13 things I miss about living back in the UK

[strikingsunset]

Smoked Haddock

Kippers

Black Pudding

Smoked Back Bacon

Cornish Pasty

Marmite

Real Ale ,in a real pub

Traditional Pork Sausages

Fish and Chips ( from an award winning fryer)

Marmalade - Choice of 

Branston Pickle

Colemans English Mustard

Discos  

[DILLIGAD]

Smoked Haddock
Kippers
Black Pudding
Smoked Back Bacon
Cornish Pasty
Marmite
Real Ale ,in a real pub
Traditional Pork Sausages
Fish and Chips ( from an award winning fryer)
Marmalade - Choice of 
Branston Pickle
Colemans English Mustard
Discos  

Every one of your suggestions are available here in Thailand.
Next?


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[strikingsunset]

Every one of your suggestions are available here in Thailand.
Next?


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No totally disagree-having experienced Cornish Pasties from the Cornish Pastie shop at Lizard Point in Cornwall ( for one one example ) nothing in - ah hmm -this locality can every compare to that ...




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[TooPoopedToPop]

Why only "13 things I miss about living back in the UK" ?

Make it 14 and include "Mummy".

[xylophone]

On 12/03/2018 at 4:46 PM, possum1931 said:

I find that bread from 7-11 and Tesco Lotus stay fresher much longer than bread in Scotland.

Not surprising given the amount of preservatives in it!

[johng]

Not surprising given the amount of preservatives in it!

I left some of that "bread" opened but still in the bag, out side on a garden window sill for about a month...the ants didn't touch it neither did any mould !

[pennine]

Surely the high quality of TV in the UK?

[garrya]

On 12/03/2018 at 7:46 AM, twix38 said:

I used to go back to UK every year for a few weeks. Then a couple of months and last year nearly 4 months. Slowly realising I prefer to be there and next week I return and plan to stay 6 months. 

 

The negatives in Thailand now often outweigh my reasons for living here and it's no longer cheap living.

 

I agree with the 13 list and would add cycling, walking in the countryside, woods, parks etc in UK. It is usually built on in Thailand and dangers of air pollution.  The food pesticide risks in Thailand are concerning for medium/long term health. Also the standard of healthcare here on the surface look fine. My experience repeatedly is that it is patchy with no accountability and is often found wanting.

I expect to return to Thailand for the Winter time only rather than staying for most of the year . 

 

I am actually looking forward to a life back home where life maybe slightly less free but one hell of a lot safer and equal to all.

Well, I have to disagree on the healthcare. The UK may have a "good" healthcare but to get to see a real doctor nowadays is near to impossible.

My missus has infertility issues, has cysts and after months and months nothing is happening regardless of how many times I ask my GP or the hospital. Constant lies and lies and lies.

To see your GP takes anywhere between a week or 4. To get to a specialist under NHS takes months if not YEARS!! Oh noo, the reason why I am actually running away from the UK is the healthcare that does not exist. You have to be a drug addict, alcoholic or diabetic and you will get all sort of free treatments on my national insurance contribution.

I have been struggling with a knee issue that could not be resolved by exercises and physio who suggested an X-ray. Hahahahaha, well, it will never happen as the GP will do everything to keep me away from any treatments that could cost money! Referrels disappear, appointments get cancelled without notifying patients, mistakes all over the place. Utter rubbish!! On the other hand,  I have had brilliant experiences with the Thai healthcare system. In fact, they treated me quicker, better and more efficiently than in the three other European countries where I have lived before. Among those, the UK has proved to be the worsT by A COUNTRY MILE!

 

Air pollution in the larger British cities is appalling too, although, I agree that it is worse in Thailand.

Agree with you on the green areas. Loads of parks, woodlands are well-kept.

[garrya]

On 12/03/2018 at 9:46 AM, ncc1701d said:

England - if you like the food, you’ll love the weather.

lol, The best bloody post I have seen in ages.

Thanks mate. You made my day. I really can't stop laughing.

