SwaziBird

I'm afraid this would be difficult without direct feedback from the members. If you find posts that are factually incorrect, please use the report button on the bottom left to ask a moderator to edit or delete the offending information. We can then do so. Simply arbitrarily removing "out-of-date" posts because of their date would be frowned on by Admin.

Thanks p1p,

Thanks for the tip on how to use the system.

I knew there had to be a reason for things to be the way they are.

Cheers.

I was surprised at how much I enjoy beet root on a burger. Of course, it is a special kind that is soaked in vinegar.

I don't know how anyone that could come up with something this good, could also like the awful taste of Vegemite!

UG, you have now been inducted into the mysteries and privileges of the true Aussie Burger.

Up until now, you have never really lived. You have now seen the light.

Hope you had an egg on it as well .

Cheers

Not me. My sister and her friend.

Loaded and want to visit CM in a week or so.

What are all the best and or most expensive places to go in CM?

Ta

Lucifer,

As much as I'd like to answer your question and help your sister and her friend, I can't !

Theres a darned ANT or COCKROACH running around on my monitor screen and I can't get rid of it !!!!!!!

I've tried spray and it's still alive !

Cheers.

We all know, only too well, how establishments come and go in this city, perhaps none so quickly as places to eat.

We all know how,equally, this applies to ownership, chefs, service, ambience, quality, quantity and prices of fare.

Perhaps the persons who so very kindly arrange for the pinning of posts in this category might consider deleting recommendations (or otherwise ) that date back as far as the beginning of 2005.

I suggest this only for the sake of those who have not tried the establishments before and who might be persuaded or dissuaded from doing so by postings that are no longer accurate.

How say you ? I do realise that it might be very difficult to sort the chaff from the wheat and I don't want to burden anyone but, perhaps, an obsolescence date could be arbitarily applied with some benefit to all. This could give rise to fresh experiences being related where old postings have been removed ???

Thanks.

Cheers

I'm often asked why I moved to Chiang Mai, which can be a long story, depending on the listener, but I wonder why it is so many people stay here. The majority of ex-pats in Chiang Mai have seen and maybe lived in plenty of other places so what is it about Chiang Mai that compelled them to stay?

I'm wondering what people would say if they were asked ...

What are the 3 best things about living in Chiang Mai?

There are, I'm sure, much nicer cities or places in which to live - but, we simply can't afford them.

This ,then, gives rise to Reason No.1 (principal) - affordability (rents, transport, entertainment, food, clothing, medical and dental care etc.)

Reason No.2 Laid back, compact & convenient.

Reason No. 3 "crawls" with expats and has a fantastic Expat Club with any amount of social networking.

Although only asked to give 3 reasons , must add the fact that the Thais in CM are lovely and this is the place to practice being "nice" and polite and expect this to be a reciprocated norm.( If I were to display some of these "niceties" back in Australia or any other western country, they would arouse many supicions as to my motives and/or state of sanity !)

Also, we LOVE it here .

Thanks for asking.

Cheers

"Fair enough' to all those who suggest I should be a contributor, not a critic. I guess I have had to decide whether this was the right place to contribute something or not. I haven't been certain of that. And, more important, I hope to have something useful to share. Last, maybe I am just shy!

To those suggesting comparisons of this board to other "worse" sites, too bad for those fora and the people who read them!

To those loving the "flavor" of this Chiang Mai site, I agree that Chiang Mai has MANY flavors. I like that a lot, but I also believe some people are simply turned off by what they find here on this site and thus end up under-represented here. They just don't come back, let alone contribute. Should this forum just be a "chat room" for buddies? It certainly isn't that all the time, but maybe too much of the time.

Should the forum be an "encyclopaedia" of Chiang Mai I don't think so, and I don't hope so, but here's hoping it gets better than a parade of casual replies with "emoticons."

Hi Mapguy,

You're the freshest thing to hit the CM forum for a long time.

I do not mean to be sarcastic.

What you've done, is to galvanize members who have not only become very protective of their "institution' ( which, IMHO, is quite rightly the case) but who might also just be thinking of making it an even better forum.

I'm certain that you know full well, that there simply isn't a better CM forum in the WORLD - isn't that right ?

