Sadako_Sasaki

Looking at the Wikipedia link, I am almost certain I have seen that in Chinatown. I'd print out the picture and head over to Yaowarat. Try Trok Itsaranuphap, I think that is a good bet.

Otherwise, Siam Paragon gourmet market has a selection of pickled vegetables, not sure if I have seen it there but worth a look if you are nearby.

Since we moved to a different part of Bangkok a year ago, we've been using the gas supplier that our neighbours use, but there is a problem almost every time. Either they turn up really late or not at all, or they just say they have no delivery staff, leaving us waiting. In the meantime we can't cook (no microwave etc). They won't leave a new canister if the old one hasn't been returned, supposedly to stop people stockpiling. Although our neighbours always buy two so they are never without gas....

At our old place, for over 5 years, the gasman turned up without fail within the hour or at least the same morning, weekends included. So it is really wearing having to battle to get gas here. We live near Thong Lo BTS.

Can anybody recommend a reliable gas delivery company?

I'm staying in, no worries I really wish it would go quiet now though. It feels awful listening and imagining the worst.

Sorry no more info. I am not an expert so can't really define the sounds - like loud firecrackers. And not high enough up to see anything. Nor adventurous/crazy enough to go looking...!

Can hear helicopters and ?shooting? Anyone else? Am near Wireless...

1. Gaeng som cha om (Sour soup/curry with stink fern omelette)

2. Nam prik, especially nam prik makaam sot (chilli dip eaten with raw and/or cooked vegetables...esp. young tamarind chilli dip)

3. Dtom klong - tamarind soured soup with herbs...especially good with crispy fish.

4. Kanom jeen nam ngiaw (Thin fermented rice noodles with tomato and pork sauce)...(But absolutely love nam yaa and nam prik, too; a ground fish and coconut milk sauce heavy on the grachai "chinese key" and a sweet mung bean or peanut and coconut milk sauce)...all served with piles of raw vegetables like cucumber, long beans, beansprouts and various herbs...)

5. Yam ma muang (green mango salad).

Just remembered I forgot banana flower salad, pomelo salad, young jackfruit salad, sai oua/nam prik num and kaeb mu, kao soi...Couldn't it be 10 favourites?

Thanks for the info. We have bought other drugs from the pharmacy in the past, as they were considerably cheaper, but the insurance refused to pay.

So I guess now we'll have to pay the hospital's high mark-up, and let the insurer's worry about the price. From what I can find out on the internet, it IS an expensive medication and I am very thankful that I have insurance. I was also prescribed prednisolone in the past, to take immediately in the event of a reaction, but I cannot take it now as I am pregnant.

Touch wood I seem never to have had an attack in Thailand, but it's hard to avoid the allergen (a preservative) given that food labelling laws here don't yet cover it. Still, at least it isn't peanuts or shrimp!

Does anyone else here need to carry an Epipen in case of an allergic reaction, and where do you get yours (and for how much)?

I just had to replace mine, as it had expired, and it cost 5,000 baht at one of the big private hospitals. That's about 10 times more than what I used to pay in the UK, but then that was just the prescription charge, so I don't know the true cost of an Epipen.

My insurance will pay, but only if it is on prescription. They wouldn't pay, for example, if I bought it at the chemist. But I'm curious as to what it costs elsewhere, and how widely available it is.

I get the bill and pay it myself every month. I sincerely doubt the landlady has anything to do with it (when I say landlady, I mean the lady that deals with the property for the landlady, who we've never met), although I have to admit we did wonder if someone was siphoning it off somewhere!

We did have big problems with a faulty pump which was repaired last week and I'm waiting to see the next bill, but not really holding my breath. It's not loads of money, it's true, I just find it strange that it never varies (unlike, say, the electricity, which is fairly low but spikes if we use the highly inefficient aircon).

It's not loads of money, but it used to really get at the maid, who commented every month without fail how expensive it is, and there must be a leak, there's a problem, and so on.

