butterisbetter

Did you come across any unique teas in your searches that may not be sold everywhere... I am always interested in trying new types of Tea.

I hate to sound like a shill for that place at the airport but they do carry some very unusual teas. One I tried on Friday was called 10000 mile tea. I wasnt very taken with their jasmine and the manager had me try this one. A beautiful tea that naturally has a peach taste. They also offer a superb tea which I call "Have you lost your mind? tea" because it costs 2000 Baht for 200 grams. But when you consider that it takes only 1.5 grams to make 5 mugs of tea, it's not really so much. Their sticky rice tea (tea that naturally has the flavor of sticky rice) is the best I've had in Chiang Mai. anyway, they will ply you with free samples of tea there.

You might want to consider a trip to mae salong. It's a beautiful place. The merchants are ethnic chinese and the workers are akha.

One tea grower in Mae Salong, I think their name is Chok Charoen, does have an outlet at, of all places, the airport. As you might suspect, their stuff isn't cheap, but it is the best quality tea i have found in chiang mai. In fact, it's some of the best quality tea I have ever had. It comes from Mae Salong. This is a Kuomintang village so the local tea growers draw on the tea growing in Taiwan. Taiwan is particulary famous for its oolongs. And the oolongs at this place are as brilliant.

Top French quality. Just buy it.

It'll break your tiles because it's cast iron

Bien sur, sir, but the question is . . . where?

There's a rival in quality to Le Creuset called Staub. Also from France. I mention this because rim ping had made these pots one of their rewards for accumulating way too many points. So if Rim Ping can get hold of them in Thailand, that probably means that they are for sale somewhere in Bangkok. I haven't seen Le Creuset or Staub, for that matter, for sale anywhere in Chiang Mai and I haunt cookware supply stores.

I just renewed my retirement visa this week. If you want to be extra careful, you can do as I just did, and go to Star Visa.. They were originally recommended to me by an officer at the American Consulate.(Actually he didn't recommend them since staff are not allowed to, but he did allude to an agency that was just up the street from the consulate.) They tell you what documents you need to obtain, and once you bring those documents, arrange it all very neatly. The charge is 500 baht. (or 600 if you want them to take your photos).

I had a wonderful teacher who was very patient and always cheerful. Her name is Rujirra. A lot of the Chiang Mai missionary community use her. Which may possibly be offputting to you but these missionaries are very serious and motivated about learning Thai. So if someone is in high favor in their community, he or she is going to be very good. Rujirra is a Christian. too, but she never tried to proselytise to me at all. Whatever energy she employs in that direction is expended on Thais.

There was also a fellow at AUA who taught according to the Peace Corp Method, which he learned, naturally enough from the Peace Corp in order to teach their volunteers. He had some very interesting techniques for teaching Thai. He also had a kind of chart which was the clearest exposition I'd ever seen about how the Thai alphabet works vis a vis pronunciation. It was devised by some hot shot linguist. I can't recall this teacher's name. Perhaps somebody in the forum will know who I am talking about.

I think I saw in ad somewhere that Sunbelt offers PI services

Orzo = barley . Just for the record

We Americans stole the word orzo (barley in Italian) and it is a small rice/barley shaped pasta made from semolina. Our apologies KhunMarco.

I checked at Rim Ping supermarket and they sell Italian Rice shaped pasta (Risi) and Melon Seed shaped pasta (seme melone). both are made of the same kind of flour that Orzo is made from and they look very similar to orzo. unless you're child's hobby is collecting pasta, i don't think that he or she would be able to tell the difference.

I wrote too soon. I just did a search on google and the chabad center in chiang mai does have a kosher store. so maybe it does have orzo for sale, after all.

If orzo does, in fact, offer a slower release of energy than other pasta, that's because it's made from hard semolina wheat. It's not the only pasta made from that kind of wheat. I know that Rim Ping carries several varieties of pasta made from hard semolina wheat and I wouldn't be surprised it Tops or Kasems does too..

As for Chabad in Chiangmai, it's not a store, but the Lubavitcher outreach center for Jews in Chiangmai. These centers are located around the world. One featured recently and unfortunately in the recent terrorist incident in Mumbai.

I too have been trying to find corn syrup in Thailand to no avail. I have tried several markets in Bangkok. I would think that since corn is grown in Thailand that someone would make corn syrup too.

I use glucose syrup which actually is old fashioned light corn syrup. You can get it at baking supply houses including Schmidt. In Chiang Mai imported Karo corn syrup is available at supermarkets but it's quite expensive. 02-381-4895-98. they're at the intersection of sukhumvit and rama iv rds.

