Monthly Archives: November 2009

New Notes and Photos

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One of the wonderful things about this little community on Xanga is how it connects you to creative and interesting people both inside and outside the community.

Evan wrote a recent entry in which he linked to photographer Phillip Toledano’s online slideshow titled Days with My Father.  Following his mother’s death, Toledano cared for his father, who had no short-term memory.  The three years they spent together are beautifully captured through his photos and words.

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When you click on the link, it will take a few moments for all the thumbnails to load.  Click on the upper left thumbnail to begin and then navigate through the slideshow by clicking at the bottom of each page when you are ready to advance.  The navigation took me a few moments to figure out but it is worth it.

Locus Ambrosia.jpg Another Xangan, Jason, is part of the Vancouver BC-based band Locus.  They just released their first album, Ambrosia. 

Described as “dream pop” their music is a combination of electronic, ambient and industrial rock.  Listen to their beautiful songs for free on MySpace.  You can download the album from iTunes by searching for “Locus Ambrosia”.

Add to this the many talented poets on Xanga and we have a very creative tribe here.

Ever Thought About Moving Back?

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In response to my recent entry about my fourth anniversary of moving to Thailand, Jason asked a pointed question: “Ever thought about moving back?”

From such a question is born a good blog entry, so here is my answer.

Why am I here?

Before I can think about moving back, I should explain why I’m here in Krungthep in the first place.  Tawn received his Master’s degree at University of San Francisco in 2003.  As part of the educational visas the US government provides, students are usually allowed to work for one year following the completion of their degree in order to get some practical experience.  After that year, though, the student needs to apply for a non-resident visa, usually an H-1B.

Without going into a lot of detail, H-1B visas are difficult to come by, especially in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 when the quantity of these visas was reduced to 65,000 a year, down from around 150,000 previously.  Because of their scarcity, only people with highly specialized skills are generally able to get employee sponsorship for the visa.  In this case, Tawn’s skills didn’t meet that threshold.

Because of that, Tawn faced the choice of either overstaying his visa or returning to Thailand.  He chose to follow the legal path and, not wanting to end the relationship, I chose to follow him here.

The Big Mango: Love It or Leave It?

They say that expats in Krungthep usually either love or hate living here.  I find myself somewhere in between, but closer to the loving it side.  There are many benefits to living here beyond the fact that Tawn is here.  From a cost of living standpoint, for example, we live significantly better off than we would if were living in the US, especially if we were still back in the San Francisco Bay Area.

There are things about life in the US, though, that I miss.  Most of all, I miss being near my family.  My grandparents both turn 90 next year and my nieces turn four and seven.  Everyone is getting older and seeing them once every nine months or so isn’t often enough.  Time is short and the opportunities to spend time with loved ones are fleeting.

At the same time, we have ties here, too.  Tawn is an only child and his parents are more demanding of his time and attention than mine are.  While it is hard for me to be far away from my family, I think it would be harder for Tawn to be away from his.

Would I?  Could I?

Even if we wanted to move back to the US, could we?  Tawn and I were married this summer in Iowa, one of only five states that currently allow same-sex marriage.  Here’s the bad news – news that most Americans (even gay ones!) don’t realize:

We can’t move back as a couple.

Thanks to the poorly named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the US federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages.  Immigration is a federal matter, so as long as DOMA is the law of the land Tawn and I cannot move back as a married couple.  Tawn could only move to the US as either a student or by applying for one of those hard-to-get H-1B visas.  Even if he did get in, we would be facing a ticking clock with little prospect of him being able to remain in the US over the long term.

[Update: In June 2013, the United States Supreme Court struck down the section of DOMA that is referenced above. Read about the impact of that decision on us here.]

Where Do You See Yourself in the Future?

I am asked this question each year during my annual performance appraisal, not so much because my boss expects the answer to change but because it is part of the Human Resources-designed appraisal process.  If I had to pull out my crystal ball, where do I see myself in the future?

In the near future – say the next three to five years – I see myself still here in Krungthep.  Even if Congress repealed DOMA, Tawn remains an only child and so I don’t see us moving back to the US anytime soon.

Looking beyond the five-year horizon, I think a lot of the future will depend upon events that happen, particularly regarding the health of both sets of our parents.  Changing circumstances may dictate where one or the other of us spends more of our time, be it here or back in the US.

As we get to about ten years, I think we will likely look for options outside of Krungthep.  Maybe that means having a country house where we can spend most of our time.  Maybe that means living outside of Thailand (not necessarily in the US) for a portion of the year.  If we could split our time between Paris and Krungthep, that would be great!  Of course, this all depends upon developing jobs where we can move about readily.  I already have that job.  Tawn doesn’t, yet.

Yes, but would you move back to the US?

In a way, I’m dancing around that question.  As much as I miss people (and a few restaurants) in the US, I don’t particularly miss life in the US for several reasons:

There is a lot of arrogance bred of insularity and ignorance.  Too many Americans not only have never traveled abroad, they don’t care to inform themselves of the perspectives and values of other countries and cultures.  Witness the horror with which Americans react to the suggestion that Canadians, French or Japanese might have something to teach us about how to run a health care system.

Discourse is increasingly shrill and intolerant.  Thanks to the splintering of the media, people increasingly seek out and find channels that serve only to reinforce their already-held beliefs and perspectives.  I don’t see how that serves democracy well and it certainly hasn’t improved the level of discourse within the US, either on political or social issues.  I want to be able to communicate with others, not be shouted at by them.

