blue eyes

We have a piece of land that the wife had bought from her sister.It has a full chanot so it should be no problem with it.I do not wish to do anything with the land until it is in the wifes name.She has said to me that after you go to the ampor to apply for the land in your name they will post a notice that the land is being sold and anyone that have a claim has 3 months to claim.So it will take at least 3 months to get it done.Then they will do the survey of the land.BUT...........She has said that they do not like to survey in the rainy season.This could be the reason for the long delay in getting the chanot.

Mcdonald's fried chicken is actually pretty good and beats the pants off any of the Thai street stall chicken vendors that i've had and is arguably much better than KFC which is a salty greasy mess. Everything else offered by Mickey D's is pretty subpar health, taste, and cost wise for what you could make yourself though.

I can't hate on Burger King or Subway. I think Burger King's offerings are good when you crave a big fat greasy burger. Subway is still healthy enough that I don't quite classify it as typical fast food.

On the otherhand the pizza chains in Thailand are mostly overpriced garbage.

Fried chicken at Mc is good??Yeah right BK is fat greasy?Do not think so.The meat is broiled so the fat dripps off of the meat.My favorit fast food burger by the way.Subway healthy?If you like a ton of sodium in your meats.

I really enjoy the crickets fried in fresh oil with lime leaves and the grubs to.I will not buy them on the street because they do not tast good and I have no idea where they came from.Poison and all that you know.But to get them on our farm and fry them up fresh MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have this same problem.I could not stand all of the kissing,cheek pinching and holding that they have done with my daughter.But she is now 4yr and she is just fine.The one thing that I ALWAYS got enraged about was when someone would take her and disappear.My wife would say "it ok she with my friend".But where the hel_l is she "with my friend".The never ending story/With my friend...........Beat me with a stick until I accept it...................

A few years ago I worked in Paris and was astounded at the popularity of McDonalds and learnt that France has (maybe now "had") the greatest number per capita of Maccy Dees in the world. Astounding when you think how arrogant the French are about their food.

The point is, no matter what anybody thinks about the stuff, fast food is here to stay. Personally I just cannot understand why any sane person would queue up to buy a lukewarm hamburger, equally lukewarm insipid fried sticks of reconstituted stuff washed down by a concoction of chemicals and sugar. But it's their life and their money and I'd tell them to combine sex with travel if they tried telling me what to eat.

When I was in France (which I found the people to be the most smelly and rude of any people in the whole world,maybe that is why they call them frogs) I had the pleasure of eating fast food/street food.There was a cart on the street selling "hamburgers".A meat patty on a baguette with mustard.It was the best "hamburger "that I had ever had.I went back to them regularly to get them.I finally found out why they tasted so good.It was horse meat.I still went because they were so good.Some people have asked me why I would eat horse meat.Becuase it tastes GOOD.

As to the OP.I would say that most Thai street food is fast food and much of that is served in plastic and styrofoam ,not good for the enviroment.But I have to agree that Mc is not good for you or taste good.

Why would you want to rent farmland in Korat whan the growing season is over and the dry season is coming?

I had kapow roo in Australia.

Did you?

Um....yes...?

WOW really?? In Australia?Do they really have it there?

I have rented many "cars"over the years in Thailand.What I have found is Avis and Budget are the most expencive BUT I have good insurance and a big company to stand behind me if in an accident.I had rented a truck from a company in Korat once.It was a great truck new,clean,great price and in great shape.The reason I did not rent again from them was because of the insurance thing.They told me if I had an accident to call them right away and to tell the other person that my cousion will be here soon,it is his "car".Come to find out the company really did not have a supply of cars that they owened but a supply of friends that would rent their cars out through the car rental agency.Yes supposedly the cars did have insurance but I would think that if the insurance agent found out that the person was renting out their car the insurance would be no good.

My take on renting a car.....Unless you really know the "mom and pop" company go with the big boys.Better safe then sorry!

I am sad to hear another one of these stories.There are bad people throughout the world.This could happen,and does throught the world.I truly beileve that what goes around comes around.The victums attackers will get theirs sometime when they least expect it.Just another sad, sad day for humanity.

Rest in peace knowing that you tried in your heart to better the lives of some other people.

Slice the pineapple then place on a hot grill.What ever you do do not marinate shrimp with pinapple.I did it once and the shrimp became "mush".The acid broke down the shrimp.

The rat is the only thing the forces say not to eat it Carry's many deceases on it and in it.

What "forces"?