Get into it !

Enjoy.

Cheers

They never get tired of trying do they!!??

Ajaydee,

If I read you correctly, you are suggesting that they're trying something. I am me . I'm not a they.

Let me hasten to assure you that I am trying nothing. What you have read in my last post was simply an attempt to answer questions put to me by Bruce...

I was invited to express opinions.

My earlier post was made in the earnest hope that I might be able to assist by throwing some new approach on the quite clearly confused and confusing suggestions of searching for historical and archeological proofs of the co-existence of the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ and their influences upon each other expressed on a Buddhist forum.

So please, Ayjaydee, if this is what you meant about them trying, be a good fellow and show some good manners.

Bruce, if you are reading this, perhaps this supports my answer to the very first question that you put to me.

This is to some, the "deep end" of religion. (Did the Buddha influence Jesus ?)

I follow the teachings of Baha'u'llah, prophet-founder of renewed religion known as the Baha'i Faith.

For those who are unaware, and with absolutely no intention of entering into dispute with anyone, allow me to tell you that Baha'is hold the Lord Buddha in the very highest reverence possible.

They also have a very clear understanding of the intimate relationship between the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ as well as a firm understanding of the nature of Maitrya Buddha.

If you would like an explanation, may I respectfully suggest that you check out "The Oneness of the Prophets", a principal tenent of the Baha'i Faith.

As I have been respectful to the forum readers, I ask that you kindly return similar respect to my posting by avoiding contest and contention.

Check it out. You might find answers to the question .

Chock dee !

Why would you expect us to be anything else but respectful?

What I'd be interested to know is how important is this "intimate relationship between the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ as well as a firm understanding of the nature of Maitrya Buddha" in the Baha'i faith.

Not so much from the point of view of what is believed but whether holding fast to such a belief is important in Baha'i. Is faith based belief important in Baha'i or are such ideas presented in way that gives you freedom to accept, investigate, or reject as you progress along in your spiritual development?

Does it really matter whether this teacher influenced that teacher as an historical fact? does it matter whether you believe it or not? with evidence or not?

Surely with whatever path you follow the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Thanks for the questions Brucenkhamen,

First thing is to know that, like yourself, I am only able to share my personal thoughts - although I think you may take them as being reflective of most Baha'is understandings of the teachings of Baha'u'llah.

*I would say that from postings found on this and other TV forums, it is evident, that respectfulness can and does sometimes fly out of the window. I am happy to say that this has not been the case in this circumstance.

* the importance of understanding the relationship between the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ and the Maitreya Buddha - pivotal, central. critical.

*holding fast on to this understanding goes beyond "belief" and "faith". Its explanation by Baha'u'llah is for so many, an intelligent approach that immediately removes the morass of continuing mis-understandings and separations of the various religious pathways. Once understood, easily, in it's simplicity, this concept is readly accepted by Bahais as common-sense fact, not mere "belief".

*Is there freedom to investigate , accept or reject ? Again, an absolutely central tenent of the Baha'i Faith is independent investigation. Society has reached a stage where we have sufficient skills and understanding to enable us to do so. Baha'is do not have a clergy to instruct them in the meanings of any scipture. Baha'u'llah's writings are considered so broad as to provide adequate assistance with the smooth passage of a continally evolving society. I should add here, that the writings and sayings of the Lord Buddha, have in their spiritual context, relevance and acceptance by Baha'is as well.

Specifically, on your reference to rejection- one is either a follower of Baha'u'llah or one is not. It's as clear cut as that. This is the same in any religion. If you wish to call yourself a follower, then you "buy the package" and do your best to be a follower of all the teachings, not some. You will not succeed in all, but then you have two clear choices. Firstly, consider yourself an adherent and continually strive to do your best , or, secondly, reject parts that you consider not worth pursuing and, if this is your choice , and if honesty means much to you, opt out and cease calling yourself a follower.

* As is the case with followers of all religion, and this is certainly also the case with the reading of Baha'i sciptures, each reading of the same writing yields different degrees of understanding as our spiritual development progresses and occasionally regresses .

