Mekong Bob

AS to the grind, whatever grind they use for the mince pork at Rimping, Big C and every Thai market in Chiangmai has always worked fine and I have made both Patties and Links.

That's good as that is what I bought. Bought some at Rimping and some at Lotus in case there is a difference and will see which works best.

Tywais,

Are you using the 10-lbs of pork recipe for both Rimping and Lotus, or smaller amounts?

We're all waiting to see how it turns out - let us know!

Rather a lot of salt - 8 Tbsp ? Nothing else you can use - think of the old ticker !

Bob

Wonder if it is supposed to be teaspoon rather than tablespoon. Other recipes use about one teaspoon to the pound.

Correct, it was 8 Tsp, my mistake, sorry about that.....

Diablo Bob,

After adjusting the salt in your recipe to teaspoons, is everything else okay, as shown in your recipe? Thanks.

Mekong Bob

I'm still holding out for a nice, sage-seasoned homemadeb breakfast sausage patty like good old Jimmy Dean sausage.

Get hold of Rob over at Sausage King - they do a great Jimmy Dean with no MSG

Have used this recipe for years and it tastes just like Jimmy Dean...... and no MSG.

Breakfast Sausage

Ingredients:

10 lbs. ground pork (high fat content)

8 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. White pepper

2 Tbsp. Rubbed sage (optional)

1 tsp. Powdered ginger

1 Tbsp. Nutmeg

1 Tbsp. Cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. Black pepper

Process:

Grind pork through fine seive, and add 1 cup ice water, seasonings

and mix well. Stuff into sleeve, or make into patties.

If you like HOT, add red pepper to taste.

Yummm, sounds good! How important is the fat content of the pork? Is there such a thing as "low-fat" pork sausage?

I'm still holding out for a nice, sage-seasoned homemadeb breakfast sausage patty like good old Jimmy Dean sausage.

Can you recommend a data retrieval software program and a reliable local service for data retrieval?

Thanks!

Can U.S. citizens in Chiang Mai obtain absentee ballots at the Chiang Mai Consulate?

Can completed ballots be submitted to consulate for forwarding to local U.S. boards of elections, or do these need to be mailed from Thai post office by each voter?

Phonyangkham supplies Thai-French premium beef to an impressive list of Chiang Mai restaurants and hotels, including Four Seasons; Duke's; Riverside Market; Khanthary Hills; Yummy Pizza; et al. Phongyangkham's highest-priced beef in stock is tenderloin, priced at about 1,300 baht per kilo. This is the "regular grade" tenderloin, and it's the tenderloin ordered by most hotels and restaurants. Their "grade A" tenderloin (best marbling) is about 1,400 baht per kilo, but there's little to no demand for it in Chiang Mai at this time. None in stock.

Rimping is stocked with the Kasetsart University premium beef (the other Thailand "kho-khun" premium beef). Chez Marco Restaurant prefers the KU beef.

I'll continue to develop these details (for my own interest), but will be happy to post what I find for my fellow beef-lovers on ThaiVisa.

Ha did what I said I was going to do and got just what I needed with little problem and a short wait ........ Thanks for everyones advice ... Now trying step two ......

Huh? Can you please elaborate a bit. Many of us are sincerely interested to hear from you on this.

I agree w/Aristide, no only the best I've found by a long shot but the also carry cuts that I've haven't been able to source here such as flank steal.

I thought I was the only one who liked flank steak. When ever Rimping has it I grab one. It is a tough cut of meat but that never bothered me. When I finally found it here the wife put some sort of seasoning tenderizer on it and just nuked it. I couldn't believe how tasty it was and no where near as tough as I was used to back in Canada.

As Rob says Chicken and Pork are so much cheaper over here that is the only time I eat beef except for the odd hamburger.

They usually have it at the Pongyangkam store and other cuts that you might enjoy. As with all food products it's about the proper handling beginning with buying to the plating. Two of the most important details concerning beef is choosing a correct cooking method and cutting the meat against the grain when applicable (this will make it much more tender). The thought of using tenderizer and a microwave goes against the principles I know and follow in my kitchen but if it works and you enjoy your a lucky man to have a wife that can please your palate!

I'm still struggling with making the best selection - where to buy in Chiang Mai (meat markets or restaurants); aging of the beef; variety of cuts; marbling; and (of course) price.

Junglechef offers excellent tips on preparing the selected piece of beef, and I will pass these on to my wife for sure.

With quality fresh pork and chicken so cheap at Makro, beef no longer holds the same appeal. I did notice a strip-loin of NZ beef in the freezer at 880 bt/kg which I thought reasonable.

I have yet to taste hi-quality Thai beef and curious to know how it compares with equivalent NZ/Aus cuts. Bob, what cut did you sample and how cooked?