[jayboy]

Interesting and revealing on this thread that not one post picks up on Art and Culture which is mentioned in Dan Cheesman's piece.

[VillageIdiot]

23 minutes ago, jayboy said:

Interesting and revealing on this thread that not one post picks up on Art and Culture which is mentioned in Dan Cheesman's piece.

For a critique of British Art and Culture try another forum.

In Thailand it's on display any night of the week in Pattaya and on Lower Suky in Bangkok.

[nanglong218]

Cox's Orange Pippins and Russets, Bramleys. Branston Pickle, HP sauce (2quid a bottle here ??), Theakstons Old Peculiar,  Marston's Owd Rodger,  the Lake District.

Castles, stately homes, cathedrals, I had no interest until I took my Thai wife to UK, she loved them and then I saw my country as a tourist.

  What a magnificent place it is. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[xylophone]

Cox's Orange Pippins and Russets, Bramleys. Branston Pickle, HP sauce (2quid a bottle here ??), Theakstons Old Peculiar,  Marston's Owd Rodger,  the Lake District.

Castles, stately homes, cathedrals, I had no interest until I took my Thai wife to UK, she loved them and then I saw my country as a tourist.

  What a magnificent place it is. 

 

Russets.............jeez haven\t had one of those in 60 yrs or more!! My granny used to have a Russet tree in the back garden and I thought the apples were great, but they seemed to fall out of favour? (their look possibly?).

 

Some of the other stuff is available here, and apart from the castles and stately homes (great), for me there was nothing like a traditional ploughmans lunch, eaten in the garden of a country pub, accompanied by a pint of bitter of course!

[nanglong218]

That ale would be cask conditioned of course, not fizzy pop.  Russets have a rough brown skin but underneath are so tasty.  Australia, being protectionist, bans the import of Kiwi apples on spurious grounds.   But the climate in NZ is perfect for apple cultivation.  Bring back the old varieties, no more golden delicious.

[bartender100]

UK Poundland, where everything cost B44,  shaving foam and foot long Toblerones being my favorite buys 

[bermondburi]

When people complain about the driving in Thailand, I always think they haven't actually travelled that much. 

 

Been in the middle east for six years, and inshallah another six more, but I'm always pleasantly surprised by how nice it is to drive in Thailand. The lack of horns, people let you in, slower speeds, greater politeness, I could go on....

 

Anyways, if you can't handle dining driving in Thailand, stay away from Egypt or Saudi, LOL.

[Ulysses G.]

7 hours ago, bermondburi said:

When people complain about the driving in Thailand, I always think they haven't actually travelled that much. 

 

Been in the middle east for six years, and inshallah another six more, but I'm always pleasantly surprised by how nice it is to drive in Thailand. The lack of horns, people let you in, slower speeds, greater politeness, I could go on....

 

Anyways, if you can't handle dining driving in Thailand, stay away from Egypt or Saudi, LOL.

It is WAY worse in Vietnam too - at least it was 20 years ago when I lived there.

[xylophone]

12 hours ago, nanglong218 said:

That ale would be cask conditioned of course, not fizzy pop.  Russets have a rough brown skin but underneath are so tasty.  Australia, being protectionist, bans the import of Kiwi apples on spurious grounds.   But the climate in NZ is perfect for apple cultivation.  Bring back the old varieties, no more golden delicious.

Possibly the Russet didn't look attractive enough?

 

I think you'll find that Oz does allow the import of NZ apples now as some international body ruled against the ban on so called "fireblight" contamination from NZ because it had been in Oz for many years anyway...........as you say a protectionist ruse!

 

Used to eat loads of apples as a young kid (esp when I could "scrump" them) but now haven't eaten one in years!

[geriatrickid]

On 3/12/2018 at 2:32 AM, jinners said:

I  miss speed cameras on every corner and concealed cop cars if they don't happen to nab you. I miss the freezing cold weather in May, the grey skies, the charges racked up for absolutely everything.

