sheepshank

Mpdkorat, glad to be of assistance. With respect to leaf lard; that sounds to me like the porcine equivilent of bovine suet (the fat which surrounds the kidneys). I would love like to get hold of some proper suet because I desparately want to make a beef steak and kidney pudding just like wot mum used to make, but that's another story.

So far as the pork fat is concerned, we only use the fat which covers the animals' muscles, usually loin, belly or leg, and I have no experience of fat covering internal organs. I hope you give my method a try. The results are worth the effort and you get the added bonus of a pile of pork scratchings to enjoy with your next can of Chang. Cheers!

Mpdkorat; as you so rightly say in the title of this thread, lard is rendered pork fat. So why don't you render your own pork fat? I've been rendering (or more correctly, my wife has been rendering) locally purchased pork fat for years. Not only do I use it, soley, when making hot water crust pastry for raised pork pies but I also use it hasip/hasip with butter when making short crust pastry for pies/pasties and savoury flans.

Most locally-raised pork is sold minus the skin/ fat which is sold separately at approx 20baht per kg and is readily available. Cut up the skin/fat into small cubes, tip it into a wok and fry it slowly (stirring occasionally) until you are left with a pool of clear yellow liquid in the bottom. Drain off the liquid into a heat proof container, let it cool and then pour it into a plastic container (I use ice cream cartons). You can then leave it in the deep freeze compartment of your fridge to solidify. Once it has hardened you have "lard". What is left in the wok is known as "pork scratchings" to the British pub-goer.

When you make hot water crust pastry, cut off a lump of rendered pork fat (aka "lard") from your stash, bring it to the boil with the required amount of water and quickly pour it on to your flour and start stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon. It works every time, believe me.

I'm not a professional pastry chef, but a they say "(k)need is the mother of invention"!

The same thing happened to me in my office early one Friday evening nearly 20 years ago. I was alone at my desk happily munching away on a Marathon Bar (thats a Snickers for those who don't qualify for the "Retirement" Visa) and a peanut got lodged in my throat.

I stopped breathing so I ran down the corridor and located my assistant who thought I was about to attack him and he put up his fists in self defence! At that stage I collapsed through of lack of oxygen and he (very sensibly, to my mind) pulled me up, got behind me and performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre. The offending peanut shot across the corridor and I regained my breath. But for the presence of mind of that gentleman, Chief Petty Officer Dave Goodwin, Royal Navy, I wouldn't be here today.

IMHO it is worth all our whiles spending a few moments to instruct our GFs/Wives in perfoming the Heimlich manoeuvre because you never know when you'll need it.

Hey mate! My Danish neighbour does remove the flip tops and he swears he has been offered something like 900 Baht per kilo just for THEM. He says he has been told by his beer merchant that it is purer aluminium than you find in the cans alone. I don't believe him, of course! Must be some sort of scam going on here, because it is only the guy who sells him the full beer cans who made the offer. BTW he has yet to make a claim because he hasn't emptied enough cans yet. Think about it. Rgds Bob

PS. going back to the down-stairs fridge now to produce some more raw material for my rag-and-bone man !

Are you sure about that OneeyedJohn? One kilogram of (empty) beer Chang cans comprises 64 cans; I've just weighed up a kilo then counted them (I was bored). The answer was 64. I don't think Singha would use more aluminium than is strictly necessary so they probably weigh 15.625 gm each as well. 15.625 X 64 = 1,000 gm.

And another thing, whoever is buying your empty Singha cans is ripping you off. I get 30 Baht per kilogram for my empty Chang cans from my local rag-and-bone man (maybe a better class of aluminium?). And I know he gets 40 Baht per kilo from the local waste re-cycling centre. And who knows what THEY make on the deal! Aluminium might be quite valuable if you know who to sell it to . Rgds Bob

Tartempion hi,

I've obtained a couple of "Proof of Residence" letters from the Immigration Office at Nong Khai during the last five years and, all credit to my friends at Nong Khai Imi, on both occasions it was supplied free-of-charge within 20 minutes. Dontcha just luv 'em up there... I do!

Either the "policy" has changed since when I last obtained a letter a year ago, or, the Udon Thani "sub-staion" at AEK hospital is doing a bit of "free-lancing" when the officers are away from the "no corruption here" head office on Mondays and Fridays.

You could always phone Nong Khai Immigration direct to check out their charge for such a "service" in advance . However, even if you have to pay 1K baht, its still cheaper than Britemb BKK (@ 1763 ish baht) plus the hassle of a return trip to BKK. Rgds Bob

Hey Jet,

You don't need to go to the expense of buying almonds or pistachios as a substitute for pinoli in make-it-youself pesto. Up here in the boonies we whiz up some cashew nuts in our Moulinex's, which together with v. cheap locally grown basil/garlic, and all the other stuff (olive oyl, Parmesan etc) goes luvverly with the old spag bol! Maybe, my knackered old taste buds can't tell the difference, BUT my wallet can! Rgds Bob

erm, nearly right Mr PhilHarries, but it goes back much further than the Latin. I'm not a classics scholar but I can read the OED satisfactorily and the origin of the word goes something like this:

"Middle English via Old French politique and Latin politicus from Greek politikos, via polites 'citizen' from polis 'city'.

