Thai Desserts

Posted on 22 October 2011 by christao408

As we wait patiently for updates as to the flooding risk in Bangkok…

It has been a while since I’ve done an entry about food, so I thought I would share with you the plate full of Thai desserts that Tawn brought for me a few weeks ago when I was slaving away all afternoon on the computer.

The full plate – from left: rae rai, khanom tuay, khanom khii nuu (in the cup), and gluay bing. First off, the term “khanom” is an all-purpose word used for snacks or sweets.

Item 1:This is khanom khii nuu. I’m not sure you want me to translate the name as the literal meaning is pretty unappetizing. This dessert is almost like a sweet cous cous made of rice flour instead of wheat flour. The rice flour is mixed with jasmine water to make a paste, then it is pressed through a screen to make small granules. These are then wrapped in a cloth and weighted to press out any extra liquid, then steamed until cooked.

A simple syrup is made with more jasmine water, sugar, and (if desired) food coloring, which is then mixed into the cooked flour granules. Finally, the whole thing is placed in a container along with a jasmine candle, which is allowed to burn to impart additional aroma. It is served with a little bit of shredded mature coconut. The flavor and texture are delicate, almost a bit too delicate.

Item 2: Rae rai are basically rice flour noodles. They are made by mixing two types of rice flour (regular and glutinous) with coconut cream and jasmine water until it forms a dough. The dough is stirred over medium heat for about ten minutes until the flour is cooked. Food coloring is added and the dough is separated into small balls (about the size of ping pong balls) and then extruded through a device that looks a bit like a garlic press. The resulting noodles are steamed and then served with a combination of sugar and sesame seeds and a little bit of salted coconut cream. Also a delicate flavor but a bit more substantial than khanom khii nuu.

Item 3: Gluay bing, grilled bananas. A semi-ripe starchy type of banana is grilled at a low temperature and then flattened. It is then soaked in a mixture of coconut milk and palm sugar. I’m not a big banana fan, so this wasn’t a particular favorite of mine.

Item 4: Khanom tuay, literally a “cup snack”. The dough is made of rice flour, flavored and colored with pandanus leaf. These are steamed in small cup molds and, after being removed, are served with a palm sugar caramel with sesame seeds.

Inside view of the khanom tuay, which has a consistent texture throughout, something similar to mochi, the pounded sticky rice that is common in Japanese cuisine. This was my favorite, especially because of the texture. I like the chewy texture of mochi, caramel, taffy, etc.

So there you have it – Thai desserts to tide you over while we wait for news about the flooding. “The water is coming tonight,” said one of our guards as he inspected the wall of sandbags in front of our condo. Let’s hope when I wake up tomorrow, everything is still dry.

Flooding in Thailand

Posted on 18 October 2011 by christao408

You have perhaps heard that since August, Thailand has been coping with the worst flooding the country has experienced in 50 years. From the far north in Chiang Mai and other mountainous provinces, through the central plains, and now down to the region closest to the Gulf of Thailand, the country has experienced widespread destruction. At least 297 people have died, 700,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and estimates are that the waters could wind up costing the country US$5 billion, or about 1% of GDP.

The region currently affected is the southern half of the Central Plains, the rice bowl of Thailand. Nearly 15 million acres have been flooded, of which 3.4 million acres are farmland. The above graphic shows flooded areas in light blue. As you can see, the province of Ayutthaya, home to the ruins of the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam, is the most severely affected.

Many of the major ruins, temples, and historical sites in Ayutthaya have been affected by flood waters, some areas more than 2 meters deep. The United Nations is sending teams to help survey the UNESCO World Heritage sites and offer assistance.

The muddy waters of the Chao Phraya river cannot easily be contained, sweeping into cities and villages along its banks. Most of central Thailand is low-lying land. There are signs that those who live upriver from Bangkok feel that their land has been sacrificed in the name of keeping Bangkok safe. Since the last major flooding in Bangkok in 1995, extensive measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of flooding for the capital. One of those measure is the deliberate flooding of farmland in the provinces north of the city, the so-called “monkey cheeks” approach. Without a doubt, the impact of flooding farmland is much less than the impact of flooding major cities. Nonetheless, that is cold comfort for the familes directly impacted by those policies.