I really do miss family and friends and not much else. Culture and the match live is nice, but that's so expensive I couldn't do that regularly anyway and I can get to take those in on my visits.

I get everything pretty much I want here. Might not be paradise but it'll do until I find it.

It's all relative;

In Thailand it's a Bib waiting to pounce;  unbearably sticky weather most of the year,  the dirty grey skies during burning season, or the usual garbage burning; and extra charges for being farang. Paradise is where we make it. I can live very nicely in Hampshire, or  the Outer Banks, NC, or south of France or Vancouver Island etc.

 

 

On 3/12/2018 at 1:29 AM, marko kok prong said:

Ah yes those grey skies,the pasty obese people,the damp,the cold.

That could be the north of Thailand during cold season, or it could be  Patong/Pattaya/Samui etc.  anytime of the year, minus the cold.

 

 

On 3/12/2018 at 2:09 AM, grantbkk said:

USA:  Friends, Costco and In n Out Burger. That’s it. 

What about healthcare quality, or due process in a court of law or human rights? 

If you ever get into a dispute with a Thai of status you will soon learn  that you have no legal rights.

 

On 3/12/2018 at 2:15 AM, Moti24 said:

I miss scraping the ice from the windscreen in the morning.  But, I suppose I'll just have to live here without that stimulating habit; sometimes, life really sucks!

Well, there is tree sap or animal feces. Park in the wrong place sometimes, and you can count on an hour's worth of cleaning.

 

[owl sees all]

37 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Used to eat loads of apples as a young kid (esp when I could "scrump" them) but now haven't eaten one in years!

Scrumping is a young person's game. Glad you gave it up like me.

[stuandjulie]

sticking to the question and not comparing countries.

Spring when the trees and plants come to life, sitting in a beer garden in daylight at 9pm. Autumn colours, snuggling in front of a log fire in winter, the driving, people still holding doors for each other, the supermarkets. the fresh sea air (if not in a city), 

[nanglong218]

On 3/21/2018 at 9:54 PM, jayboy said:

Interesting and revealing on this thread that not one post picks up on Art and Culture which is mentioned in Dan Cheesman's piece.

It's a sad but very relevant comment that you make.  Don't ask me about art, it's a case of "I know what I like guv, know what I mean".          Culture, I think UK has always given plenty. music, television, fashion maybe. We have very talented and gifted people, we can survive if we rediscover our confidence.

[nanglong218]

47 minutes ago, stuandjulie said:

, people still holding doors

Yes, simple good manners. Flash headlights to give priority, no cheery wave here,   Good manners are the bedrock of civil society. It's dying out in the UK too.

[jayboy]

It's a sad but very relevant comment that you make.  Don't ask me about art, it's a case of "I know what I like guv, know what I mean".          Culture, I think UK has always given plenty. music, television, fashion maybe. We have very talented and gifted people, we can survive if we rediscover our confidence.

It’s not just contemporary media and fashion.It’s an incredibly rich centuries old tradition of literature, architecture,theatre and civilised values.Generally this is of limited interest to most British expatriates in Thailand.Though to be fair they don’t differ too much from similar types in the U.K.


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[Jip99]

13 minutes ago, jayboy said:

 

It’s not just contemporary media and fashion.It’s an incredibly rich centuries old tradition of literature, architecture,theatre and civilised values.Generally this is of limited interest to most British expatriates in Thailand.Though to be fair they don’t differ too much from similar types in the U.K.


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South East Asia has a lot of that as well........................................... except for the civilised values.

[jayboy]

14 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

South East Asia has a lot of that as well........................................... except for the civilised values.