* The relationship between the different "teachers" of each of the world's great faiths is not understood to be the influence that one exerts upon the other as has been suggested by posters on this thread - I understand that they ARE, in essence, one another !

I understand that this is immediately, a most challenging, statement and I would suggest that only an honest and open and independent, full investigation of the writings of Baha'u'llah on this point will bring answers to you - which you either accept or reject.

* The proof of the pudding, the adage tells us, is in the eating. I absolutely agree with you. As I grow older I am, regrettably, seeing more and more of the proof of the pudding being sought in the pudding !

Hope I have responded sufficiently to have at least focused direction in these matters. Thank you for posing these interesting questions.

Chock dee !

on a side note to turn this around. does anybody believe that stuff where jesus was supposed to be influenced by buddhist teachings? is this just a wild idea off the internet, akin with the OP, or is there any substance to this claim?

I don't think so. I just think there so many similarities in the teachings on our behaviour. Doing good and trying to live a good life etc.

i looked into this a bit further today, while there no archeological evidence linking jesus with buddhism, there were denfitely buddhist missionaries sent west towards greece and egypt from about 250BC by asoka, an indian monarch.

there seem to be alot of books and articles that make the case for this idea, but there does not seem to be any archealogical evidence. however it is certainly very interesting, and i think agreat deal more plausible than the article in the OP.

Hi Longway et al,

This is to some, the "deep end" of religion. (Did the Buddha influence Jesus ?)

I follow the teachings of Baha'u'llah, prophet-founder of renewed religion known as the Baha'i Faith.

For those who are unaware, and with absolutely no intention of entering into dispute with anyone, allow me to tell you that Baha'is hold the Lord Buddha in the very highest reverence possible.

They also have a very clear understanding of the intimate relationship between the Lord Buddha and Jesus the Christ as well as a firm understanding of the nature of Maitrya Buddha.

If you would like an explanation, may I respectfully suggest that you check out "The Oneness of the Prophets", a principal tenent of the Baha'i Faith.

As I have been respectful to the forum readers, I ask that you kindly return similar respect to my posting by avoiding contest and contention.

Check it out. You might find answers to the question .

Chock dee !

I've always assumed that the voucher system is to enable the food hall owner to take a % of the food stalls takings to cover rent, cleaning etc

Hi Bunta71,

Have you considered that there is possibly a much more important aspect to the "coupon system" , which hasn't yet been raised on this thread ?

IMO the system is more than likely in place for its hygeine aspect.

Food handlers do not become money handlers - and, as we all know, money is probably the most contagious commodity possible ( although it's nice to have and to spend !) . But, seriously, although it's a bother having to retrace steps and get re-imbursement for unused coupons - just think of the safety aspect.

For this reason I, personally, find it very satisfactory and comforting.

That's my "tuppence" worth.

Cheers.

would really like to know if its thai muslim style of preparations for the briyani or northern indian style? hoping to find some good south indian muslim briyani (mutton or chicken).

Mate I was hoping you would go there and then tell us I suspect it will be Thai Muslim style due the number of decendents from the Haw that live here. I know there are quite a few Indian and Pakistani muslims living here but this restaurant has been going for about thirty years which makes it more likely to be from one of the old muslim families.

CB

I believe it's Thai Muslim biriyani - but cannot guarantee that.

It's pretty good, nonetheless.

Cheers

I think your bird is safe. Miss Picasso is strictly a fish-eating girl.

Glad to hear it. She's rather cute looking .

But , back on topic. Have to tell you that I have ordered a pot full of chicken biriyani as well as rotis to feed 30 deserving mouths next month. They were very obliging and are letting me take it away in a great big pot which I will return the next morning.

You got me thinking about the possibilities of freezing some of their dishes.

Sounds like a smart move.

Cheers.

Sounds great, SwaziBird.

Oddly enough, I took some of their mataba out of my freezer this morning, threw it in the microwave, and called it breakfast. I had to meet a deadline, but I keep a freezer full of their goodies just for such occasions. I could walk there if I wasn't so lazy. I bicycle instead.

Just wondering .....?????

Would your calico cat , given the opportunity, eat my swazi bird ??

Cheers.

BINGO !!!!!!!!

Thanks for your directions and recommendation CalicoConsulting.

