Diary of a farang in Isaan

[Boomer6969]

On 11/25/2022 at 7:12 PM, rickudon said:

Yes, carp in the wrong place can be a pest. I once went fishing at lake Burley-griffin in Canberra. All i could catch were carp, mainly stunted. A passer by had the biggest for his cat.

 The Australian CSIRO were looking at Carp herpes virus when i was there as the myxomatosis equivalent for carp. Do not think they went country wide with it, just not deadly enough. Most of the indigenous fish in southern parts of Australia are now rare due to carp, and of course agricultural practices/dams polluting the rivers or changing the aquatic environment. In the far North the fish were still the indigenous ones (Catfish similar to Plaa sawai and barramundi were main ones, also Tarpon, saratoga (a type of arrowana), archer fish and longtoms). At that time no cane toads, i fear many of the rarer predatory animals are on their way to extinction due to Cane toad poison - although some birds seem to have learned how to deal with them). An interesting 18 months of my life mainly spent in the Northern territory, with more crocs than humans.

In the Sundgau "Carpes frites" is a delicacy. But IMHO the stuff you get in Batemans bay, wrapped in yesterday's newspaper, tastes a lot better.

 

[Mutt Daeng]

3 hours ago, Phnom Penh Trader said:

On 11/22/2022 at 6:44 AM, owl sees all said:

 

She was watching some Thai dancing. I tried to get her to relent. Talked all sweet to her. Told her that her hair didn't smell. But no use.

 

Tried to watch it on the www. Only commentary available. Roll on Wales and USA.

 

Download BBC iPlayer and the ITV app on your phone or tablet and you can watch them all live,you’re welcome!

(You may have to Google a British postcode to enter?)

You forgot the all important other requirement if you're outside the UK to use iPlayer / ITV apps, which is a  good VPN.

[owl sees all]

19 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

In the Sundgau "Carpes frites" is a delicacy. But IMHO the stuff you get in Batemans bay, wrapped in yesterday's newspaper, tastes a lot better.

 

 

I think it is because carp are a bottom feeder, constantly taking in gulps of the bottom mud and plant debris, they are known to be 'earthy' in taste. It is best to purge them for 48 hours in fresh water. Then they are delicious; I'm told.

 

Of course this 'bottom feeding' trait of the common carp, is what makes them unpopular in some parts. Mostly in the areas of the old English empire. North Americans are not keen on them. Nor the down-unders. They discolour the water and force other fish, that are generally tiddlers in comparison, into an adapt or die mode.

 

If these people, who are so willing to to kill them for fun, were to start keeping them as pets, they wouldn't be so beastly towards them.

 

[DJ54]

On 11/22/2022 at 7:27 AM, BlueScouse said:

https://worldcup.soccerstreams.net/

 

I use this website for all football games.

Thanks… was going to watch the US vs UK and suddenly at 02:00 in the morning we don’t get it… it’s the free tv.. so wasn’t so easy reading play by play for a couple of hours…but I survived as did the US sorta..

[owl sees all]

Owl Log - 27-11-2022 - Sunday evening

 

A bit late getting started today due to helping down the village; another death. Lady of 67.

 

 

 

Didn't know the lady who passed away. Mrs Owl did a bit of running about. But not the involvement like last time.

 

I'm sure that funeral premium will jump up again. Someone translated the letter for me.

 

 

The World Cup is in full glory. Got out my old England shirt. I'll not take it off until we are knocked out or, more likely, lift the trophy.

 

 

Ginger, the cat, likes it too. Only get it out for those special occasions.

 

A bit of activity in the downtown part of the village.

 

 

 

This was about a week ago,

 

 

 

Popped along to see what had occurred.

 

Not a lot as it turned out.

 

 

Must be waiting for rice money to start the build.

 

 

Are they gonna lift up the house? Blocks ready.

 

 

Some of the local children were teasing me. They don't often see a farang in their parts.

 

 

Very scary!!

 

 

Mildred saw a cube in Lazada that was so fast it holds the world speed record at 20 seconds. So had to get one. And fast it is. A stall in Big C is selling cubes now. A bit pricey at 100 baht, but good quality. We have enough!!