Next time the handyman comes round to fix something (shouldn't be long, something goes wrong every few weeks , I'll ask where the meter is. But he seems very very unconcerned about the whole thing, repeating his mantra "every family it's the same". Only foreigners rent this house, so maybe we have a "special" meter

Is it free, flight crew, or free if you don't go over 500 baht in usage (which is what our landlady and neighbours told us)?

We pay about 670 baht every month, and this never varies. It is well over what the neighbours pay, even though there are 6 of them, and only 3 of us, and even in months when we are away for 3 weeks or so, and we cannot figure out why it never varies depending on usage.

No matter how much we try to limit our use, the bill is the same, and the handyman that works for the landlady just says "it was the same for the previous tenants". Oh well that's okay then....

I don't have Firebug.

Also, when I tried safe mode, I think that disables all add-ons. But I still had the problem.

I have googled the problem till I'm blue in the face, but the suggested solutions either didn't apply to me, didn't work for me, or were far too technical and above my head. It is also hard for me, as a non-techie, to figure out which of the many problems might be because of the browser update, and which are due to internet problems in Thailand.

My partner works in IT and would probably be able to figure out the problem for me. But he's so busy right now and travelling so much, I've been attempting to solve the problem on my own. The uninstall/reinstall sounds like a good option...Then again, I don't want to do anything I don't fully understand, and make things worse!

Seems like I'll just have to stick to Safari for now, and leave Firefox alone...

Thanks for all the help!

Ok, thanks. It will be worth the wait if anyone has a solution!

Think I had the same issues with Firefox when in Singapore recently, so I'm not sure how much True are involved. And from a lot of googling, it seems it does affect a lot of people but there is no single fix yet (or maybe I'm doing something wrong).

Incidentally, opening Firefox in Safe Mode doesn't help...

Yes, TRUE.

And when I get that error message, the missing "be" just annoys me even more!

Ever since I upgraded to Firefox 3.5.2, I have been having serious problems with just normal browsing. The slightest movement or click is enough to make Firefox hang, usually for about a minute or so, and this makes my entire system freeze too. Safari is normally absolutely fine, but sometimes also freezes if I have Firefox open as well. When I quit Firefox, it takes 5 minutes or longer to actually stop running. Switching tabs, scrolling, clicking a link...no matter what I do, it hangs.

I am using a Mac OS version 10.5.8, if that helps. I have tried googling the problem, but none of the suggested causes or solutions seem to apply. I have checked my extensions under add-ons, but there are none. I do not have the Skype add-on.

I have a bad habit of leaving open multiple tabs at a time, but since having this problem, I have limited this to 3 or 4, and yet the problem is worse.

Meanwhile, on a (possibly unrelated?) note, I cannot easily open google.com or log in to gmail in Firefox. If I type google.com into the address bar, it automatically redirects to .co.th, and then I get the 404/page cannot found error. If I type in gmail.com, the front page opens fine, but once I have entered my username and password, the page, again, cannot found. However, if I then click on the google maps bookmark I have in my toolbar, I found that I am actually logged in under my username, and can then just click "mail" to get to my email. I had my preferences set to google.co.uk not co.th, but it reverts every time and I cannot figure out how to make it stay put. It works fine in Safari.

At the moment I am using Safari for everything, but would prefer Firefox, where I have all my bookmarks and other data. Unfortunately, it is just unusable.

Has anyone else had this problem since the latest upgrade/have any ideas of what might be causing it? I would be really, really grateful if so, as it has been driving me insane all month!

I've been here a year and a half and I would say I am fluent in Thai (but far from bilingual) BUT this was after three years of studying Thai a couple of times a week back home in England. I trained as a translator, and almost fully bilingual in French and English, with a high level in two other Euro languages.

I can completely understand those who don't speak much Thai, or none at all. I think that it is true that some people have a natural aptitude for learning other languages, and this makes it a much less painful process. And Thai is not a very easy language for many people to get their head around - for me, it was the fourth language I learned after English, and I found that there were very few points of reference or similarities. I also think that after learning one language, the next is easier - you have a kind of "technique", a way of storing the words and phrases. Equally, there were things which were a huge relief (no le/la, no complicated conjugation or tenses).