My wife and I have just returned from the eatery, a lot fuller and a lot happier. This is seriously good food.

one large plate of chicken biriyani served with soup 30 baht

one chicken mataba 25 baht

one chicken kebab serving with satay ( about 9 small sticks ) 30 baht

one beef kebab serving with satay ( about 9 small sticks) 30 baht

one homemade unsweetened yogurt 15 baht

then we finished off with

one roti - sliced and served with a lovely sugar topping 10 baht

Total for this shared and more than ample feast for 2 = 140 baht !!!!!!

water , free ( with the option to purchase the standard inexpensive bottle ).

Here's the rest of their menu;

Beef biriyani 35 baht

Baked chicken & rice 25 "

Ox tail soup 40 "

Beef soup 30 "

Chicken soup 30 "

Noodle soup 20 "

Chicken fried rice 25 "

Pad Thai 25 "

Pad see euw 25 "

Egg salad w/peanut sauce 25 "

Ambiance and general state of cleanliness - average to slightly better than the usual Thai eatery. Takes a little accustomisation to see the veils and Arabic inscriptions.

Overall: Great food, quick service, excellent value We got there just before the crowds started to arrive at mid-day.

Recommendation ; Can only say - like the Terminator -"We'll be back" !

Cheers

L&J- cmsally- Thanks for your positive comments. We are looking forward to seeing you again L&J and hopefully, meeting you cmsally, at one of the performances in January! Don't forget to bring friends and a hanky. As one local news paper states, "The heartfelt performance of the play's title character is bound to bring a ear to your eye."

Bet you meant, ".....bring a Tear to your eye." !!!!!!!!

Your last production was terrific theatre. If you've still got the heart , you'll find you'll capture Chiang Mai's.

Break all your legs !

Cheers.

There are photos of the place at http://www.chinarice.org/santitham1.html as well. I'm a regular. The kebabs and mataba are also very good. They have an English menu that I'm going to study one of these days.

I heard about it from Lonely Planet, by the way. It's listed. And the book says:

"Sa-Nga Choen Doi (no Roman-script sign) dishes 25-40B; 8am-4pm. This long-running favorite makes the best khao mok kai and mataba in town; if you happen to be near the YMCA in Amphoe Santitham, it's a five-minute walk away. The homemade, unsweetened yogurt here is also highly recommended."

Enjoy!

Thanks CalicoConsulting ,

Your directions were very explicit.

My wife and I will be heading that way this coming week and I will report back to the forum.

Cheers.

I ran across this on Yahoo News in Dear Margo column and extracted it verbatim. Do gmail users notice this?

A Yahoo! News vice-president answered [a] question ..... "User privacy is of the utmost importance in everything we do at Yahoo! You'll find it spelled out in our TOS and Privacy Policy that Yahoo! will not monitor or edit the contents of a user's private communications. All the relevant details can be found at http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/utos-173.html. (To translate from geek-speak to English, TOS means terms of service.) We don't read people's e-mail and we don't target ads based on their contents -- unlike, say, gmail -- where no human reads the e-mail, but their algorithms do. This is the reason you can write a friend about poor Aunt Hilda in Halifax being depressed, and then get an ad for mental health services in Nova Scotia."

IMO, the offers generated and provided by Gmail are a terrific service. I find them to be totally non-intrusive, nor distracting. From time to time something catches my attention ( out of the corner of my eye ) and I glance acoss, only to be amazed at the incredible technology employed. I have, possibly twice so far,

clicked on an ad. and earned Google their 1 cent ( or whatever) and come away with RELVANT information.

I think it's a great service and for those who like to respond to ads. there is the provision of evidently fairly PERTINENT and very easily accessed links.

But , as I said, I dont make any real use of that service - nor am I likely to.

Cheers.

I heard today from a long-term resident in CM that there is an establishment, close to Wat Santitham, famous and known to all, as the Muslim Biriyani Shop.

At meal times, I'm told, this rather plain food servery, with no pretensions, is jamb-packed with locals. This place has been there for possibly 30 or more years.

The food is supposed to be VERY tasty and the prices VERY Thai.

Anyone know of the place and might like to report on it. Just thought I'd ask before I started to hunt it down.