 

 

Not managed to better my time of 3 mins 26 secs.

 

And right out of the blue, this afternoon, a book delivery.

 

Not bad! Ordered it on 27th of October last.

 

 

So that's 30 days. Can't complain about that. Sunday delivery too. Still no sign of my other two; Richard Dawkins and Alfred Wallace.

 

One of the farms next to us has dozens of birds.

 

 

Mildred asked the farmer how many ducks he had. 120!! He told her. And chickens? Too many to count. Seemed like more ducks to me than chickens.

 

 

Three dogs and just the one cat.

 

 

That's six people died this year. But with a population of about 800, I guess it's about right. Must try to get myself registered with the funeral service team.

 

Anyone watching the US mid-term results? Worse than watching paint dry. Even the BBC have taken their results page away. Last score was 50-49 to the Dem's in the Senate and 213-222 to the Rep's in the house.

 

Footy round-up.

It's all about the World Cup. Some shocks. Be good to see the Argies and Germans knocked out in the groups.  Who will join England out of their group? Looks like Iran! That Ronaldo dive!! Dear me. What a masterpiece! No wink that I could see though. Biggie tonight; Spain vs Germany.

 

World focus.

Rumour has it, that the US have HIMARS hidden in the Wast Stand. If things don't go their way when they play Iran on Tuesday; out they will come. Don't believe it myself. Americans don't strike me as being bad losers.

 

Mildred has not been well in the last couple of days. Bit of a cough. Been going to school though.

 

Keeping up with my diet. Cereal, with dried fruit, in the morning. Chicken and rice about 2ish. chicken foot soup in the evening. And the urine challenge is now in it's fourth week. Have to trim my eyebrows again later.

 

Democrats going ape about Muskie. 'Free speech is tantamount to murder', one said on CNN. Anyone seen the Stew Peter's documentary 'Sudden Death'? Very frightening!

 

Big news is that the High Speed train going from Nong Khai to Bangkok will start soon. Well the construction of the tracks. Seem to remember Mrs Owl going to a meeting about this ten years ago. But this time it's certain to be a goer. Why the optimism? Because the Lao section will be completed very soon. Be able to go from Wuhan to BKK in just 3 hours. Can't wait.

 

A few drops of rain in the last couple of days. Plenty in Khorat it seems. Udon had a shower or two.

 

Leccy bill was not so much this month. I pay for ours and the M in Ls. Got change out of 2k baht. Impressed to see that Big C will now take the money with just a mobile number. as proof of payer.

 

Nearly all the rice is in now. Have to pick up some sacks after the poor lady gets laid to rest tomorrow. Should have been today but Mrs Owl said to wait.

 

Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

 

[DJ54]

Thanks Owl… 

[bannork]

Yes, deaths in the village are a common occurrence, logical really as the village is where most old folks are. They used to say you couldn't work the day someone died but that rule seems to be overlooked these days.

A couple of days ago, the brother -in-law told me Sai, who had three cows in a shed two houses down across the road from us, had passed away. The village headman had announced it that morning.

Sai was in his mid 60s, slim, he had looked healthy,

'Just goes to show,' I thought gloomily, 'Someone looks fine the night before and the next morning, they're dead. We never know when our time is up.'

Riding the motorbike back to the village for breakfast, I expected to see the usual tent and chairs already in place outside his house to welcome the relatives, mourners and drinkers.

But there was nothing, rather Sai himself was cleaning out his cattle shed as usual!

Thais have ghosts that exist in the day, some believe the dead person doesn't realise for three days that they're dead. 

I thought of challenging Sai.

'Come on, the game is up. No need to clean the shed, better to move on up, there's probably lao khao on tap 24 hours a day where you're going.'

But he looked very real, and being a somewhat stern man who might take umbrage at questions about his reality, I decided to ask the greengrocer instead 

'Sai? Yes, he died last night. But not the Sai with cows, rather the Sai whose daughter runs a grocery store in the next soi.'

The brother-in-law has never been good at surnames.

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

.

 

Keeping up with my diet. Cereal, with dried fruit, in the morning. Chicken and rice about 2ish. chicken foot soup in the evening. And the urine challenge is now in it's fourth week. Have to trim my eyebrows again later.