Unfortunately, the flooding has not been limited to farmland. Between Ayutthaya and Bangkok lie many industrial parks, home to manufacturing centers for companies from around the globe. As an example, Honda’s factory, which accounts for some 5% of its global production, was flooded. Pictured above, new Honda cars sit in the factory’s parking lot, some submerged and others partially floating.

Fortunately, most of Bangkok has thus far avoided the worst of it. Some of the northern districts, near the old Don Meuang Airport and Rangsit, have been affected, although not nearly as bad as elsewhere in the country. Our neighborhood, which is near an area at risk for flooding, is bracing for the next five days or so, until the surge that is coming down the river has safely passed the city.

A knee-high wall of sandbags has been erected around the base of our condo building. We have stocked up on bottled water, canned food, and other necessities. Supplies in the stores are low with many thinly-stocked shelves, a situation caused both by people stockpiling essentials but also because of disruptions in the supply chain. In fact, Tawn reported today that Starbucks has run out of espresso beans, some cups, and napkins. That, if anything, must be a sign of how bad it is! (Only kidding…)

Fortunately, there was no rain today. But there is an 80% chance of thunderstorms tonight and the rest of week looks stormy. I hope it gets no worse and, for the more than half of Thai provinces affected by the flooding, that the situation rapidly improves.

Uncle’s Egg Noodles on Ekamai

Posted on 9 September 2011 by christao408

How good would a bowl of bamee, the ubiquitous and simple Chinese-style egg noodles, have to be in order to justify a wait of ten, twenty, or even thirty minutes? For many residents of Bangkok, they would have to be as good as Uncle’s.

While practically everybody knows about this noodle shop, I only learned about it by reading Chawadee Nualkhair’s “Bangkok’s Top 50 Street Food Stalls,” a handy and well-written English language guide for anyone who is serious about eating good Thai street food.

You can find Uncle’s noodles (the stand also goes by the name “slow noodles” because of the wait) at the corner of Ekamai and Ekamai Soi 19. His cart is built on the back of a small pickup truck, a nifty arrangement that reminds me of the food trucks of Los Angeles, except with no Korean tacos. You have to place your order by writing on a pad – in Thai, of course. Best to have a friend come with you, write out your order in advance, or as Khun Chawadee suggests, if you are brave you can just copy the previous customer’s order!

The menu is quite simple: bamee (egg noodles) served either in soup or dry, with barbecue pork (“red pork”) and pork wontons. The ingredients are on display: your guarantee of freshness. Say, what are those black things in the display case? Nothing like a few phallic good luck charms to ensure good business. It seems that they’ve worked!

All of the seating is on the sidewalk, either on the Ekamai side or heading down the side soi. Orders to go are welcome, too. I’ll say that the location is a bit of a curse from an enjoyment perspective. There are a lot of big trucks traveling on Ekamai at night and the smoke and fumes take away from the experience. The stand doesn’t open up until after 8:00 each night, so at least the gridlock of cars isn’t there anymore. That might be worse.

Every noodle shop in Thailand – and I do mean every – offers customers condiments to dress their own noodles. Dried chili flakes, sugar, vinegar with chilies, and fish sauce (sometimes with chopped chilies). This allows each customer to perfect the seasoning.

Here’s my bowl of bamee with barbecued pork, chopped pork, fried pork fat, and a special ingredient: soft boiled egg. Pork-a-palooza! If you order the red pork at a rice and red pork stand, boiled egg is a standard condiment. However, at a noodle stand, the soft boiled egg is an unusual addition.

The question is, what makes this particular bamee so special? As I mentioned, people will wait up to thirty minutes to eat it and, honestly, at a certain level I think that bamee is bamee is bamee. But, there are a few things that separate good from mediocre bamee: Noodles are fresh, tender, and flavorful. Broth has a rich flavor. Ingredients are of high quality and are fresh. Uncle’s noodles has all of these qualities. The addition of crispy fried pork fat adds a little extra texture that is very flavorful, and the boiled egg is a nice addition, too.

