Historic Low in Fertility Rates for England and Wales Signals Demographic Shift

[george]

Jailed for 109 baht worth of cheese

PATTAYA: -- William Demunter, 71, from France was arrested on July 11 after refusing to pay for a packet of cheese worth 109 baht from a South Pattaya supermarket.

Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding, but William Demunter, 71, from France would rather go to jail than cough up 109 baht for cheese.

Police were called to the Friendship Supermarket at 9.30 p.m. on July 11 after security guards detained the elderly Frenchman for theft. The guards told police that the man had placed the cheese in his pocket and left the supermarket after paying for other groceries.

The store manager said that Demunter was a regular customer, and that he did not want to bring charges of theft against him. The manager told officers that he tried to reason with Demunter after he had bought and paid for other items, but Demunter refused to pay for the cheese stuffed in his pocket. He said he had no choice but to call in local law enforcement.

Demunter was charged with theft and placed in a holding cell pending judicial proceedings.

-- Pattaya Mail 2004-07-23

[astral]

Was it French cheese?

[Axel]

Was it French cheese?

Looks like, average is Baht 1200 per kg. Now in Thailand's heat French cheese tends to 'walk'. Perhaps it walked into his pocket.

Sounds a bit of stubborn to me, which comes with age.

[Phil Conners]

According to Pattaya today it was Friendship Supermarket: "The cheese was priced at 109 baht but Mr Demunter was unable to pay the excess fine which is levied on these occations".

Seems to me he was offered a choice to pay some sort of "fine" on the spot or face cops, but didn't have the money.

[penzman]

Maybe he was expecting a free baguette in jail...

[GuestHouse]

This is a warning to all of you down Pattaya way, beThis is a warning to all of you down Pattaya way, don't get caught breaking the law this weekend, you might get banged up in the same prison cell as this Frenchman.

The smell would be unbearable.

[exp9696]

Maybe it was same french with the nazi flag in his home

[francois]

Was it French cheese?

you should come to france and have a taste over more than 500 different cheese.

talking about cheese ... aussies and brits are trying to make some for centuries,

still trying

or may be you call cheddar : "cheese"

francois

ps: baguette in jail ... if true ... tell it to all cheap-charlies fench around

[exp9696]

Bien sure,la france et le fromage .Comme LOS et les .....

[marquess]

Maybe he was expecting a free baguette in jail...

It never ceases to amaze one, the level of imbecility that prevails when discussing the misfortunes of others

[craig]

I agree, marquess, about the imbecility of some of the posters. It seems to me that among the expats here are a large number of intellectually and emotionally challenged individuals. I first noticed this years ago when I frequented the bar scene...I have never met so many ex CIA, ex spies, ex green berets, ex special branch, ex...god know what. It seemed these people were living out some kind of fantasy in a strange land.

.

[J-Mac]

It's called schadenfreude, gents.

A victimless crime.

Like Frankie says.....................................................relax.

[craig]

Thanks, J-Mac, I looked this word up, never heard of it before. I enjoy learning new things. Thanks again.

[Martin]

francois: you have only had the mass-produced crap that is on the supermarket shelves labelled 'cheddar'.

The original cheddar, produced in the English farmhouses, was a magnificent cheese.

It is no longer available, I believe, because it would be incredibly expensive to produce and distribute by the labour-intensive practices of old.

I can just remember it from 60 years ago, and it was getting hard to find even then.

I can also remember brie from then----to my intense disappointment when I eat what now calls itself brie in the supermarkets!!

[rod_kalashnikov]

 

[Snapshot]

It never ceases to amaze one, the level of imbecility that prevails when discussing the misfortunes of others

Nicely said, my man!

I have been reading and posting on this forum since its start. Last year I also had problems with some of the "deep thinkers" here on this forum- and I simply stopped reading and posting.

It is sometimes not funny to be a nice and kind person to other people, so many (whackos) come to this country... educated or not, that doesn't really matter, somehow "Thailand lifestyle" gets into these people, they somehow start to act and react in strange and unpredictable ways. Common sense disappears.

[Martin]

Common sense is a rare commodity.

I doubt if your 'wackos' came with much.

However, when I see men making caricatures of themselves, I am reminded of what a wise old American (retired schoolmaster) once said to me. We were the only 'oldies' amongst a lot of young back-packing, hard-hiking thrusters at a lodge that was just one day's trek short of the Nepal Everest Base Camp. We were discussing how the different life was, on the trek (up at high altitude and in a different culture). I said that I had noticed our fellow trekkers making caricatures of themselves. In each one, the situation was bringing each individual's good traits out more clearly, and also their bad traits. He said "Of course!, stress always does."

We tend to forget how the different culture of LOS stresses farangs. I am sure people can tell a lot about us from the traits we exhibit while we are here.

[p1p]

francois: you have only had the mass-produced crap that is on the supermarket shelves labelled 'cheddar'.

The original cheddar, produced in the English farmhouses, was a magnificent cheese.

It is no longer available, I believe, because it would be incredibly expensive to produce and distribute by the labour-intensive practices of old.

I can just remember it from 60 years ago, and it was getting hard to find even then.

I can also remember brie from then----to my intense disappointment when I eat what now calls itself brie in the supermarkets!!

The original "good" stuff is still very much available. In London Neil's Dairy, Neil's Yard in Covent Garden is stocked to the brim with good cheeses. Many of the original quality butchers in London also stock good cheeses.

There is also an excellent couple who travel the markets in the West Country selling top quality British cheeses and charcuterie.

Disappointed nobody mentioned Stilton. The King of cheeses.

Francois, the French have their Epoisses, an admittedly delicious cheese which can clear a room in seconds when uncovered. We Brits have Stilton, which never fails to do the reverse!