 

 

 

Sorry Owl, that is not a diet, you are eating the wrong foods. Cereal and rice are bad, so is dried fruit as it concentrates the sugar level.

 

On my regimen, I have gone from a body weight of 93 kg to 77 kg, while eating as much food as I feel like. BMI in normal range. Waistline has come in 3 inches. My intake has not changed, just the types of foods I eat.

 

PM me if you would like to know how I did it.

[owl sees all]

51 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sorry Owl, that is not a diet, you are eating the wrong foods. Cereal and rice are bad, so is dried fruit as it concentrates the sugar level.

 

On my regimen, I have gone from a body weight of 93 kg to 77 kg, while eating as much food as I feel like. BMI in normal range. Waistline has come in 3 inches. My intake has not changed, just the types of foods I eat.

 

PM me if you would like to know how I did it.

 

I'm gonna just have chicken-foot soup every meal from now on.

 

[sotonowl]

On 11/25/2022 at 1:30 PM, owl sees all said:

Carry on like this and the beautiful carp will be extinct. The carp in the photo are not kois in the true sense of the word, but a colour variety of the common carp. And as a side-issue, they are all commons rather than leathers or mirrors.

 

The NZanders should start learning how to cook them. Like the Poles and some jewish groups.

Well done Owl, put him back in his box.????

[jerrymahoney]

9 hours ago, owl sees all said:

 

I'm gonna just have chicken-foot soup every meal from now on.

 

How did he do it? Here's a start:

 

[Lacessit]

9 hours ago, owl sees all said:

 

I'm gonna just have chicken-foot soup every meal from now on.

 

Boring, Owl. Here is just one of my diet dishes:

Tomato, cucumber, olives and cream cheese. I did forget the basil pesto.

[owl sees all]

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Boring, Owl. Here is just one of my diet dishes:

Tomato, cucumber, olives and cream cheese. I did forget the basil pesto.

That looks fantastic Lacessit.

 

I'm converted! Where's those cucumbers Mrs Owl?

 

I forgot to say; sometimes I have stale brown bread to dunk into my chicken-foot soup.

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

That looks fantastic Lacessit.

 

I'm converted! Where's those cucumbers Mrs Owl?

 

I forgot to say; sometimes I have stale brown bread to dunk into my chicken-foot soup.

Naughty naughty Owl. Bread is another baddie.

This is my diet soup. It is made from sai ua, tasty cheese, beans, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

Similar in taste to a mulligatawny or Dutch Curry soup, with low carbohydrate. Very filling.

[owl sees all]

12 hours ago, bannork said:

Yes, deaths in the village are a common occurrence, logical really as the village is where most old folks are. They used to say you couldn't work the day someone died but that rule seems to be overlooked these days.

A couple of days ago, the brother -in-law told me Sai, who had three cows in a shed two houses down across the road from us, had passed away. The village headman had announced it that morning.

Sai was in his mid 60s, slim, he had looked healthy,

'Just goes to show,' I thought gloomily, 'Someone looks fine the night before and the next morning, they're dead. We never know when our time is up.'

Riding the motorbike back to the village for breakfast, I expected to see the usual tent and chairs already in place outside his house to welcome the relatives, mourners and drinkers.

But there was nothing, rather Sai himself was cleaning out his cattle shed as usual!

Thais have ghosts that exist in the day, some believe the dead person doesn't realise for three days that they're dead. 

I thought of challenging Sai.

'Come on, the game is up. No need to clean the shed, better to move on up, there's probably lao khao on tap 24 hours a day where you're going.'

But he looked very real, and being a somewhat stern man who might take umbrage at questions about his reality, I decided to ask the greengrocer instead 

'Sai? Yes, he died last night. But not the Sai with cows, rather the Sai whose daughter runs a grocery store in the next soi.'

The brother-in-law has never been good at surnames.

 

Maybe it's my age, but I do get confused with some Thai names.

 

The twins just round the corner are named; Nadile and Nadene. Can't tell who is who with those two, especially as they are dressed in the same clobber. And next door there is Song and Sang. At the corner shop there is Sai and Guy. And the most confusing is Mrs Owl's brother Pee App and Pook's hubby BeeApp.