Thank you.

Cheers

Hi Crow Boy,

You have to tell us you were /or still are a master-baker.

I grew up on a sheep cattle station in Australia and the nearest bread shop was 100km away so we had to make a lot of our own stuff. When I was a kid with all the workers and family the average bake was 12 loaves which were done in a big woodfire oven. Between toast in the morning and sandwiches for smoko (morning and afternoon) plus lunch and dinner we went through a lot of the stuff. I did a stint in a bakery as a part time job and was told part way that they didn't need me anymore. I had just spent a couple of hours inside an industrial oven scraping and cleaning it so was really impressed. My next and last job was to slice and wrap all the bread. Loaves get fed into one end of the machine that has a set of reciprocating saw blades (like a multi blade jigsaw cutter) and then slid into the wax paper wrapping machine. From there they are sold to customers. Instead of cutting the loaves transversely (ie across the loaf) I sent them down lengthways. It was more difficult getting the loaf into the wrapping machine but I soon sorted that out. Did the whole days bread at the shop all cut this way. Collected my pay and left with a couple of bags of cakes from the bakery staff. A week later I saw one of the bakers and he told me to never go near the shop because the boss was going to kill me and turn me into meat pies. He had to replace all the loaves when screaming customers came back calling him an idiot. Does that count?

How do you know all of this stuff ? - or are you simply saying things and hoping no one will check up ????

I have an enquiring mind and like doing stuff like this. Over the years I have worked some pretty odd kind of jobs. I also pick up lots of useless information around the traps from other people.

All pretty fascinating as to just how much can go into or can ruin the simple old "staff of life" .

All I know is that the Thai liking for SWEET bread makes it difficult to find a good loaf without travelling vast distances. Pity.

I suppose the compensation comes when you eventually manage to get a decent loaf. Trouble is, that it's gone before you know it and then it's back for another long haul.

Cheers

There are a few good bakery shops around the place but there are commercial aspects to every venture or they don't last long. English style bread is different to the US which is not the same as German/Swiss/French/Dutch so it is hard to find a loaf that suits Farung style and will be eaten in sufficient quantity to make it worthwhile. I used to get Damper from Pie Sabai but they stopped because only the Aussies wanted it and that made it uneconomical to make.

My bread machine is about 5 years old and has made a lot of "pretty average loaves" everytime I change the flour or water or yeast or whatever there needs to be an adjustment made to the mix. It ain't easy I tells ya - if it was everyone would be doing it.

The guys I really respect are people like p1p who makes his own bread from basics and built his own wood fire oven to bake it - does pizza as well Hmmmm.

At my home we don't even have an oven - fully fitted kitchen just no electrical or gas connections

CB

Thank you Crow Boy . Fascinating story . Loved the bit about the lengthwise bread slices.

It seems as though I'm just going to have to give up on the idea of a beautiful whole grain bread, fresh out of the oven with butter melted into it whilst the beautiful aroma pervades all rooms of the house !!!

Thank you all for the disheartening information. I'm going out to find a decent pizza !

Cheers.

There are "bread improvers" also for sale - but as we all know , getting the right mix by experimentation can be so frustrating. The pre-mixes are usually just perfect - but, alas and alack - there don't appear to be any readily available.

If you are looking for those smallish brown paper bags they're on the lower shelves of that section .

bread improvers are frequently just ascorbic acid which helps the yeast to start and also works as a preservative so the bread tastes fresh and stays soft longer. If you want to add a bread improver the easier and cheaper way is to crush a vitamin C tablet into the mix. Try for a better quality one with more ascorbic acid and less filler. In my experience using fresh yeast and making the bread with care is much better. If the bread is really good you will be lucky to have any left over for toast the next morning. Oh and btw day old bread makes much better toast than fresh.

CB

Hi Crow Boy,

You have to tell us you were /or still are a master-baker.

How do you know all of this stuff ? - or are you simply saying things and hoping no one will check up ????

All pretty fascinating as to just how much can go into or can ruin the simple old "staff of life" .

All I know is that the Thai liking for SWEET bread makes it difficult to find a good loaf without travelling vast distances. Pity.