Highway 2 in Issan is just that, a highway that has high speeds on it.While travling this road you have to be perpared to jam on the brakes a every turn.You see they have no problem just taking their cows in large groups across the highway at any location at any time of the day or night.

Now imagen a high speed train going twice the speed of what the cars on highway 2 are doing.

WOW!!! I sure would not want to be any of those cows or anyone on that train as they cross the tracks.

If you eat any variaty of meats you will like BBQ rat.I would never eat one in the cities,but up in Issan where they come out of the paddies they are great.They are eating rice and like the beef that is corn feed are just the best.

I have always heard that Loei province is the clodest place in Thailand.

Horseradish is something very hard to come by in Thailand.My wife had never heard of it and when I got some she had never seen it or tasted it before.She did like it though.The number one way that she likes it is mixed with ketchup and lime juice for shrimp.

I enjoy some Thai dishs to be very hot,not just spicey.But other ones I like spicey but not hot.It really depends on the dish.I can handle super hot if I am at someone elses home.But that does not mean I like it like that.I have had some Thai people make a dish SUPER hot and watch to see my reaction as I ate it.They would ask "aloay"?I would look at them throiugh my watering eyes and say "aloay"but I not come back.Everyone would get a good laugh out of that.I grew up eating hot and spicey food from living around the world and have come to enjoy the pepper of many different kinds.

Here is a site about peppers that I think many people will find of interest.

http://userwebs.batnet.com/rwc-seed//peppe...ness.scale.html

I've never heard of using the juice of Kaffir limes, the leaves are widely used in Thai cooking but I don't think I've seen a recipe calling for the juice.

Edit: I stand corrected, I've found a couple of sources; the leaves still seem to be more popular up here though.

The leavs give you that great lime flavor without the acid of the lime.

Thought you may like a look at the little guys before they get cooked.We make this little trap right in to the mud on the rice /water side of the paddy.They just jump right in every night and a meal is made.

Assuming the OP meant a simple YAM dressing you can start with a basic 1:1 lime juice to fish sauce, add pinch of sugar and handful of crushed chilies. That will do.

I would add a pinch of ginger and garlic if you like.That is the way that the wife and I have eaten for years.

You have to use sweet rice wich is called sticky rice.If you want to get the best taste.

1-ripe mango of the ok rong,or nam dok rai variety make the best.

2-sticky rice,already cooked

3-coconut milk,not water or cream but coconut milk

4-palm sugar

5-a touch of salt

mix coconut milk,palm sugar and salt together,bring to a simmer just long enough to desolve the sugar and salt.Be carfull not to boil or it will seperate and you have to throw it out and try again.

At this point you can either mix the liquid with the rice or as I prefer just pour some liquid over the mango and rice.What I have found is many people forget the salt and that maked a big difference.

If you can get fish Red Snapper (Plah Kapong deang), Barramundi (Plah Kapong), Black Pomfret (Plah Jaramed) Grouper, Emperor, do have very few bones - usually one major bone and a few around/in the fins!

Shark-Cutlets (Steak)

"Tuna" Steak (usually large Asian Mackerel) - NO bones

genuine Tuna-Steak

Barracuda -Steak

The fresh water fish sold fresh at Tesco and BigC as well as Macro are all Farm raised,

they are infertile and probably stuffed with Chemicals and Antibiotic, as the farmed shrimps are!

get freshly caught suplies!

Be carefull of the barracuda. I still do eat barracuda on the BBQ but I never eat one larger then three pounds.The are all meat with a very little gut sack.As to the op? I like fresh water cat fish and large talapia,or these little mud fish beacuse you eat the whole fish,bones and all.The larger one is a talapia,see the bones?

CIGUATERA or Ichthyosarcotoxin

Ray McAllister

Ciguatera is a form of fish flesh poisoning, which is exactly what ichthyosarcotoxin means! It is grossly under reported in tropical areas of the world where it is often listed as "sick to one's stomach" or "gut flu", etc. Only in the really severe cases is it likely to be recognized as a potentially dangerous form of poisoning caused by eating the flesh of a variety of tropical fish, but particularly of barracuda.