I've seen people try very hard to retain Thai words, and yet they still cannot, and that is really frustrating for them. Personally, I am not great at maths and have also long struggled to learn to drive (really frustrating - it looks so easy!). People ask me how I can possibly manage - and yet I always have. I cannot deny there have been times when it would have been easier if I could drive. And I know I shouldn't give up. Equally, there have been so many times in the past year or so living in Thailand where I have been completely relieved that I speak Thai. It makes life so easy, and makes for a more interesting life. But I can see how others can manage (especially here in Bangkok). And I know yet other expats who had to learn English when they moved here, which was already hard work.

The time issue is quite a big deal, too. My partner has an extremely demanding job, with barely enough time to relax, or spend time doing things he enjoys. He planned to learn Thai when we moved here, and has spent some time trying, but physically doesn't have the time. When he does get to chill out, spending hours learning an unfamiliar language is the last thing he wants to do. "Picking it up" is one thing, and he has learned a bit that way, but you need a basic grounding to follow what's going on. Plus, he has his own personal interpreter

Very long post just to say that I agree with the person that said "live and let live"!

This is not my recipe, it's from David Thompson's Thai Food, but it's delicious. Bear in mind there are various versions of Kao Soi, some of which use red curry paste and dried curry powder. This one doesn't, and I prefer it. But you can find plenty of variations by Googling.

4tbsp coconut cream (fresh is better if poss)

100g (vegetarian substitute - maybe tofu marinated in sweet soy?)

1 tbsp palm sugar

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce (I use kecap manis)

2 cups stock or water

handful fresh egg noodles

deep fried egg noodles

1 tbsp chopped spring onion

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Paste

3 dried long red chillies, deseeded, soaked and drained

4 red shallots, unpeeled

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 tbsp chopped turmeric (if you can't get this I guess a 1/2tsp or less of dried, but the taste would not be as good)

2 tbsp fresh ginger

pinch salt

3 coriander roots, peeled, scraped and chopped (if you can't get these you can use a little of the stem)

1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground

Roast the chillies, shallots, garlic, turmeric and ginger. Peel chillies, shallots and garlic (I've never peeled the chillies). Pound all the paste ingredients together.

Crack the coconut cream and fry the paste in it for about 5 mins. Add (tofu?), turn down the heat and simmer for 5. Add palm sugar, and both soy sauces. Moisten with stock or water (I usually use the "thin" part of the coconut milk). Season to taste.

Blanch the egg noodles, serve with curried soup poured over, and garnish with coriander, spring onion and deep fried noodles.

In separate dishes, serve sliced red shallots, lime wedges, and pickled mustard greens (I usually serve the coriander and spring onion separately too in case people don't like them). Also roast chilli sauce (he gives a recipe too, which is well worth the effort - it is different from the nam prik pao you can buy).

Note: I've never used tofu in this recipe but I think a medium firm fresh tofu would work quite well (I don't know the exact name but it was easy to buy fresh at Thai markets in the UK). In that case try to make the sauce/soup in advance and reheat, that way it will absorb plenty of the flavours.

If you go to Pak Klong (Flower Market) near Saphan Phut, and go inside the covered part of the vegetable market, there is at least one herbalist selling dried rhizomes and powders. Ask around if you can't find it (raan yaa). If you are looking for something specific, better make sure you know the Thai name though!

You can get the real thing from Spice Story in Paragon. I have a packet from there which I use in Ma Po Tofu, and it tastes right to me. The spices there are considerably pricier than in Chinatown, though. There's a shop halfway up Trok Itsaranuphap, on the left coming from Th. Yaowaraj, which stocks Szechuan pepper.

There is a very similar spice available in Bangkok (at Khlong Dtoei, for example) called Makwaen (มะแคว่น), which is used a lot in the North of Thailand - to me it looks much the same. Look for prik hawm (พริกหอม) instead. I think I've bought it from Villa Market in the past, or maybe the food hall in Isetan. Spice Story's was the freshest.