[owl sees all]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Naughty naughty Owl. Bread is another baddie.

This is my diet soup. It is made from sai ua, tasty cheese, beans, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

Similar in taste to a mulligatawny or Dutch Curry soup, with low carbohydrate. Very filling.

 

 

It all looks fantastic Lacessit. But I couldn't trust Mrs Owl to get the ingredients in the right proportions. Or even cook it proper.

 

In my defence; the bread is brown and stale. When it's getting to the end of the pack, the Mrs puts the last few slices out in the sun just for me dunking habit. Very thoughtful in some ways she is.

 

Cheese. The main reason why the Dutch are so big and healthy. Not ate a lump of cheese since September 2019, when me daughter brought a kilo of cheddar over from England, when she visited.

 

 

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

How did he do it? Here's a start:

 

 

Brown bread I notice. And cheese!

 

[Lacessit]

38 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

Brown bread I notice. And cheese!

 

Once I did the hard yards on diet, I could afford to break out with sandwiches and other goodies a couple of times a week without putting weight back on. Call it 90% diet stuff, 10% naughty.

Cheese is fine. When people embrace a low carbohydrate diet, with no sugar, they are training their bodies to metabolize fat instead of sugar. Cheese is usually 40% fat.

I would say cheese and yoghurt are the only safe processed foods around, unless one is lactose intolerant. Every other processed food or drink is normally packed to bursting with sugar and carbohydrate.

Photos of cheese I eat daily, the ice-cream less often.

[owl sees all]

 

The footy. Just have to comment. Not on the Spain, Germany draw, which really means that they will both go through.

 

No! It's the England shirts. There is me all tarted up in me proper Three Lions shirt and the players are prancing about in anything but.

 

 

Where is the red of England?

 

 

At least they got the Three Lions right; and on the shorts too.

 

Where does all this blue come from? OK, I hear you, Wales play in red also. So why not all white like Leeds, but with a red cross. Seem to recall a shirt like that yonks ago.

 

All this blue is just an insult to us proper English.

 

[owl sees all]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Once I did the hard yards on diet, I could afford to break out with sandwiches and other goodies a couple of times a week without putting weight back on. Call it 90% diet stuff, 10% naughty.

Cheese is fine. When people embrace a low carbohydrate diet, with no sugar, they are training their bodies to metabolize fat instead of sugar. Cheese is usually 40% fat.

I would say cheese and yoghurt are the only safe processed foods around, unless one is lactose intolerant. Every other processed food or drink is normally packed to bursting with sugar and carbohydrate.

Photos of cheese I eat daily, the ice-cream less often.

 

 

Yes! Yes! And even more yes! Give it to me.

 

There was a shop in Udon that did cheese, and other farang delicatseez, like Marmite and Bovril. But it moved from the Aundulet Road over to near Nong Bua. Never found it again.

 

That great English icon, Cliff Richard, went on a cheese only diet way back. Kept it up for 12 months. Didn't do him too much harm.

 

 

[jerrymahoney]

(non-footy)

 

When I went to the 8th grade graduation ceremony in USofA (age 14) the class size was about 200 boys and 200 girls. We were marched in by height.

 

# 1 boy was a hunchback dwarf who only lived a few more years. #2 was a Chinese kid. I was #3.

 

When I graduated high school at age 18, there were several guys who were 4 inches taller than me. When I went to the 20th annual reunion, the same guys were 4 inches shorter than me.

 

However, I was a runt for several years post-18 until I grew almost 8 inches. I lived for years with the sobriquet "Little Jerry Mahoney".

 

So at age 71, I am happy where I am.
 

[Andrew Dwyer]

26 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

The footy. Just have to comment. Not on the Spain, Germany draw, which really means that they will both go through.

 

No! It's the England shirts. There is me all tarted up in me proper Three Lions shirt and the players are prancing about in anything but.

 

 

Where is the red of England?

 

 

At least they got the Three Lions right; and on the shorts too.

 

Where does all this blue come from? OK, I hear you, Wales play in red also. So why not all white like Leeds, but with a red cross. Seem to recall a shirt like that yonks ago.

 

All this blue is just an insult to us proper English.

