wjmark

.......and the bright yellow "butter" the roti makers use, I try to resist roti stands most of the time because that stuff just looks so nasty. We are all doomed.

Thai margerine that is used in a lot of the baked goods is a good example of bad hydrogenated oil. I'm not sure what it's made of but I love the artificial butter flavor, think most locally (Thai bakery) made croissants.

Some of the best french fries I've ever had were at the night 'food and cheap-shoe' market on Huay Keow near CMU. Thin, crispy, golden brown, and potato flavour galore.

Went there one day and saw them dumping Thai margarine into the oil...

Aha, and sigh.

Does anyone know where i can purchase a length of round rubber section about 6mm>8mm diameter. I am making a large "O" ring for a friends swimming pool filter.I have scoured the wonderfull world of Chiang Mai Plastics, but not have.

Thanx.

Finding a sheet of rubber has been very difficult for me too. If you do find a source, please put it up here.

I ended up using an old inner-tube from a tire, and that worked.

I don't think you will find rubber sheet at Amorn, but I may be wrong.

If you find it - let us know!!

My 2 cents:

I like the Dukes, but there are some real problems. First and formost, he doesn't seem to be able to find a decent grill chef.

I have tried the burgers there 3 or 4 times, and they either come out burnt or raw. I do not order the burger in any special way (rare, medium, etc.), just the way they make it.

Went there with my gf and she ordered a (relatively expensive - around 600bt) steak. She asked for medium rare, as she does not like blood coming out.

It came burnt (and I do mean burnt - black everywhere) on the outside and bloody raw on the inside. I mentioned this to Dave, and he took it away, and the same steak came back still black on the outside, and a little less raw on the inside. He also said that grill chefs are hard to find.

Well, for a $20 dollar steak, they should be able to cook it. And as for bringing back the same burnt one - well, bad business sense in my mind.

I like their food generally (had a great Thanksgiving turkey dinner there), but I don't like spending relatively big bucks on a hit and miss meal.

I also mentioned to the owner once that the hot spinach salad (which is great) should not be served on an icy plate. He just shrugged and said that he tried telling his staff that, but "you know, TIT"

who in their right mind would want to work for free????? I wouldnt lol

Who would work for free? According to you - insane people.

But perhaps there are other types that would work for free?

People who care about other people more than they care about money?

People who recognize that they have been fortunate enough in life not to have to get paid for every moment they do something?

People who have any sense of social justice?

Decent people?

But not you - as you so clearly stated - "lol"

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And for comparison, who wouldn't work for free? According to you, sane people. But maybe also:

People full of hate for their fellow humans?

People who have no sympathy or empathy for the less fortunate?

People who have so much money that they feel so entitled to their riches that nobody dare hope for some help?

People who think they are better than others?

People who only take, and never give?

Jerks?

The sort of person who would leave someone dying in the street rather than give away any of their precious time to help?

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So, if you don't get paid, you don't do anything for anybody? tsk tsk

Oh yes - "lol"

Frying IS (one form) of cooking. What do you mean?

"Boiling" better?

Steamed is probably more accurate. I had a burger at Mikes a few years ago, and watched them put the patty on the grill and immediately cover it. Remove the cover, flip, and cover again.

Steamed gray flannel - yuk... (Their chilli is ok, though. A little watery, but ok)

Back on topic - I get my burger and cheddar at Northern Farms.

My mother makes the best burger I have had - always tastes like steak. She gets ground chuck steak (I don't know what other cultures call it) - great flavour. And she does nothing to it - just some salt and pepper. She swears that the most important thing to a great burger is to not handle it or 'work' it much at all. Just gently form it and cook.

She'll order 10 lbs of fresh ground chuck - gently form it into patties and freeze.

I am home for the summer, and I am looking forward to her burgers (I am also looking forward to the fois-gras, trout-caviar, and lobster evening we have planned!).

Le Creuset is great - I still have a few hundred pounds of it in Canada - left over from my profesional catering days. One day, when my weight allowance is not taken up with foodstuffs, then I will bring one or two over here.

But here in Thailand they have a few locally used cast-iron products. For frying pans I use cast-iron roti-pans. I have a 10" and an 18". They are great but very shallow - too low for shallow frying.

Occasionally at the second hand markets I see (and buy) cast-iron woks. These are great - not the same as the standard mild-steel woks (which are great too), but much heavier and more suitable for slower cooking and deep-frying. I have a really small (9") deep wok that works perfectly on that single little center flame on those table-top gas-burners. I saw a huge one today - a 30" flat-bottomed cast-iron wok. I wanted it, but couldn't think of anything to do with it (I haven't been a caterer in years...).

None of these are enamel coated, so they do have slightly different cooking characteristics, and also they do need to be seasoned.

I have not seen any local cast-iron casseroles, so you might have to knuckle down and spend the big bucks!

There is usually a guy selling nice big new woven hammocks at the second hand market near Prince Royal College.

It is held on Bumrungrat rd between Kaew Narawat and Doi Saket Kao roads. It also runs along one side of Doi Saket Kao rd.