I too have been trying to find corn syrup in Thailand to no avail. I have tried several markets in Bangkok. I would think that since corn is grown in Thailand that someone would make corn syrup too.

I believe I've seen it in Tops, too.

i have been told that all the salmon in Thailnd is farmed salmon and that farmed salmon usually do not have a lot of Omega 3 oils like wild salmon. Are these things true?

Mostly farmed salmon because it is cheaper. Wild catch is usually labeled as such because it is better. Not sure about how much lower the Omega 3 oils are but have read about the lower nutritional value of farmed salmon and possibly unhealthy additives in the meat from the feed and efforts at disease prevention in the farms.

concerning omega 3 levels. I found the following online at a website called whfoodDOTorg Oddly enough, the one farmed raised species of salmon it doesn't address is the Atlantic Salmon, which is by far the most widely cultivated species.

Nutritional Differences

Omega 3 Fat Content

FDA statistics on the nutritional content (protein and fat-ratios) of farm versus wild salmon show that:

• The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight.
  
• Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon.
  
• Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.
  

These unfortunate statistics are confirmed in a recent (1988-1990) study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to compare the nutrient profiles of the leading species of wild and cultivated fish and shellfish. Three species of fish that contain beneficial omega 3 fats were included: catfish, rainbow trout, and coho salmon.

Farm-raised Fish are Fattier

In all three species, the farm-raised fish were fattier. Not surprising since farm-raised fish do not spend their lives vigorously swimming through cold ocean waters or leaping up rocky streams. Marine couch potatoes, they circle lazily in crowded pens fattening up on pellets of fish chow.

In each of the species evaluated by the USDA, the farm-raised fish were found to contain more total fat than their wild counterparts. For rainbow trout, the difference in total fat (5.4g/100g in wild trout vs. 4.6 g/100g in cultivated trout) was the smallest, while cultivated catfish had nearly five times as much fat as wild (11.3g/100 g in cultivated vs. 2.3 g/100g in wild). Farm-raised coho salmon had approximately 2.7 times the total fat as wild samples.

Cultivated catfish were the worst, with 5 times the fat content of their wild counterparts. Plus, although the farm-raised catfish, rainbow trout and coho salmon contained as much or even more omega-3 fatty acids as their wild equivalents, in proportion to the amount of omega-6 fats they also contained, they actually provided less usable omega-3s.

Farm-raised Fish Provide Less Usable Omega-3 Fats

The reason for this apparent discrepancy is that both omega 3 and omega 6 fats use the same enzymes for conversion into the forms in which they are active in the body. The same elongase and desaturase enzymes that convert omega-3 fats into their beneficial anti-inflammatory forms (the series 3 prostaglandins and the less inflammatory thromboxanesand leukotriennes) also convert omega-6 fats into their pro-inflammatory forms (the series 2 prostaglandins and the pro-inflammatory thromboxanes and leukotrienes). So, when a food is eaten that contains high amounts of omega 6s in proportion to its content of omega 3s, the omega-6 fats use up the available conversion enzymes to produce pro-inflammatory compounds while preventing the manufacture of anti-inflammatory substances from omega-3s, even when these beneficial fats are present.

Farm-raised Fish Contain More Pro-inflammatory Omega-6 Fats

In all three types of fish, the amount of omega 6 fats was substantially higher in farm-raised compared to wild fish. Cultivated trout, in particular, had much higher levels of one type of omega 6 fat called linoleic acid than wild trout (14% in farm-raised compared to 5% in wild samples). The total of all types of omega 6 fats found in cultivated fish was twice the level found in the wild samples (14% vs 7%, respectively).

Wild Fish Provide More Omega-3 Fats

In all three species evaluated, the wild fish were found to have a higher proportion of omega-3 fats in comparison to omega 6 fats than the cultivated fish. The wild coho were not only much lower in overall fat content, but also were found to have 33% more omega 3 fatty acids than their farm-raised counterparts. Omega 3s accounted for 29% of the fats in wild coho versus 19% of the fats in cultivated coho. Rainbow trout showed similar proportions in fatty acid content; wild trout contained approximately 33% more omega 3s than cultivated trout, however both cultivated and wild trout did have much lower amounts of omega 6 fats than the other types of fish.