I suppose the compensation comes when you eventually manage to get a decent loaf. Trouble is, that it's gone before you know it and then it's back for another long haul.

Cheers

Not sure if female ingenuity is an oxymoron....anybody know anything about that? Seems I have seen smaller bags of bread flour at Limping Market...maybe 5 pounds or so.Just to keep on subject you know

Tops Supermarket in Central Kad Suan Kaew are selling small 1lb (450 gram), brown paper-bag wrapped, whole wheat flour for under 30 baht and rye flour slightly larger (750 gram) for not much more. Both are imported from Australia - but they are simply flour and not mixes. There are "bread improvers" also for sale - but as we all know , getting the right mix by experimentation can be so frustrating. The pre-mixes are usually just perfect - but, alas and alack - there don't appear to be any readily available.

If you are looking for those smallish brown paper bags they're on the lower shelves of that section .

Cheers

We're all OK so long as we wear the right color.

A bit desparate isn't it?

The thread is growing and no-one seems to know what it's all about.

Good one - jomama! Jokes on us !

Keep it up fellows this is a terrific run on nothing ! - or am I a bit slow ?

Like a McDonalds - "I'm loving it".

Cheers

I'm an Australian maths and science teacher who's into Indian fusion techno, serious topics and humanitarian work. I'm a straight,older guy with the usual complete raft of expat problems. I've been here since June and just need someone or many to 'shoot the breeze' with. Because I'm not a pub or party animal I find this difficult. Anyone out there in CM in the same boat? If so, please get in touch.

Welcome to CM "maturin".

Have to endorse Nienke's and other posts. The Expat's Club is a terrific organisation and is the springboard to many other activities where you are bound to meet up with people with whom you feel comfortable.

Suggest you might search this forum for "Discussion Group" as well. Run by a really good bloke who, with the real name of Pierre, speaks a perfect English as well. You will be able to request an invitation to his group - which does exactly what the title implies - and the topics are usually serious too.

But, for entertainment value and the opportunity to meet new people, you'll find it hard to beat the Expats Club. Why not attend as a visitor and see what you think. Next Saturday's programme will be different from the usual in that rather than a speaker, it will include a "Quizz" run by the CEO of Tuskers - and he has plenty of good experience doing that.

If you decide to do that, I recommend that you arrive by no later than 10.00 a.m.

Chock dee !

Cheers.

Next trip back to Oz, I want to return with my breadmaking machine. It's just a regular old counter-top baker but it turns out the greatest bread in the universe - if you can load it with a decent mix and yeast ( very readily and inexpensively available there in great variety). Anyone know whether such pre-mixes are available here in Chiang Mai ?

I know I could find all the separate ingredients and try concocting my own formula but the ready mix will usually be the best.

Will be glad of your advice.

Cheers.

p1p,

It looks as though it may be back to the drawing-board again for me. Your suggestion of Googling "bread machine mixes" looks like a winner.

Thanks everyone, for the disheartening news - but I'll keep trying and if I come across something good , I'll be happy to share it.

Cheers

helo,

maby someone can help me or know....

i live in chaingmai,and i very like hummus-

(israli-arab-Middle East food)

i know where i can find a restaurants are serve this,but,i want to make it by my self,

the problem is i cant find the bean...you know the small berry...or mmm....how to call this..

thw small balls..mmm...the hummus vegetable....to make it from this...

so,if somone know,or have good advice, for me...maby some matkat?

or how they call this in thai?

?!

tnx

Hi Gal,

If you're still looking for chick peas , I just bought a 2 x 500gm packets today at Wororot Market for 52 baht each.

Best direction I can give you is,

1. Make sure you are inside Wororot, NOT Lam Yai market.

2. Walk towards the river. At the back wall, a little to the right, and before you come to the walk way through to the flower section, you will find an INDIAN

stall (owner Indian, not Thai) selling all sorts of spices etc. Ask for chick peas and go home and make your delicious hummus.

3. If you can't find the stall - just ask for the Indian spice man. Someone will show you the way.

Hope this helps you.

Cheers

This is for VitalGirl.

Sorry but I hadn't read your post. Obviously we're talking about the same seller.

Cheers