The hammock guy is usually just 20 meters up Bumrungrat from Doi Saket Kao

I find that ordering on-line in Canada to be much cheaper than buying in Thailand (I am talking about ordering in and delivering to Canada). Even after taxes and shipping, it still seems to be at least 15-20% cheaper...

I buy a lot of computer stuff every summer when I go home to Canada, and just bring it along.

Cameras too seem much cheaper. Warranty may or may not be a problem.

I got warranty here in Thailand on a Seagate hard-drive that I bought in Canada.

Good luck

I buy the MTR brand pacs - very nice. About thirty different dishes - make sure you try the Khadi Pakora! MTR is the only ISO9001/2000 certified producer of this type of food. All nature ingredients with no colours or. preservatives added

There is an Indian area south of Charoenkrung Rd. (south of Old Siam Center and the Royal Theater

Bismala Trading, 330 Chak Pet (Chakrapeth) Rd. is the shop I get them.

Going south it is just about the last Indian shop on the left (east side).

The boss's name is Suresh Pandey - nice guy and good English. I ordered 200 packs the last time, and he shipped them to me in Chiang Mai (very little acceptable Indian cuisine here). Just transferred the money to his account and he sent me the food! Done it a few times! He has a lot in stock, and can order more as you like.

Shop phone: 02 623 7510 Suresh's cel: 089 144 8610

Tell him Mark from Chiang Mai says 'hi', and will order another 200 in September!!! I like this stuff, I must say. I understand that the Indian Army uses these as rations - lucky army!

I often freshen them with a little lemon and minced onion. Or sometimes I fry up some onions and ginger and pour the curry into that and heat it that way.

---

Now comes the review!

I have tried most of the different varieties and some are very good to excellent, and some are kinda crappy.

For example, the Bhindi Masala (okra) is really pretty disgusting. Thick, sticky, and just gross (okra is not so good in theses packs, methinks).

But the Palak Paneer, Chana Masala, Dal Makhani, Pav (Pau?) Bhaji, and Kadhi Pakora (yoghurt curry with fritters) are all excellent. And all have distinct flavours - not just the same curry with different ingredients.

The Mixed Veg Curry, Navratam Korma, Dal Fry, Pea and Mushroom Curry , and Muttar Paneer all are very good (but the peas are a little hard).

The Rajma Masala (kidney beans) is almost Mexican in taste, and I often serve it with Taco beef and Mexican salsa.

The Alu Methi (potatos with fresh fenugreek leaves) would have been great, except the texture of the potatos is a little hard and rubbery. So only a VG rating for that one!

All the creamy paneers dishes are VG, although the paneer is sometimes a little chewy. Shahi Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala (oniony), Butter Paneer, and Paneer Makhani are all good and rich.

The Rasam Rice has a real south Indian taste.

Hope you find what you are looking for! Cheers, Mark

I changed my rear sprocket/cog from a 44 tooth to a 47 tooth. I did a run before and after for comparison. My bike is a 2004 and has done 45,000 kms (therefore lower compression than a new bike), I had ½ a tank of 91 Benzene for both runs, I weigh with my gear about 80kgs, Michelin tyres (rear 100/80-17), standard 15 Tooth front sprocket, larger stainless steel exhaust header with modified original muffler, 28mm carbie, CDI is original so I hit the rev limiter (11,500 revs) and took note of the speed, I wasn't fully tucked down behind the screen.

Gear . . . . Speed (km/h) . . . . . .Speed (km/h)

. . . . . . . . . . 44Tooth . . . . . . . . . . 47Tooth

1st . . . . . . . . . . 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

2nd . . . . . . . . . .72 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

3rd . . . . . . . . . . 93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

4th . . . . . . . . . .115 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

5th . . . . . . . . . .130 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

6th . . . . . . . . . . ?? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

I'm in Chiangmai, where did you buy your 47 tooth rear sprocket from?

See Toi at Race Shop (near Chiang Phuak - there are directions earlier in this thread).

Just got back from holidays, and rode the CBR this morning for the first time. Hit 151 at 12k - fully tucked - no wind (47 tooth). Held it for about 5 minutes...

larger stainless steel exhaust header with modified original muffler,

Hey!

What did you do to the muffler? Drill the exhaust hole a little bigger?

Cheers, M.

Hi,

Yes the posting was removed as 'advertising' - sorry.

In the post I mentioned that I (owner of the Pilates-ChiangMai Studio), will be visiting Koh Tao for 6 weeks.

There is an ad on ThaiVisa classified.

---

About Pilates and diving. Pilates develops a great control over breath that allows people to increase their lung capacity dramatically (and quickly).

When I started diving 5 years ago, I was able to apply all sorts of Pilates principles to my diving. The breath was easy - I immediately was a relatively low user of air - people ran out way before me. Stops you being an 'air-pig'!

Also, the Pilates, with its focus on 'core stability' helped me find my horizontal positioning very easily.

Pilates and Yoga are similar, but Pilates focuses on core and breath in a much different way from Yoga. Pilates was developed last century by a German man (Joe Pilates), who had studied Yoga and martial arts, and came up with his own 'rational', scientific, and 'modern' form of movement-oriented yoga. It was such a powerful method that the German army asked Joe Pilates to train the army (he refused and moved in 1926 to New York)!