The poison is apparently produced by a variety of tiny marine organisms, dinoflagellates, which typically grow on various marine algae. These include sargassum weed, sea lettuce, Dictyota, Caulerpa, spaghetti grass, peacock algae, etc. Here the dinoflagellates thrive under warm waters, particularly in summer and fall, and produce in their tissues a poison called ciguatoxin. The algae are often preferred foods for a variety of herbivorous fish which eat, not only the algae, but the associated dinoflagellates and their toxin. The fish appear not to be affected by the toxin, although how one would tell a nauseated or diarrheic fish, I'm not sure. It accumulates in the fatty tissues of the fish and remains there until a reef predator eats the herbivore and then it concentrates in the predator's fatty tissues. For predator you should read "barracuda, grouper, amberjack, snapper, etc." If the predator eats enough herbivores who have, in turn, eaten enough algae with attached dinoflagellates, a toxic dose of ciguatoxin is available for the members of the next trophic level (the critters-mostly man-that eat the predators!)

Now along comes a recreational or commercial fisherman and the predator ends up on someone's table. Again, depending upon the parts of the fish eaten and the amount eaten, ciguatera may manifest itself in a variety of ways.

While eating the same fish at the same table, a few folks will not be affected at all. A further few will report stomach problems and pass it off as "bad fish", while the unlucky ones will have severe stomach distress, and a variety of neurological symptoms such as aching joints, metallic or peppery taste, dryness in the mouth and throat, skin itches, dizziness and nausea and, very diagnostic, reversal of hot and cold sensation. It is reported that an ice cube touched to the tongue feels hot. Few will test a hot poker touched to the tongue, but I suppose it would feel cold. Apparently a few deaths have been reported by Dr. Jack Randall, mostly from eating significant amounts of large barracuda.

In Bermuda, there was a Warrant Officer at Kindley Air Force Base who liked to fish. He brought home a large barracuda one day and the family had this fine eating fish for supper. Then the symptoms started. Most of those listed above were present in the next few days. However, the symptoms persisted for weeks and eventually he and his family were sent back to the States on a medical transfer. I am told that 2 years later he still got dizzy when he stood up at his desk. This points up one of the other serious aspects of ciguatera. It apparently dissolves in fatty tissue in your body and is released over time as you metabolize this tissue, and the symptoms can persist for weeks to years. Yet some people seem not to be significantly affected.

There are no easy ways to tell if a particular fish is ciguatoxic. Many "old wives tales" exist but none are any good. DeSylva and Poli list a series of these tales and tell you THEY DO NOT WORK!

Silver does not discolor on contact with a ciguatoxic fish.

Flies are supposed to avoid landing on and eating toxic fish.

Ants wont feed on toxic fish.

Such a fish is "sick" and will not fight well when hooked.

Teeth of a toxic barracuda are dark in color and a safe barracuda has white teeth.

ALL FALSE!

I believe that the best way to tell is to fillet your fish, mark the packages with a death's head and feed the carcass to the neighbor's (dare I say it) cat! Watch the cat eat it! In a moment I'll tell you why this is important! If the cat eats a reasonable portion and is still OK the next day, scratch out the skull and eat the fish. While not foolproof, this appears to be an acceptable procedure for all but the neighbor and the neighbor's cat!

Recently a test for ciguatoxin in fish was reported. I understand it costs about $5.00 per fish, but with fish selling for $5/lb, ten lbs of fillets would be worth the price. The other preventative measure to insure that you don't get ciguatera is to eat only small marine carnivores. Many people say to eat fish weighing less that 10 lbs. Many years ago, one of the experts in the investigation of ciguatera (Mark Poli) told me on the telephone that he preferred 5 lbs and under. Yet even that is not totally dependable for Dr. Don DeSylva, of Miami's Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, reported several 4 lb barracuda which poisoned the consumers. Do not buy large, thick fillets which probably came from a large fish. Small snapper, grunts, etc are common and very tasty. Eat them.

The Atlantic Ocean occurrances are especially concentrated where medical services report possible poisoning, where large populations are concentrated and where folks eat a lot of fish. This means Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean nations. Most of the English language literature naturally lists Florida and Bahamas occurrances.

Some authorities recommend injections of mannitol as soon as possible after symptoms occur. For more information on this I refer you to Dr. Donald De Sylva, Prof. of Marine Science, Rosensteil School, 4800 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami 33149 (305) 350-7334.

There is another type of poisoning, called scombroid poisoning, which occurs if one eats a scombroid fish, particularly the mackerals and tunas, after they have been left in the sun and not iced. Some chemical in the outer flesh changes as the fish dries out and causes, in humans, very rapid pulse rates and severe reddening of the skin. It is very scary and couse conceivably cause death in a weak person. It is very different in symptoms and cause from ciguatera.