At Chez Marco, I ordered a tenderloin, medium rare. It was very tender and very tasty, and I asked the waitress to confirm it is local Thai beef, and I asked where the restaurant buys this meat. She said they buy at Rimping, and next day I asked the Rimping (Nim City) chief butcher which beef is bought by Chez Marco. He showed me the tenderloin priced at about 1,300 baht per kilogram. As I recall, it was labeled "kho-khun" beef. The piece we grilled at home was equally delicious.

Rob, I'd be interested in seeing a list of "steak houses" in Chiang Mai, the type of premium steaks they serve, and their distributor. I'm thinking of such places as The Steak House (JJ Market); Phonyangkham Steak House; Steak House (Le Crystal); Riverside Market; Duke's; etc., with particular focus on local Thai premium steaks.

Thanks to Aristide, I now understand that the Thai term "kho-khun" beef is a general term referring to a wide variety of premium beef types. This premium beef is produced from cattle that are crosses between imported and native breeds. The premium beef female lines are derived from Brahman and native breeds crossed with imported breeds such as the Charolais

On my next trips to Rimping, Northern Farm, and Phonyangkham here in Chiang Mai, I will ask the butchers to be more specific about the premium (“kho-khun”) beef they offer. Phonyangkham is Thai-French beef, according to my Google research.

May I assume that “Thai-French beef” and “Kasetsart University beef” are specific beef types developed from specific breeds and cross-breeds of beef cattle in Thailand? What other premium beef types are produced in Thailand? Have these types been evaluated and ranked?

Hope there are some ThaiVisa members who can help us become better-informed consumers.

I had a great piece of kho-khun beef at Chez Marco the other day - as good as any Australian or New Zealand beef I have had in Thailand.

Rimping (Nim City) sells this local beef, and it's aboot 1,300 baht per kilogram.

Has anyone found other restaurants in Chiang Mai which feature this beef on their menu?

Unlike USA, Thailand does not consider land & property details to be "public information."

All the ideas posted above, with the exception of "tea money," sound good to me.

What is essential in any effort to acquire the desired details is to have your Thai spouse (or a Thai real estate agent or Thai lawyer) make all inquiries. The minute a farang inserts himself into the effort, the negotiations will fall apart.

Good luck.

Where did you get the information that this is not public?

MSPain

"The land title deed is a public document available from the Land Registry, so it's straightforward to verify, for those of us who can read Thai."

Common knowledge that the Land Registry folks are extremely reluctant to provide details on land - not just dimensions, area, plot numbers, but especially name and contact info of owner. The issue of property listings (house or building on the land) is even more difficult to obtain as "public information". In some countries (e.g., USA) all this stuff is on the Internet - house, square footage, number of bedroom, baths, etc, year built, most recent sale price, assessed value, etc.

Can you kindly tell us the source of the info which you have quoted? Why is it quoted? Please share your personal experience with obtaining info on land title deeds in Chiang Mai at a Land Registry Office - did you submit an official request on a Land Registry Office form?

Thanks for sharing.

P.S. I read Thai (fluent).

The quote is not mine. I was asking how you got your information so I could better understand. You mentioned that Thailand does not consider it public information. I thought I saw that it was public information somewhere. I thought you might have factual information from what you had posted. I'm not sure what common knowledge refers to. It could be that it is supposed to be public but the land office will not share it. I'm not sure. I read some translated Acts, but since you can read Thai fluently you would have a better handle on it I'm sure.

MSPain

Gotcha! The quote is not yours? How about the post itself? Is that yours?

As for my statement that Thai land & property info is not public info, I thought I saw that it was not public information somewhere. I was hoping you might have factual information to either confirm or deny my statement. If you found something relevant in some "translated Acts," please do let us know. Many thanks!

Unlike USA, Thailand does not consider land & property details to be "public information."

All the ideas posted above, with the exception of "tea money," sound good to me.

What is essential in any effort to acquire the desired details is to have your Thai spouse (or a Thai real estate agent or Thai lawyer) make all inquiries. The minute a farang inserts himself into the effort, the negotiations will fall apart.

Good luck.

Where did you get the information that this is not public?

MSPain

"The land title deed is a public document available from the Land Registry, so it's straightforward to verify, for those of us who can read Thai."

Common knowledge that the Land Registry folks are extremely reluctant to provide details on land - not just dimensions, area, plot numbers, but especially name and contact info of owner. The issue of property listings (house or building on the land) is even more difficult to obtain as "public information". In some countries (e.g., USA) all this stuff is on the Internet - house, square footage, number of bedroom, baths, etc, year built, most recent sale price, assessed value, etc.

Can you kindly tell us the source of the info which you have quoted? Why is it quoted? Please share your personal experience with obtaining info on land title deeds in Chiang Mai at a Land Registry Office - did you submit an official request on a Land Registry Office form?