A lot of what? We are not talking about the great civilizations of China and Japan and their staggering artistic achievements.In Vietnam and Indonesia there are lesser but still impressive cultural traditions.Frankly there's not too much of real artistic value in Thailand, Malaysia or Philippines though much of anthropological/historical interest.A departing British Ambassador, Sir Richard Rumbold, once remarked of Thailand there was no literature or music to speak of, and monotonous architecture and hideous interior decorations.The worthies of the Siam Society might disagree but there was much truth in what the Ambassador said.By international standards it's a silly superficial place whose people have made no impact on world affairs and certainly not on world culture, unless one counts vegetable carving. The ambassador commented nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich and licentiousness is the main pleasure of all Thais.The British expatriates here - largely lower middle class and indifferently educated - don't seem to pine for high culture.Good luck to them.

 

But it's worth quoting the ambassador's conclusion

 

'' But it does a faded European good to spend some time among such a jolly, extrovert and anti-intellectual people.And if anybody wants to know what their culture consists of the answer is that it consists of themselves, their excellent manners, their fastidious habits, their graceful gestures and their elegant persons.If we are elephants and oxes they are gazelles and butterflies."

 

Sadly the army of British expatriates have rejected their own culture - which they never really grasped anyway (just look at this thread) - but have failed to acquire the Thais' charm and good manners.

 

 

[Jip99]

6 minutes ago, jayboy said:

A lot of what? We are not talking about the great civilizations of China and Japan and their staggering artistic achievements.In Vietnam and Indonesia there are lesser but still impressive cultural traditions.Frankly there's not too much of real artistic value in Thailand, Malaysia or Philippines though much of anthropological/historical interest.A departing British Ambassador, Sir Richard Rumbold, once remarked of Thailand there was no literature or music to speak of, and monotonous architecture and hideous interior decorations.The worthies of the Siam Society might disagree but there was much truth in what the Ambassador said.By international standards it's a silly superficial place whose people have made no impact on world affairs and certainly not on world culture, unless one counts vegetable carving. The ambassador commented nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich and licentiousness is the main pleasure of all Thais.The British expatriates here - largely lower middle class and indifferently educated - don't seem to pine for high culture.Good luck to them.

 

But it's worth quoting the ambassador's conclusion

 

'' But it does a faded European good to spend some time among such a jolly, extrovert and anti-intellectual people.And if anybody wants to know what their culture consists of the answer is that it consists of themselves, their excellent manners, their fastidious habits, their graceful gestures and their elegant persons.If we are elephants and oxes they are gazelles and butterflies."

 

Sadly the army of British expatriates have rejected their own culture - which they never really grasped anyway (just look at this thread) - but have failed to acquire the Thais' charm and good manners.

 

 

 

 

Clearly, Sir Richard had never ventured as far as Angkor Wat............

[jayboy]

 
 
Clearly, Sir Richard had never ventured as far as Angkor Wat............

The point you are attempting to make is irrelevant and somewhat obscure.Sir Richard was writing of Thailand not Cambodia.In any case the remarkable achievements of the ancient Khmers were all but forgotten by modern Cambodians until European explorers discovered the temples of Angkor completely covered by the jungle.The Cambodians of the time had as much connection with these marvels as Cairo carpet wallahs have with the Pyramids.


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[Jip99]

37 minutes ago, jayboy said:

 

The point you are attempting to make is irrelevant and somewhat obscure.Sir Richard was writing of Thailand not Cambodia.In any case the remarkable achievements of the ancient Khmers were all but forgotten by modern Cambodians until European explorers discovered the temples of Angkor completely covered by the jungle.The Cambodians of the time had as much connection with these marvels as Cairo carpet wallahs have with the Pyramids.


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It doesn’t diminish the fact that they exist. -  and I was talking about South East Asia.

[jayboy]

 
 
It doesn’t diminish the fact that they exist. -  and I was talking about South East Asia.

Do you have a point to make?

Culture is a living thing though it may stretch back centuries.Nobody is questioning the achievements of the Ancient World.

But the subject of the thread Is what expatriates miss from their home country.It seems that the answer is more Branston Pickle than high culture.This reflects on the type of expatriate drawn to Thailand as I have explained.Thailand is a country where there is an exotic but superficial culture - so you could say the typical Brit expat has come to the right place.


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