We also ordered a bowl of wonton soup, which featured beautiful fresh wontons with a tasty interior along with some more of the red pork and chopped pork. Something that set the wontons apart is that the wrappers were especially delicate and thin, not chewy at all.

All in all, Uncle’s noodles are well worth searching out, although the location makes for a less than ideal dining experience.

James Bond on the Khlong Saen Saeb Express

Posted on 7 September 2011 by christao408

After two trips to the old city on Saturday to visit a lock store (which gave me the opportunity to see horses on the expressway while driving there), I needed to make a third and final visit on Monday, since the store was closed by the time I arrived on my second trip Saturday. This time, facing the prospect of weekday traffic, I decided to ride the Khlong (canal) Saen Saeb express boat into the old city.

I’ve written before about the Saen Saeb express boat in an entry about a journey on seven modes of transport in Bangkok. It is an 18-kilometer water route that cuts east-west through the middle of the greater Bangkok area, running from the northeastern outskirts of Bangkapi all the way to the edge of Rattanakosin Island, stopping adjacent to the Golden Mount. While the water is filthy and the boats are very crowded during rush hour, the express boats are not only an interesting way to get around, they are also a bargain with fares topping out at 20 baht, or about 65 American cents.

While the inbound ride was packed – some 50 people sitting and another 30 or so standing – the return trip from the heart of the city at 9:00 am was almost completely empty, just me an a handful of passengers. This gave me a chance to appreciate the breeze, which makes the canal express boats one of the coolest ways to travel. However, with the murky water sometimes splashing over the plastic barriers, your risk of Hepatitis A infection is also higher on the boats than on any other form of transit.

While enjoying the less crowded ride back home, I noticed the safety equipment that is lashed to the inside of the boat: flotation devices with a rather sinister man demonstrating their proper use. His reminds me a bit of Sean Connery as James Bond. What disturbs me, though, is not that James Bond is demonstrating the floatation devices. What disturbs me is that the man appears to be standing in water that is only hip-deep. If you’ve seen the water in Khlong Saen Saeb, you wouldn’t blame him!

Horses on the Expressway

Posted on 6 September 2011 by christao408

Saturday I had to drive twice to the old city to visit a store that sells door locks. This particular store because they are the only place that sells the particular knobs and locks we have on our doors. Two visits because I didn’t bring everything I needed the first time to get the right replacement part. While driving on the expressway into the old city, I saw what appeared to be a horse’s head sticking out of a truck a hundred meters or so in front of me.

As traffic thickened on the expressway, I pulled up alongside the truck and found it carrying four horses. Based on the police truck providing an escort, I concluded that these horses are part of the Royal Thai Police force’s mounted division. The police are using mounted units to patrol Sanam Luang, the 30-acre ceremonial field near the Grand Palace that reopened a few weeks ago after a year-long, US$6 million renovation. Interestingly, the first question that crossed my mind was, did the horses get loaded in alternating colors randomly or intentionally?

Helping Abandoned Buildings Shape Up

Posted on 4 September 2011 by christao408

The skyline of Bangkok bristles with the skeletons of unfinished buildings. These ghostly structures, frozen in various states of incompletion, number in the hundreds and most are a result of the Asian economic crisis on 1997-8. Recently, though, I’ve noticed that some of these buildings are being incorporated into advertising schemes.

One that caught my eye was this pair of buildings that appeared to be on a diet. Viewable from the expressway, I had passed the buildings several times but wanted to get a better shot. Sunday morning, I set out early and drove around that area of the city, somewhere between Khlong Toei and Rama III, to see if I could get a clear view and a good picture. It took about an hour to narrow down the location, but finally I eventually found a great view from the front gates of the Colgate-Palmolive complex right where Ratchadapisek Road parallels the Mahanakorn Expressway. Veering left onto a frontage road that continues under the expressway before turning right towards the railway tracks, I turned on the emergency blinkers, pulled to the shoulder of the road, and hopped out to take a picture.