Martin, I'm afraid I could not agree more with your assessment of current "Brie" quality. I well remember the large wheels of Brie, running slowly onto the plate when sliced. My God, I'm salivating...

Red K'.

Brief comment on your conundrum. Surely schadenfreude is wrong under any and all circumstances. I have never understood any thinking person who could claim they believe that two wrongs make a right.

(Post Script: Francois. Now you know what to bring when you return from France!! Hint Hint!)

[Martin]

Glad to hear that Neil's Dairy has survived, and there are still good cheeses being made for them to stock.

Although I never went there, I remember reading of Neil's Dairy starting up.

I think it would have been around 1975, back in the days of the Self-Sufficiency movement, and around the time when the Rare Breeds Trust started. (I had Welsh White cattle and Belted Welsh Blacks.)

But I thought it had been a short-lived business, because the cheeses were just so expensive to make, transport, store and distribute.

I guess they must have found enough gourmets who were 'rolling in it', in the nick of time.

[Limbo]

It seems to me that among the expats here are a large number of intellectually and emotionally challenged individuals. I have never met so many ex CIA, ex spies, ex green berets, ex special branch, ex...god know what. It seemed these people were living out some kind of fantasy in a strange land.

You refer to a psychological phenomenon. People who worked in the professional categories you mention got deformed.

By their profession their thinking and perception of reality are defined by a certain artificial framework. Their behaviour has to be instrumental, not based on general logics or on 'thinking'. They are supposed to act and to act only.

This makes them loose touch with a broader reality. It is comparable to the membership of religious sects.

The dilemma for governments is, that they cannot give them deprogramming therapy, because then they declare themselves responsible for mind-distortion, with all consequences this could have.

Some governments have them checked on (physical and psychological) health problems after their career, but regrettably it seems more to be an act to avoid future damage-claims.

Many of these people find it difficult to adjust to a normal life and end up in culturally neutral areas. It is easier for them, because they are not permanently confronted with the idea of 'not being normal'.

They need help, but are trained (brainwashed) to think that they don't.

Sometimes they become really pathetical and pitiful: They forget that they are old, fat, weakened by alcoholism and at the same time they use language of this kind of Rambo-movies.

It is sad.

[Martin]

It is also, at several levels, an example of man's inhumanity to man.

[craig]

Limbo, I appreciate your reply and agree with what you say. I was not clear in what I was trying to say. In my opinion, most of these men who claim some sort of mythical past of adventure and importance are anything but what they pretend to be. It seems to me they invent themselves and present themselves as something they are not.

I don't know a lot but am somewhat aware of politics, geography and history and when talking to some of these "heroes" it soon becomes clear they are not what they claim to be but are living in a dream. Some of us don't like what we really are and for whatever reasons want others and themselves to see themselves as an important person.

I just wanted to point out the large number of these sad people I ran into in the beer bars....maybe I just hung out in the wrong places.

[surin]

Was it French cheese?

you should come to france and have a taste over more than 500 different cheese.

talking about cheese ... aussies and brits are trying to make some for centuries,

still trying

or may be you call cheddar : "cheese"

francois

ps: baguette in jail ... if true ... tell it to all cheap-charlies fench around

Yeah...and you're still trying to make wine!!

[20yearsinthai]

Maybe he was expecting a free baguette in jail...

It never ceases to amaze one, the level of imbecility that prevails when discussing the misfortunes of others

Misfortue? A man steals from a supermarket and it is unfortunate that he is put in jail?

[penzman]

Maybe he was expecting a free baguette in jail...

It never ceases to amaze one, the level of imbecility that prevails when discussing the misfortunes of others

It never ceases to amaze one when some idiot steals 109 baht worth of cheese.

[Limbo]

Some of us don't like what we really are and for whatever reasons want others and themselves to see themselves as an important person.

Oh, now I understand what you ment.

I know an exemplary as well. As a nineteen year old young man he was ten months in Vietnam as a soldier, worked for forty years as a construction worker and is a full-time warveteran now.

He placed a portrait of himself in uniform on the outside of his house, to be seen by everybody who passes by.

His facial expression and gestures, way of walking are adjusted to his self-perception. A belly which makes him seem pregnant for nine months accentuates his martial appearance. When he opens his mouth he replaces all adjectives and adverbs with f-words.

To show his independence he is dressed in rags.

And, believe it or not, he feels himself superior to Thai people.

[astral]

The original cheddar, produced in the English farmhouses, was a magnificent cheese.

It is no longer available, I believe, because it would be incredibly expensive to produce and distribute by the labour-intensive practices of old.

I can just remember it from 60 years ago, and it was getting hard to find even then.

I can also remember brie from then----to my intense disappointment when I eat what now calls itself brie in the supermarkets!!

A lot of the problem comes from EU rules.

They have made the manufacture of cheese so clean, they have killed all the bacteria that give is a unique flavour

[exp9696]

Hi PENZMAN. I am sure you make a joke about the baguette

But it was a good one .

Sometimes whe make joke's .But i am sure whe d'ont want to see a man of 71 y.old in a jail

[itsme]

71 years old jailed for a piece of cheese....humm

I don't know the whole story but when I go to the market I don't take anything I cannot pay for...isn't it the same for all of us?

[RooBoy]

Was it French cheese?

you should come to france and have a taste over more than 500 different cheese.

talking about cheese ... aussies and brits are trying to make some for centuries,

still trying

or may be you call cheddar : "cheese"

francois

ps: baguette in jail ... if true ... tell it to all cheap-charlies fench around

Yeah like French wine eh?? put at the bottom of the barrel so to speak, while Aussie wine kicks arse right round the world these days. Got so bad the french had to go crying about the word champagne, trying to claw back some lost pride over losing another so called 'art' to the wonders from down under