Now two anecdotes about ciguatera incidents (or non-incidents as the case may be.) While in Micronesia during Operation Stellaroid Control, looking for evidance of the Crown of Thorns Starfish depradations on the coral reefs of Truk, the Trukese native assisting us caught a doctorfish or tang on hook and line. He started to fillet it and give us all pieces as sashimi (raw fish). Dr. Bob Jones knocked it out of his hands telling him "Don't eat that. It is probably ciguatoxic." Tawn Paul, the native, said "no problem here, we eat these all the time!" Bob had just done his doctoral dissertation at the University of Hawaii on the association between the doctorfish of the same species and ciguatera. We tentatively ate a little raw doctorfish and had no ill effects but Dr. Jones would not touch it!

The last story is perhaps amusing now, but it was not at the time it happened. The Kindley Air Force Base Fishing Club held a large tournament offshore Bermuda and afterwards all met at one of the officer's house for a fish cookout. Late that night the last guest left and the lady of the house told her husband that she could not face all these fishy dishes in the morning so they set about cleaning up and putting dishes thru several fillings of the dishwasher. Early in the process she found a plate of uneaten barracuda and told her husband she'd put it out for the cat. She called the cat and left it eating the barracuda. When, much later, she went out to get the last plate, she found the dead cat next to the plate and she panicked. She called Colonel Frese, Kindley's head of the KAFB Hospital, who had been at the banquet, told him about the cat and asked what to do? Colonel Frese told her to organize a telephone network and get everyone who had been at the party to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped!

In the very wee hours of the morning, as she and her husband came back from the hospital, the neighbor's wife came over and told her "Honey, I did not want to spoil your party last night, but at 2AM when I drove my husband to the Base to fly a WB-50, I ran over your cat. Rather than spoil your evening I laid her at the door and figured to tell you this morning." The fish wife grabbed her by the throat and told her that, on the pain of sudden death, mention this to no one on the base. She said "Because of your kindness we pumped the stomachs of 40 couples and there are 80 unhappy officers and their wives who would get violent if they knew." I was told the story as the wife in question was leaving for the States and I think this is the first time a very good story has leaked out. So watch the cat eat the fish and keep track of it afterward so it doesn't get hit by a car!

By the way, I acknowledge the assistance now and in the past, of Dr. De Sylva, Dr. Mark Poli and Dr. Dan Baden, all of the Rosensteil School, who have given me papers, telephone interviews, etc.

Ray McAllister

All information and images are property of UnderSea Adventurers © 2000

What is the problem with killing snakes?They are a great source for protein,and taste good.

I have a Thai national that I will be helping in exchange for teaching me the language and customs that is the reason I asked about a maid's quarter.

This comment plus your lack of knowledge of Thailand sends up a red flag. Can we assume that you have never met this "Thai national" other than via the internet? Just be careful that the "customs" they show you are the good/legitimate ones, and not the ones about helping the foreigner empty his/her wallet. Do yourself a big favour and read as much as you can before you arrive, not only in thaivisa but in other grittier expat forums, so that you get some idea of exactly what can sometimes happen to naiive newbies. For example research the average wage here in Thailand before you settle on terms for your helper.

BIG BIG red flag!!!!!!!!!!!

Be very carefull with this!

How did you find this person?Why do they need to live with you?Do they not already have a place to live?This in it self makes me think you should think even more about what you are doing.Yes you are doing the right thing by asking questions but think very hard about all of the "answers" that you recive.And then rethink them again.This is Thailand!!And do not evre forget that!

BloodyBan

Very nice looking house mate.

As for my reply to Insi, I have some local village guys building for me. I am paying them as we go along.

Everytime they've asked for money they have got it. A price was agreed from the start, so we both know

were we stand. It just seems to have slowed down. They seem happy enough whilst working.

Maybe it's me, I'm already an impatient bastard. Anyway,I will post my photos so anyone can ask or rip

me to bits.

It could be that they are happy to get the cash spread out over a longer time as you pay them.If they work hard and fast you still pay the same cash to them but they get it sooner and in a greater amount in a shorter time.Remember many rural Thai's cannot save but will spend what they get quickly.They may "know themself"as my wife would say.So the longer it takes to work the longer they have money,even if it would still be the same amount in the end.

PumpuiJomiten,I do not drink soda or "gatorade"But I would think that there would be a problem with the drink if it is like you said it is.But then again.....elkangorito may be looking at it as a medical problem on your side.Some times a person may smell or taste something that is not there because of a medical problem that they do not know they have.You may want to look into that also.