Farmed salmon are fed pellets similar to chicken feed but formulated for salmon. These fish , to the true gourmet of salmon taste like the "dogfood" (pellets) that they eat. You are what you eat.There is no such creature as a salmon trout. Perhaps confused with a "Steelhead Trout" which is a rainbow trout that travels around the ocean like salmon for a few years before returning to it's original stream. They are as big as a smaller salmon ranging in the 10-20 lb. area. Hardest game fish to catch IMO. I grew up near what used to be the worlds largest salmon hatchery in Leavenworth,Washington. Two rivers there packed with Chinook (also called Kings or Blackmouth) and Sockeye and Steelhead and other species of trout. When I was 21 years old moved to Alaska for 16 years, flew my own airplane to places where the salmon were so thick in the streams you literally could not see the water,only the backs of the salmon. Many days caught 10 - 30 fish for smoking and canning. All the salmon have the worms. Great dieting additive. If you want some good salmon keep your eyes out for Copper River reds(sockeye) or Copper River Kings. These are the best you can do to taste fresh wild salmon without being there. Farm fish?? Keep it thank you very much.

Just as there are multiple names for king salmon and sockeye salmon, so also are there multiple names for steelhead trout, one of which is salmon trout.

i have been told that all the salmon in Thailnd is farmed salmon and that farmed salmon usually do not have a lot of Omega 3 oils like wild salmon. Are these things true?

Mostly farmed salmon because it is cheaper. Wild catch is usually labeled as such because it is better. Not sure about how much lower the Omega 3 oils are but have read about the lower nutritional value of farmed salmon and possibly unhealthy additives in the meat from the feed and efforts at disease prevention in the farms.

Actually, most wild-caught salmon is mostly cheaper than farmed salmon. The main exception to this is the king (chinook) salmon which can be more expensive - especially if it is line caught and properly dressed after landing. Farmed salmon is mainly atlantic salmon. The reason for the higher prices of chinook and atlantic is that they have a higher fat content. If you go to Rimping and look at what they call sushi grade salmon you can see that it has larger bands of fat than the other grades of salmon that are offered. But all the grades on offer there are atlantic salmon. I did once see salmon trout on offer there but that was a while ago now. Of course, salmon, being a commodity, can have huge fluctuations in its prices. This goes for both wild and farmed. I expect that with the worldwise recession, prices are falling already.

Actually, sushi salmon that comes from Japan - which is where the sushi salmon in Thailand comes from - is now universally deep frozen to a temperature of 76 degrees below zero farenheit. That kills all parasites. It's not frozen that way uust to kill the parasites but also to preserve the flavor. The technique is so good that it's virtually impossible even for sushi chefs to tell the difference.

I get very good bread from, oh what's it called, l'etoile or saint etoile or something. I think they are the same company as Yamazaki (who do great - if not authentic - peroshkis), but do better actual bread. The stuff I get is called a French loaf or a rustic loaf, although that might be the name from Carrefour, where I also buy good bread. About 60 baht for a big loaf. Nice bit of crust, nice bit of chew - just have to wait a while if it's straight out of the oven before asking them to slice it.

Seconded. Yamazaki have branches in The Mall and do an excellent choice of breads. I like the wholewheat or the rye they do and don't begrudge the 25 K I have to drive in order to stock up the freezer . They will also slice it to any thickness you want.

And thirded!

I buy my bread at the Mall Bang Khae, and I put up with the horrible car exit from the place just to get my bread at St. Etoille (or whatever it is called) there. This bread is not only good for being in Thailand, but it would be good anywhere. I haven't tried the sandwich-type bread, but the French-style breads are really quite good.

speaking of german bread, my wife's bakery in Chiangmai, Butter is Better, has just started producing genuine german sourdough rye. she got her start and her starter (sauerteig) from a german friend who was making his own. he used his own homemade sauerkraut juice to help get the starter going. anyway, her rye bread uses for its flour 67% dark rye and 33% whole wheat. it is intense. our german friend passed samples out to a gathering of mostly middle aged and older germans who said it was just like their grandmothers used to make. i love the stuff but there are some who find it too intense. for them, she makes a whole wheat sourdough bread which just has a light sour tang but tastes mainly of whole wheat so it's good for jams as well as savory foods. The breads are available at Rim Ping Supermarkets.

If you want to make your own rye sauerteig bread but don't want to go to the trouble of making your own sauerkraut, i think that kim chi juice will do just fine being that kim chee essentially is sauerkraut with some chile pepper.

cozumelito - Can you confirm if the directions you have described are correctly pinpointed on the map at this link?

Perhaps we can clear up any confusion or frustration due to the lack of clarity in your earlier post.

Thanks

Ally

I see that my stealth radar home security system still needs some work. Because Google has us precisely in its sights. That is us.

Anyway, the bakery is currently selling its goods at all the Rim Pings except the little one in Hang Dong. If you wanted to try that traditional style French bread, which is a boule, you could let us know and we could arrange to bake one for you. You could pick it up at the store or if it's convenient. Which Rim Ping are you closest to? Or you could pick it up at the bakery which is on the Hang Dong Road, not far from Lotus Hang Dong. I could email you a map.