 

You need to get yourself an England tattoo Owl ????

 

[owl sees all]

25 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

(non-footy)

 

When I went to the 8th grade graduation ceremony in USofA (age 14) the class size was about 200 boys and 200 girls. We were marched in by height.

 

# 1 boy was a hunchback dwarf who only lived a few more years. #2 was a Chinese kid. I was #3.

 

When I graduated high school at age 18, there were several guys who were 4 inches taller than me. When I went to the 20th annual reunion, the same guys were 4 inches shorter than me.

 

However, I was a runt for several years post-18 until I grew almost 8 inches.

 

So at age 71, I am happy where I am.
 

That's interesting Gerry. You grew 8 inches after turning 18! Lindsey Davenport was over 6 foot tall.

 

As we would say in Dagenham; a slow starter but a strong finisher.

 

As regular visitors to this thread will know; I'm getting taller. Our bathroom door-frame (top bit) is 6ft 3inches above the tiled floor. For years I could walk into the bathroom without problems

At the beginning of the year I started hitting my head on the frame. I first put this down to a change of diet. But now I'm thinking that it is the beer that was stopping me growing for all those years. My new year's resolution was to stop drinking beer and just stick with my reishi home-made wine; laced with Lao Khao. That must be it.

 

[owl sees all]

1 minute ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

You need to get yourself an England tattoo Owl ????

 

You are right there Andy. Would impress the neighbours so much. And the Mrs would be all over it.

 

I've just looked it up and it was under Keegan, that England changed from Red and white, to Red, white and blue. There shouldn't be any blue in the strip - except on the badge - ever; IMO.

 

Andy, you can probably recall those days when The Peacocks (Leeds Utd) played in yellow and blue. Was it not Don Revie that brought in the all-white strip?

 

[Lacessit]

26 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

Yes! Yes! And even more yes! Give it to me.

 

There was a shop in Udon that did cheese, and other farang delicatseez, like Marmite and Bovril. But it moved from the Aundulet Road over to near Nong Bua. Never found it again.

 

That great English icon, Cliff Richard, went on a cheese only diet way back. Kept it up for 12 months. Didn't do him too much harm.

 

 

This is the ultimate cheese shop, Owl. Located in St. Andrews, Scotland.

The floor of the shop consists of a trellis, with water flowing underneath to keep the cheeses moist.

Stepping into the shop, I got high on the smell alone.

[Andrew Dwyer]

9 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

Andy, you can probably recall those days when The Peacocks (Leeds Utd) played in yellow and blue. Was it not Don Revie that brought in the all-white strip?

 

I must look older than my years Owl !!

It was 1961 ( year I was born ) when Leeds changed to the all white kit and was indeed under Don Revie .

[owl sees all]

Just now, Lacessit said:

This is the ultimate cheese shop, Owl. Located in St. Andrews, Scotland.

The floor of the shop consists of a trellis, with water flowing underneath to keep the cheeses moist.

Stepping into the shop, I got high on the smell alone.

 

Absolutely wonderful. A variety of cheeses washed down with a big glass of single malt. What a dream! Heaven on earth.

 

I've never been to Scotland. But when they gain their independence, I'll go and visit them, if I ever return to England that is. I'll also go to Aberdeen to watch my two favourite footy clubs; Cove and Banks O'Dee (both won at the w/e).

[owl sees all]

1 minute ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I must look older than my years Owl !!

It was 1961 ( year I was born ) when Leeds changed to the all white kit and was indeed under Don Revie .

 

I remember you in that wheelchair Andy. Trailblazer!!

[owl sees all]

44 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

There was a shop in Udon that did cheese, and other farang delicatseez, like Marmite and Bovril. But it moved from the Aundulet Road over to near Nong Bua. Never found it again.

My memory is returning. I'm sure Rick in Udon would know this better than me though.

 

The shop was called Chern Chim. it moved to the north of Udon and was never seen again; not by me anyhow.

 

Another venue that I used to visit, to play chess, was The Bookhouse. That disapperared also. Which is surprising as they were always busy.

 

[jerrymahoney]

I looked at that cheese monger Mellis website. In Scotland. Been there since 1893.

 

OOPS. My bad. Small print. 1993.