Bit late to this thread but I couldn't agree more, Jingthing. It is such a shame and was a bit of a surprise to me when I first moved here. I think it is a question of fear of the unknown and lack of opportunity. It also reminds me of many French people I have had contact with over the past decade or so, who were unwilling to try unfamiliar foods (particularly Asian), compared to most Brits I know. Obviously also a generalisation, but their attitude was that French food is so wonderful, why would they want to eat other food? And this seemed to apply to the younger generation, too. Whereas now, Japanese and Indian food is gaining in popularity, and there is more and more interest in Asian food. Some would say British food is a good encouragement to look elsewhere for inspiration, but that's another debate.

Our maid is quite funny about it - she comes into the kitchen when I'm cooking "foreign" food, and starts chopping roots and aromatics while interrogating me about the dish. I often bring back ingredients from Singapore and cook things like black nut chicken (ayam buah keluak), assam laksa, Indonesian soto ayam... She'll comment that it's "like Thai food", and be really curious about the ingredients she's never seen or at least not eaten, like candlenuts, keluak nuts, assam gelugor (som kaek) or torch ginger...but having spent perhaps two hours discussing and participating in the cooking, she will always, always make a yam or nam prik to eat with her rice, saying "gin mai ben". Despite the apparent similarities in technique and ingredients, to her it is quite alien (sometimes even dismissed simply as "kaek"). Balinese young jackfruit curry was the only exception - she helped me find the elusive jackfruit, and actually had a full helping of the dish, which was emphatically deemed "a-loy". Small victories aside, she frequently comments that we "know how to eat all kinds of food", although this is not a compliment as such, more a bemused observation!

I agree wholeheartedly though that as more Thais are exposed to other Asian cuisines, they will become more popular. I know at least three Thai women who love Vietnamese food, having tried outside Thailand, and who like to eat it here in Bangkok. As Thais travel more and learn to eat these foods, hopefully there'll be more restaurants to cater for this demand. Unfortunately that won't happen soon enough to satisfy the cravings

We tried Tacos and Salsa for the second time tonight (took the lazy takeaway option). I don't have a whole lot of experience of US-Mexican food or Tex-Mex, so I can't really compare, but I have spent a month in Mexico with a friend from Mexico City who made sure we tasted the best of Mexican cuisine. Both meals from Tacos and Salsa have been excellent, and brought back very good memories.

So far we have only tried the enchiladas, tacos, and various salsas and guacamole, but cannot wait to taste the pozole. I haven't had anything other than homecooked (when I can get the right corn) since last time I was in Mexico. The refried beans are fantastic, really tasty, and the rice seemed to taste even better tonight than the first time. I admit that I haven't been to any other Mexican places in Bangkok but with new additions to the menu at Tacos and Salsa, I don't think I'll be testing out any of the others any time soon! Overall, really like this place and hope it is successful because it deserves to be, and maybe one day I won't have to cook my own mole poblano anymore

LOL, completely! I didn't read the whole thread, arrived via Google (Boulange, Soi Convent)

*Penny drops*

3rd Road will be a bit far for me just for a baguette, it's true

3rd Road? No, went to Soi Convent, as I was in the area. Not sure what you mean by 3rd Road... What's the full address?

What about ไข้ส่า ?

All the Thai people I know talk about ไข้เลือดออก, describing the symptoms of DHF (Dengue Haemorrhagic fever). As I understand it though, DHF is a consequence of repeated infections (2-3) with Dengue.

Except in medical texts, where I have seen it written "Den-gii" (according to the phonetic spelling in Thai), it's always ไข้เลือดออก. Maybe it's just that that's the more dangerous type?

Being bitten to death right now, while we're on the subject of mosquito-borne diseases....

Anyone know if La Boulange shut down or just moved? Having been meaning to test out this bakery for a while, I went today to find a Little Italy under construction. Yet nothing about it on the company's website...

Thanks in advance!

The flooding already did start! At least in our soi - the neighbours' house was starting to flood yesterday afternoon, as we crossed fingers the rain would stop. But it started again in the night, and we woke up to find 3 ground floor rooms flooded...

Not looking forward to the rest of the rainy season