Thanks for sharing.

P.S. I read Thai (fluent).

Finally I got the chance to taste the upstairs restaurant "my vietnamese food" and though I can understand how one may like that one but I'm still sticking with the downstairs on "Saigon Oi"

As I had suspected the "my vietnamese" is tailored to thai taste, infact most of the vietnamese restaurant are influenced by Laos-Vietnamese and even Issan-vietnamese.

However Saigon Oi is straight from ho chi minh city formerly known as Saigon. Take for example, the noodle used in "my vietnamese" can normally be found in thailand but take a look at the noodle from "saigon oi" it is almost identical to the ones found in southern vietnam.

Born in raised in Garden Grove, CA (largest viet population outside of Vietnam) I can concur that the style of food at "saigon oi" is more authentic. I have met a few vietnamese immigrants (from southern vietnam) has agreed with me

Now thats not to say authentic always taste better, but the select few that are looking for authentic saigon oi is the place.

I'm not gonna argue which taste better as our taste buds are all slightly different.

So each to their own but I highly suggest trying both places if your vietnamese food is your thing and decide for yourself.

Seesip, I agree the kitchen can be slow at times.

I love Vietnamese beef noodle soup ("pho"), and Northern Virginia has some great pho restaurants. They all use flank steak, sliced very thin. My experience in Chiang Mai is that the beef is chewy and without flavor. Please tell me that these shops identified above are now using "kho-khun" beef!!!

Unlike USA, Thailand does not consider land & property details to be "public information."

All the ideas posted above, with the exception of "tea money," sound good to me.

What is essential in any effort to acquire the desired details is to have your Thai spouse (or a Thai real estate agent or Thai lawyer) make all inquiries. The minute a farang inserts himself into the effort, the negotiations will fall apart.

Good luck.

HI....

haven't been there for a while, but a pleasant place to hang out, little bamboo place with a shop house restaraunt behind it (Benmore shots 32 bt).

Owner is a friendly chap known as MR Ben! It's in the row of shops on the left before the Royal Flora junction...

A little further on is Yummee Pizza hosted by Mr Toni, he has a great live music jam night on Wednesday evenings..... it's ion the grounds of the golf driving range there

A little further on is Doi Kham fish, good place to eat thai food... usually quite busy, but nice food....

all these are in the km before the Royal Flora turn.... I'll be wearing a red rose in my left lapel

I believe Khrua Doi Kham (Doi Kham Kitchen) Restaurant, which is opposite Ban Nai Fan on Canal Road, may be going underwater. Original owner sold it 6 months ago, and the seafood variety and tastes took a dive. Some say it will soon be closed. Anybody know for sure?

Is Kan Air still flying? The Kan Air website is not maintained and all links are dead. No one picks up phone.

Anybody know the current flight info and fare from Chiang Mai nto Chiang Rai and return?

Just got off phone with Kan Air office in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai flights suspended untl "year-end".

Is Kan Air still flying? The Kan Air website is not maintained and all links are dead. No one picks up phone.

Anybody know the current flight info and fare from Chiang Mai nto Chiang Rai and return?

What's missing?

A lack of foreigners.

Southern charm & hospitality.

Realistic prices on quality merchandise (all of Thailand).

Proper fish 'n chips shop (never going to happen).

Proper fish 'n' chips would have to be the firm and flakey haddock or halibut fish - not the John Dory (sp?) fish that's used in Thailand.

Available in Chiang Mai? Thanks!

What about Jimmy Dean sausage patties - America's favorite? Available in Chiang Mai? Any good local versions you can tell us about?

Not interested in Cumberland sausage.

Makro Hang Dong has Carlsberg in cans (24 cans per case), 855 baht per case, as of this morning (Wednesday).

That's 35.63 baht per can.

Can anyone tell me if MAKRO superhighway or Hang Dong has stock of Beer Lao, light & dark. I will be coming into town for a stock up run and can't get a straight answer from Makro on the phone. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

As of yesterday (Sunday), Makro Hang Dong has Lao Beer (regular and dark) small bottles, priced at 860-890 baht per 24-bottle carton. Also have large bottles of Carlsberg, priced at about same price as Heineken.

Anyone found small bottles of Carlsberg in supermarkets yet?

Let me fix my first translation:

ไท หรือ ไต มีความหมายว่า มนุษย์ ในภาษาที่กลุ่มชนลาวพูดกัน ซึ่งไม่ได้มีความหมายแสดงความหมายถึงกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์แต่อย่างใด (Tai or Dtai, meaning "human beings" in the Tai or Dtai language groups, which doesn't specify ethnic identity.)

Thai or Tai, according to the Lao . . . .

Where are we going with this string? What about that initial reference to "kidney"? Resolved?