Notwithstanding that, I know where you're coming from. Rgds

Your town's immigration officer was telling you the truth. You were "in the system" on 1st Oct 2006 so you have nothing to worry about so far as the cash in the bank is concerned. I went up to Nong Khai Imi last month for my 6th annual extension for support of TW and my 400,000 K had been in my Kasikorn savings a/c for only two and half months. Either the Imi Officer didn't notice or it wasn't a problem. Anyway, nothing was said so I assumed it's OK.

Try not to worry too much. You'll be OK. I expect Lopburi 3 will be along shortly to shoot me down. mai pen rai.

Hans,

not being from mainland Europe I got the metric fuel consumption arse-about-face! For "8.38 km/ltr" read "8.38 ltr/100 km" in my previous post. Sorry about that. That's why I convert it all to imperial measurements, they make more sense to me! Rgds Bob

Hans,

I have owned a 5-speed manual 1999 model Sport Rider, with the original 3.0 ltr diesel engine, for the last 5 years. Yes, it's a bit noisy at around 2,000 rpm and acceleration is krap so you have to think twice before overtaking a convoy of sugar cane lorries when you are fully loaded. But on the plus side, it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned and there is masses of space inside if you (like I) have a large family, complete with luggage, to transport around the place.

If I wanted to replace it, the only vehicle that would suit me, for the money, would be another 1999 model Sport Rider. If you can get one for a good price then go for it and don't worry about consumption. Diesel is still cheap in Thailand compared with Europe. BTW my Sport Rider returned an average fuel consumption of 8.38 km/ltr last year over a distance of 16,000 km of mixed driving. For the benefit of fellow aged Brits, that is 33.74 mpg (4.54596 ltr = 1 UK gallon) over a distance of 10,000 statute miles.

Hope the above helps you make your decision. Rgds Bob

It's the same every January. Any chance the the mosquitoes have to get inside, they seem to take.

It's best not to leave any doors or windows open particularly in the evening.

You beat me to it. I mentioned at dinner yesterday evening that there were WAY too many mozzies joining us for eats. The senior daughter immediately left the table and shut the front door at the other end of the house. She'd forgotten to shut it when she garaged her Honda in the lounge, and I hadn't done my usual security check beofre eating. So agreed, ALWAYS shut all doors/windows at sunset at ANY time of year. It saves having to poison your family with Baygon before turning in

I have a Rolex that I bought in Hong Kong 30 years ago. It is a bottom of the line stainless steel job, and it has had a couple of unfortunate accidents, including having been worn in the surf without being properly closed.

It is now sitting in my wardrobe, just a waste of space. However, it does have some sentimental value, and I have been thinking about the practicality of getting a new movement for it.

I am not interested in going to Rolex. It would cost far more to fix it than it is worth.

Does anybody have any experience with a good watch maker type in BKK where I can get a decent job done of putting a new movement into it?

Hansnl, no need to go as far as Nong Khai unless you want to visit the Indo Chinese Market etc. Immigration has a temporary office in Udon Thani which is located at the AEK Udon Hospital. It is open on Monday and Friday each week and the staff, who work at Nong Khai the rest of the week, can provide the same "service" as their parent office. They should be open 25 Dec. Their tel no is 042 420242 if you want to check first. Good luck!

Hi from sunny Chaiyaphum! I've been making toad-in-the-hole for my demanding TW about twice a month for the last 4 years and I've NEVER been able to get the bl**dy batter to rise. Sausages? No problem. I make my own and they're grrrreat. But we always end up with brill sauages served up on a thick wodge of soggy pancake.

I am slated to produce toad-in-the-hole again tonight and I'll give qpt's method at post 2 a try. I've heard that you need to get that fat really smokin' before pouring in the batter. I always heat up the baking tin, with the fat in, over a couple of gas hobs before pouring in the batter (always have a fire blanket handy if you try this, just in case) but I still invariably fail to get a rise (may try Viagra next time) .

I'll do it all by-the-book tonight and report back to this forum tomorrow FWIW.

FWIW (How about that for the start to a 1st posting on any web forum, ever, by a superannuated, computer illiterate) I took my TW and our family, comprising her two girls, age 15 and 13, and our daughter, age 4, to Phu Kradaeng National Park, in Loei province, on Constitution Day (Sun 10th Dec). My wife was charged 40 Baht; I flashed my Thai DL for 40 Baht; the two Thai daughters got in for 20 Baht each and the young one was allowed in for free, it also cost 30 Baht to park the car. Total 150 Baht.

I've always found the entrance staff very fair at Phu Kradaeng, as well as at Doi Sutep National Park at CM, BTW. If you are ever asked to part with 400 Baht to get into a Thai National Park (after showing a valid Thai Driving Licence) just turn around, drive away and use the money to buy a case of Chang on the way home, then have a party.

Tip: Are you an active guy, and do you want to find out how serious your Thai GF is about you? Take her to Phu Kradaeng and try to climb to the plateau at the top (it is a tough climb of almost 1,000 metres from base to apex, followed by a 3.8 km walk to the nearest watering hole an the plateau). I took my Issan GF there in Nov 1999 (her idea - not mine). Half way up, after 2 hours of continuous hassle from her, I cracked and quietly said "I go to top now - if you no like, you go down, I no see you again". She got the message, bit the bullet, and gamely staggered to the top without another word. We were married at Banglamung Amphur a year later, and we're STILL together!