The advertising is for Naturegift, a Thai company that makes powdered beverages (coffee, cocoa, and ginger) as well as capsules that claim to provide various health benefits. The message reads something to the effect of “A Mission Well-Suited for Naturegift.” The buildings’ columns have been cleverly altered with the use of black paint and temporary set pieces to make it look like they curve in at the buildings’ “waists” – giving the buildings more pleasing hourglass shaped figures. The “belts” on the buildings are also temporary set pieces. The use of black and red for the two belts implies that Naturegift is good for men and women.

In addition to making good use of abandoned buildings, Thai advertising has a knack for being quite clever. In this 30-second ad for Naturegift, which ran for many months before movies at cinemas here in Thailand, we see the promise that Naturegift will give you confidence. The inside joke from a cultural angle is that the women depicted here, while all being skinny, don’t have what would be considered typical beauty in a Thai sense. But they are most definitely confident!

Skytrain Sukhumvit Extension Opens

Posted on 1 September 2011 by christao408

Another piece of Bangkok’s transit network puzzle fell into place on August 12, as the 5-station extension to the BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit line opened. After more than a year’s delay caused by a problem ordering track switching mechanisms on time, passengers can now travel all the way to Soi Bearing (Sukhumvit 107). This extension gives access to the Bang Na district, a very congested area of the city that has long been in need of additional mass transit.

Updated map on the ticketing machine obscured the day before opening.

The BTS Skytrain, the first of Bangkok’s three rail transit systems, opened in December 1999 and currently operates a 55-km network composed of two lines and 32 stations. An average of about 472,000 trips are made on the system each day, with many days exceeding the half-million mark.

The five new stations all have the same design with the the tracks running through the center of the station and two platforms on the outside of the tracks. An improvement in these news stations, along with two stations on the Silom line that opened last year, is that the roof covers the entire space. The original stations have an opening in the area over the tracks, resulting in passengers being partially exposed to the elements, especially the when the sun is lower in the sky.

One improvement – all the new stations have elevators. Most of the stations in the system do not have elevators, making travel by train inconvenient for people in wheelchairs (who would have a hard time with most of Bangkok’s sidewalks, too) and parents with strollers. In front of the elevator doors are three safety posts, the purpose of which is not clear. Perhaps they are meant to keep someone from rolling out of the elevator and onto the tracks. I guess if someone was backing out they may not see where the edge of the tracks is, although they would have to travel a couple of meters before reaching it.

One challenge to mobility is that the stretch of Sukhumvit Road on which these new stations are built, has narrow sidewalks. The placement of station stairs and escalators essentially blacks the sidewalks, leaving no room for wheelchairs or strollers or even for two people to pass each other. This seems like a problem that could have been overcome, although I have noticed that the traffic lanes actually narrow as they pass beneath the stations, so perhaps squeezing out more space was impossible.

Fortunately, there are signs of some amount of foresight in the construction of the track viaduct and support structure. At the point between Udom Suk and Bang Na stations, the track viaduct is wide enough for two pairs of tracks. In the picture above, just above the pedestrian bridge, you can see the end caps for two additional tracks.

Turning 180 degrees and looking southeast along the tracks, the left side of the next support beam has a pad on which one of the track viaducts could rest. The train track passes between two levels of the expressway at Bang Na. One of the planned future extensions, although there is no specific timeframe in which it will be built, is to have a spur line branch off from the main Sukhumvit line and head northeast along the expressway. This extension would include a stop at the BITEC convention center. Currently, the closest station (Bang Na) is about a kilometer away, although an indoor walkway is being constructed to connect the station and the convention center and looks set to open in a few months.

The problem with the new five-station extension is that it is projected to add some 100,000 additional trips to the system each day, but during rush hour the system is already at peak capacity. This view of Asoke station, taken at 6:30 pm on a weekday, is too typical.