Great stuff - dancers and top athletes have been doing Pilates for decades. Lately it has become much more mainstream...

Cheers, Mark

I have two - just bought a half-face yesterday. Lots of places carry them in Chiang Mai.

The SEEM to be well made. Nice finishing - logos and everything are painted on under the glaze (no stickers). They SEEM strong, and they are very comfortable - even the chin strap is comfortable.

They SEEM much better than the Index and other Thai companies...

I hope they are as they seem!

Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce

thick black-rubber bungie cords

small light rope pulleys with bearings

chinese dim-sum chilli sauce

salad spinner

" To fully induce drive immediately [ Ok ] , must not repair ( gum,rubber,tire state good ) , the brake is good , the don't go up , must not do a color , a motorcycle has the register is correct , can go to transfer the right of ownership has that Department of Land Bangkok Transport has no a problem "

Ready for immediate sale, no repairs needed (gum *referring to the amylaceous substance or rather the coating the seat has protecting it from the elements ie no cracks to tears) , rubber (referring to the rubber parts of the vehicle like the handlebars rubber covering), tires are good) the brakes work good, seat doesnt go up, no scratches (not having to paint or touch up scratches ie..color) The vehicls registration matches the bike and is in good standing, the green book can be transferred to the new owner.

I was about to bow to your superior 'translation' (if that is the right word) abilities - I think you are right: "must not do a color" = "no scratches".

But what does "seat doesn't go up" mean?

Sounds like a good bike, though.

And legal!

hmmmm

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brakes: "the don't go up" = they don't give up?

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" must not do a color , a motorcycle has the register is correct"

I think I know this one! Don't have to repaint - the bike has not been repainted a different colour from what is on the registration.

So what am I induced to win? Must not have to lose...

YARD SALE - Saturday March 7th, 7 am until ? Everything must go...

Too many items to list.

Don't mean to be rude, but why should we drive all the way out there if you can't be bothered to tell us what you have?

I am not interested in the furniture - so what else is out there? If it is just baby clothes and plastic kitchenware, then I won't be out there!

If there is anything interesting, then I would be out there in a flash.

Please elaborate - it only takes a couple of minutes to make a general list!

thanks...

At the Chiang Mai train station they told me that I can only take the bike with me on the train - cannot send it if I am not a passenger...

Can send it by post though! Small bike Chiang Mai to Chumpon - 2200baht. Post office to post office (poste restante). Can mail bike to Samui too.

Big bikes - don't know.

If there are a few bikes - try to find a transport company - should be a lot cheaper.

I saw dozens of bikes pulled over

Who's your source mate?

How do you know?

Rumour only it sounds like to me.

Don't you just love these sensational topics... sources please!

We are waiting for some kind on confirmation from the Som Tam Lady

I was talking to my girlfriend about Canada, and how many people have some form of mobile accommodation - camper trailers, motor-homes, etc. (I have an old van with bed, kitchen etc. there, and was enticing her into a Yukon road-trip).

I have never seen anything like them in Thailand, and believe that they are against the law?

She just thought there are none around because a Thai person rich enough to afford one wouldn't want such a 'low-so' toy.

Anybody know about this? I would love to build a nice 'room on wheels' into some vehicle here.

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

How do you know?

My mechanic told me. He is keeping his shop closed right now - the BIB are also raiding shops...

Also saw a farang without plates getting hassled today.

Up to you!!!

Rumour only it sounds like to me.

Of course it is just a rumor. Everything is just a 'rumor', so take it for what it is worth.

My mechanic said that even 'legal' bikes with invoice, but no plate, are being seized.

As Richard-BKK notes in this parallel thread,

( http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Warning-Chia...ce-t247145.html )

You lose the bike also if you have an invoice, but for some reason cannot register your motorcycle. All motorcycles without plates are confiscated and invoice bikes you can get back with registering documents.

Bangkok Metropolitan is also scheduling a similar action at the end of this month, beginning of next month. So if you come to the 30th Bangkok Motorshow... be sure that your paperwork is 100% correct..

Rumor only - for what it is worth...

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

How do you know?

My mechanic told me. He is keeping his shop closed right now - the BIB are also raiding shops...

Also saw a farang without plates getting hassled today.

Up to you!!!

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

It has started in Chiang Mai. No plates? No invoice? Lose your bike.

Apparently the word has come down to seize 100 illegal bikes. Only 30 so far.

Watch out!!!

Went for an early morning ride today, and thought I would report.

With the 47 rear, 11,000rpm = 140km/hr. 11,500=143. 9,600rpm=120km

With the old 44, it was 9,000=120

This is with my Michelins.

(Question: is a 100/80 Michelin the same radius as an IRC 100/80?)

One thing about the 47 is there is much more oomph in 6th. I still hit 140 easily, and perhaps more easily than with the 44. Seems like the torque band pulls much better in 6th. With the 44 I remember it flattening out at 10,500rpm, but now it pulls easily to 11,500.

Whatever....

Fun fun fun on the empty highways around ChiangMai today. (Except for the smoke in the air - bad bad bad...)