I was in Rimping Supermarket yesterday (NIM opposite the Airport Plaza) enquiring about "Butter is Best" cookies but couldn't find anyone who knew where they were. Plenty of packets by JJ bakery and others. Are they in the bakery section and will your bread be identifiable or just displayed on the shelf with all the other loaves?

It seems you have your own sales outlets when you say, "you can pick it up at the store". A Shop and a Bakery where you sell your own goods? If you can't post the addresses on this board can you send me an email map too?

Hi,

I'm sorry that there wasn't any stuff there. Nim City has been problematic. Lots of times, things don't get bought and go stale and have to be thrown out. Usually the refrigerated stuff is in stock. (Our stand should be back in January and then everything should be there most of the time.) At any rate, the bakery's address is 117/272 M. 12 Chiang Mai Hod Road. T. Padaed, etc. Which is not much help. It's actually pretty easy to get here. Just take the Hang Dong Road (heading towards Hang Dong.) About 1 kilometer past Lotus, you will pass a Shell Station. Take a left at the 2nd Soi after the Shell Station (about 100 meters past the shell station). Follow this road about 9/10 of a kilometer. On the right hand side you will see a pink house. That's Butter is Better. If you pass a football field on your right, you've gone about 50 meters too far. Dao's phone number is 081-031-6993. Best to call in advance to make sure that what you want is in stock. I will try to email you a map. I'm not sure that it can be done within this system.

Hi,

Butter is Better Bakery is about to begin offering a genuine german sourdough rye. 67% rye flour and 33% wheat. The bakery makes it sown sourdough starter and grinds its own spices includeing caraway, fennel, anis, and coriander, Which are the traditional spices for this bread. Of course, because this is mostly a rye bread it's very dense. So it is chewy in a way. There was a gathering of Germans to whom samples were given and the most common comment was that it was like their mothers used to make. But rye chewy is different from wheat chewy.

I think you may be looking for a wheat bread which is chewy because of the gluten. In the past the bakery made that too out of a high gluten flour. So it was more like a classic French bread. The kind that's hard to find in France anymore. The bakery was thinking of trying again. Also, it's not a sourdough. But it is allowed a long slow rise which develops chewiness.

I should add that this is my wife's bakery so I could be accused of prejudice. What's worse, she learned a lot of this stuff from my mother who has been baking her whole life and is still going strong at 83. Dao, my wife, is fanatical about quality.

Anyway, the bakery is currently selling its goods at all the Rim Pings except the little one in Hang Dong. If you wanted to try that traditional style French bread, which is a boule, you could let us know and we could arrange to bake one for you. You could pick it up at the store or if it's convenient. Which Rim Ping are you closest to? Or you could pick it up at the bakery which is on the Hang Dong Road, not far from Lotus Hang Dong. I could email you a map.

Google for "Schmidt" company in Bangkok, they have all these bakery stuff.

Gerd

Thanks Gerd. We actually deal with them and I looked in their catalog but not there. But I decided to give them a call, and it turns out that they probably do have it.. I say "probably" because it's not clear if it's siliconized which gives it greater heat resistance and reusability. Thanks again.

Does anybody know where to get large bakery size rolls of siliconized baking parchment? I used to get it from Makro (Aro brand) but they don't offer it anymore.

I wish that they sold them somewhere convienient to me.

We had some sitting there for several days and finally their expiration date came up at which point they can become unstable. fortunately we had brought with us a team of thai children who wrapped their mouths around them and risked their own well being so that others wouldn't be exposed to dangerous calories and cholesterol. Thailand can be proud of these small heroes.

anyway, we will try again. actually we got an order for 10 of them to be delivered on Sunday to Rim Ping Nim City so we will bring them and a few additional ones as well. they are on offer at Rim Ping Nawarat and Rim Ping Mi Chok also. Also, Dao is now making them in a smaller size for those of us who don't have the courage to face a big one alone.

I should let you know that we are facing a crisis in our chocolate cookie manufacture. we were getting an astonishingly high quality chocolate at a very reasonable price. the supply of that chocolate has dried up. which means we either don't make the cookies or go with a more costly chocolate. if the latter, we probably will have to cut the amount of chips in the cookie. maybe we'll go with an even darker chocolate to make up in intensity what gets lost in volume.

dacheeso which is on a soi off the hang dong rd makes ricotta which is very good and also a few kinds of cottage cheese one of which may be low in fat or fat free. htis is where rim ping gets it from

French Golden Delicious, anyone? sick.gif

No thanks I'll pass.

As a raw eating apple, i find any kind of Golden Delicious insipid and even unpleasant. But Golden Delicious are actually very good in a classic French tarte aux pommes. Possibly even de riguer