pretty good bowls in Berkely, myself. What did you say before that?
The one I brought back had a “primitive” headband made of similar material as the crown. It was sligtly rounded, like the Vietnamese ones, and large. It shaded my entire face and neck. I got it in Hong Kong, so it could’ve been from anywhere. The merchant adjusted the headband to fit my big head, and charged me the equivalent of under a buck. He got a kick out of the size of my head.
I’ll bart over to S.F. and look around Chinatown. This time I’ll ask. I haven’t had a meal in the alley there for years. Then I’ll try to find the fortune cookie factory and score me a bag of fresh one’s.
Bart needs to extend to San Jose. But I may go there too.