The layout of station entrances, something that would be difficult to change significantly, is narrow and results in ticket machine lines running into the fare gate lines running into still other lines. The entrance areas at the new stations seem to be wider, which will hopefully help. Another thing that would help at existing stations is to remove small retail kiosks adjacent to the fare gates. These consume real estate that could ease the congestion of foot traffic.

The capacity problem is less about station entrance design, though. It is primarily an issue of not enough train cars. There are 35, three-car Siemens trains on the system. Last year, following the opening of two new stations on the Silom line, 12, four-car Bombardier trains were added, running exclusively on the Silom line. This additional capacity was immediately swallowed up. In October 2010, the operator of the Skytrain ordered an additional car for each of the three-car trains, although it seems these will not arrive until at least next year. Also next year, an additional four-station extension will open on the Silom line. Dr. Pichet Kunadhamraks of the Ministry of Transport’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, indicated by email that he thinks these additional train cars will satisfy demand.

Earlier this year, the Transport Minister asked for residents’ patience until 2015, by which point some 60-plus kilometers of additional rail lines will have opened, adding to the approximately 103 kilometers currently operating. It will be interesting to see whether these new lines and extensions open on time and, if they do, what impact they have on the city’s traffic. Bangkok is a city that would be well-served if it had a comprehensive network of rail transit. It would also be well-served by a bus network that feeds into that network, rather than largely duplicating it. That, however, is a topic for another day.

Funny Condo Names

Posted on 26 August 2011 by christao408

Sometimes I think I should have a series in my blog for funny condominium project names here in Bangkok. I see advertisements for them from time to time and wonder how a particular name was chosen.

Take, for example, Rende. It is located on Sukhumvit Soi 23, one block east of Soi Asoke, so its claim of being just 5 minutes from the BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway is probably accurate. But what does it mean that it is an “artistic condo for art lovers?”

And the name “Rende”? Did they name the condo after the city of Rende, Italy? If so, why? Rende does have two museums, but neither is particularly noteworthy. Maybe the developers named the condo after the city because the city has the largest mall in southern Italy. Or maybe they named the condo after the Dutch word “rende,” which means “trough,” “furrow,” or “ditch.” That doesn’t sound very likely, either.

Oh, well, file this under “I” for “inexplicable.”

A Weekend with the Kids

Posted on 25 August 2011 by christao408

We have several social circles in our life here in Bangkok. One of those circles is with Tawn’s high school friends, most of whom are married and are starting their own families. Many of those friends are making a concerted effort to involve Tawn and me in their children’s lives. Last weekend we spent two days with three of these families – a total of four children under the age of four – at a “family friendly” resort in Cha-am, a beach town about three hours south of Bangkok.

Both afternoons we spent time in the pool, which thankfully was located so that it was in the shade. The weather was pleasant with a nice breeze, and all of the children enjoy the water. The experience was interesting on a number of levels, not the least of which was a chance to observe some of the differences between Thai and American parenting styles.

Saa with her 10-month old daughter Jaeda (in pink) and Kiri, the 7-month old son of another friend. I debated for several minutes before posting this picture, one of a very few on this blog that show me shirtless. (And, I’m sure you’re hoping, something that remains a rare sight! LOL)

Saa and Kiri. The following afternoon, the weather was just a bit cooler and breezier and when we put Kiri in his inflatable rocket, you could tell he was cold because his upper lip was shivering. It was very cute, but kind of sad, too. Eventually he warmed up a bit. In the background, I supervise as 3.5-year old JJ pulls his little sister around the pool.

This photo is of Job, Saa’s husband, going down the water slide with JJ. There’s a bit of a story here that illustrates some of the differences in parenting styles. Of course, I’m making broad generalizations, but Thai parents tend to be much more protective of their children. For example, Jaeda and Kiri are both just at the point where they have the strength to stand and Jaeda can even take a tentative few steps if she is holding onto something. But they never have the opportunity to fall because someone is always holding them or reaching out to catch them if they lose their balance. The American style is more inclined to let them fall, pick themselves up, and try again.