Finally, the influence of corporations on public life and politics in the US continues to expand to dangerous levels.  Many other countries have done a better job putting limits on the legal rights of corporations, deferring instead to the rights of individuals.  Many other countries have also done a better job of limiting corporations’ involvement in politics.

To answer your question, Jason, I have thought about it.  But even if the legal barriers to moving back were to fall away and even if there were no family ties holding us here in Thailand, I don’t think we would move back to the US, at least not full-time.

More Loaves and Fishes – with Recipe

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I just sent the recipe for this no-knead bread to chow and it occurred to me that there’s no reason for me not to share it with you.  So, my apologies for reposting but if you’re interested in the recipe for this bread, you’ll find it below.

The oven rarely cools down as I turn out another loaf of bread every few days.  I’m becoming comfortable with the pale ale pot boule recipe in “Kneadlessly Simple” and am experimenting with the recipe a bit (after I mastered the original recipe, Sheldon) and am now mixing in small amounts of rye flour, corn meal and oats.  It makes for a very interesting, flavorful bread.

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Before and after shots of one of my recent loaves.  It turned out beautifully.  We’re having panini at least one night every week and toast with our oatmeal every morning.

Have I explained the no-knead process to you?  It is tremendously easy.  You stir the ingredients together in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then allow it to rise in a cool temperature (we’re placing it right under the air conditioner so it is at about 70 F) overnight or until doubled.  You can precede that rise with a rest in the refrigerator of up to eight hours, which gives the dough more time to develop flavor.

You can then shape the dough into whatever shape or pan you want it in, let it rise at normal room temperature until it has almost doubled again, then bake it.  Start with a very hot oven and then cool it down after putting the loaf in.  This gives you a big initial “poof” in the loaf, then allows it to finish cooking through without burning the exterior.

Added content below:

Here’s the recipe with a few process modifications based on what I’ve learned.  The original recipe comes from the book “Kneadlessley Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads” by Nancy Baggett.  No-knead breads gained some interest after Mark Bittman wrote a column about them.  CI did a follow-up recipe in which they came up with some improvements (less in the recipe than in the technique).  I’ve incorporated those into Baggett’s recipe for a crusty pale ale pot boule.

Crusty Pale Ale Pot Boule
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12-14 slices

4.5 cups (22.5 oz) all-purpose white flour
3 T granulated sugar
Scant 2 t table salt
3/4 t instant yeast
1 bottle (12 oz) well-chilled pale ale or beer (I use Singha)
1/2 cup ice water or more if needed
Vegetable oil or oil spray for coating dough top
3 T sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the dry ingredients.  Vigorously stir in the ale and water, scraping down the bowl sides completely and mixing until the bubbling subsides and the dough is thoroughly blended.  If it is too dry to mix together, gradually stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients.  Don’t over-moisten as the dough should be stiffer than normal bread dough.

Brush or spray the top of the dough with oil.  Tightly cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 3-10 hours.  Then let rise at cool room temperature for 10-18 hours or until a bit more than doubled.  If convenient, vigorously stir once about halfway during the rise.

Gently lift and fold the dough in towards the center, shaping into a boule.  Place on a long (about 18-inch) length of parchment paper placed in a cake pan or pyrex pie plate so the dough doesn’t spread too wide.  If necessary, spray/brush the top of the dough with oil and loosely place plastic wrap over the top to keep the dough from forming a skin.  Allow a 1.5-2.5 hour regular rise at warm room temperature or until doubled. 

About 20 minutes before baking, put a rack in the lower third of your oven.  Put a heavy metal pot or Dutch oven (with cover) on the rack and pre-heat to 450 F.  While the oven is preheating you can slash the top of your loaf with a sharp knife.  You can also add the optional seeds, spraying the top of the loaf with water and then sprinkling the seeds generously.

Once fully heated, remove the Dutch oven (working carefully – HOT!) and transfer the loaf to the pot by lifting the corners of the parchment paper.  Gently shake the pot so the dough settles.  If it is a bit uneven, that’s okay – it will work out during the baking.  Give a good spray or two of water on top of the loaf then put the cover back on, placing the pot back in the oven.

Reduce the heat to 425 F and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid of the pot, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for about another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 208-210 F on an instant-read thermometer.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for about ten minutes before removing the loaf to cool on the rack.

Notes:

  • Regarding the flour, I regularly mix in up to a cup of whole grain flour, usually rye, with good effect.  I’ve also added up to a 1/4 cup of cornmeal which also adds a nice texture.
  • If you live in a warmer climate or it is summertime, for the second rise after shaping you could use the refrigerator for a rise of up to 24 hours, setting out just at the end. 
  • I place a baking stone in my oven to help keep the heat stable when I open the oven door.
  • I’ve tried baking this without the Dutch Oven and the crust doesn’t turn out as nice, even if I put a dish of hot water at the bottom of the oven.  If you want a softer crust, though, then feel free to bake it in another container or directly on the baking stone.
  • If your Dutch oven doesn’t have a tight fitting lid, it is a good idea to put a sheet of foil under the lid.  This keeps the moisture inside the Dutch oven, creating a steam environment and making for a nice crust.
  • The timing will depend on your oven.  Sometimes after the initial thirty minutes I will remove the loaf from the pan and cook it directly on the baking stone.

 

Continuing with the original post:

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Some of the employees at the coffee shop at which my Thai tutor and I have been meeting for more than three years, Bitter Brown on Soi Asoke, have a talent for latte art.  This isn’t a normal occurrence but the other afternoon I was about to add sugar to my latte when Khru Kitiya (“Teacher” Kitiya) pointed out the fish.  Cute, isn’t it?