Now, the first day we were in the pool, JJ decided after about 10 minutes that he didn’t want to wear his floatation devices and wanted to move from the 45 cm-deep pool to the 80 cm-deep pool. He is pretty comfortable in the water and even in the deeper pool his head was still well clear of the water, so that was okay. After about an hour, he decided he wanted to try the slide and kept riding with his father.

The next day, everyone else was still lounging about upstairs so JJ and I went down to the pool together. After a few times down the slide, he decided he wanted to go down by himself. I thought to myself, “Okay, I’m not sure his parents would like this…” but I waited at the end of the slide to catch him if he had any trouble.

By the time his parents came down to the pool along with everyone else, JJ was going down the slide again and again, each time on his own and each time with no troubles. Sure enough, Saa was a bit surprised, but to her credit quickly realized that her son was able to handle himself without any trouble, although she did have to lecture him about not cutting in front of people who were waiting for the slide!

Later the first evening we were at the pier for a seafood dinner and JJ fell down and (ostensibly) scraped his knee. I didn’t see any broken skin but he insisted on having a plaster with blue elephants on it, applied to the injury. Before the plaster, he was holding an ice cube to the injury and then had great fun dropping the ice cube down his shorts leg. His mother did not find this as amusing.

One recurring theme for the weekend was that every time we got Kiri and Jaeda near each other, Jaeda would crawl over to Kiri and try and hug and kiss him, although with her fine motor skills still under development, it looked more like a mauling. Kiri didn’t like the attention, which Jaeda found greatly amusing. Good for her, taking rejection lightly! In this series, Kiri’s mother, Tao, tries to wrangle the two for a group photo.

Eventually, Jaeda caught Kiri at an unguarded moment and was able to plant a kiss right in the middle of his face. That was the end of our attempts to get a picture of them together!

Job and Saa with JJ and Jaeda with Uncle Tawn in the background. Not sure why Jaeda was trying to raise the roof. JJ is currently attending an international preschool where the primary language of instruction is English. Nonetheless, he wasn’t very forthcoming in English and we communicated mostly in Thai until late the second day when he did start using some English.

P1160119

In attempting to set up the previous family photo, JJ kept laying down to avoid having his picture taken. So I rotated the angle 90 degrees and got this photo, which I think is kind of an interesting one.

Tao with her son Kiri. Somehow, I didn’t manage to get a picture of her husband Pai. Kiri took quite a shine to me, as he seems to like being lifted up in the air and then dropped down suddenly and I was the only one who would do that again and again and again. Have I mentioned that my left shoulder has been sore since last weekend?

Group photo: Tawn with Jaeda and Saa; me with JJ; Tawn’s friend Jaa with her daughter Nam Ing; and Tao with Kiri.

I’m glad we had the opportunity to spend more time with Tawn’s friends and their children. It is important for them to be exposed to a wide variety of people and while their parents all speak English well, having the opportunity to learn to speak with a foreigner is good for the children.

In fact, in the days since our return, Tao called Tawn to say that she’s enrolling her son in an infant swimming class and was wondering if Uncle Chris might like to come along.

The Venice of the East

Posted on 23 August 2011 by christao408

Riding my bike a few weekends ago past the new Skytrain Sukhumvit Line extension (more about that later), I crossed this khlong, or canal, near the Third Stage Expressway. Bangkok has long been referred to as the Venice of the East, although most of the canals have either been filled in to make roads or are stagnant dumping grounds. This canal, though, flows unimpeded to the Chao Phraya River and seems to benefit from a twice-daily flushing by the tides.

The arrow on this map illustrates the location and direction of the first photo. It is charming that there are still communities that live on the edge of the water, whose land has not been expropriated for development into condos, hotels, and office buildings. Of course, in some areas, those are the poorest communities and homes are little more than corrugated tin shacks. In other areas, such as the Phra Khanong community in the first picture, residents are of modest means but their community is long-established with solidly-built homes and shops.

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

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