What things do you do now that yiu never did before in wherever it was you originated from?

I have recently got into baking etc, bread, pizza,s , pies pasties even cakes and cookies never done it before but as an interest, and partly pushed by the desire for foods you cant buy, atleast not out here in the sticks, probably you can in the busier cities and heavily expat populations like Pattaya.

So, it pushed ne to do it myself and the results are pretty good atleast everything gets eaten!

That then got me to wondering, what do you fellow forum members do now that you never tried or did before ? please keep it clean guys, doesnt include bedroom olympics and drinking more does count either!

I know some have started growing there own fruit and veg etc.

Any new hobbies or interests or activities that have emerged from living in Thailand?

Spend increasing amounts of time on a particular website, indicating I need to get my life back.

As well making bread and pizza...also sour drought (spelling???) rye bread.

Also make cider (don't know if it is illegal or not).

Trying to grow tomato but failed.

Trying a little gardening, probably won't each much of it since I've used far too many chemicals.

-Took a silver jewellery one day course making thingys out of silver in clay (new technology)

-Signed up for a 6 day leather course which I'll attend after a wee holiday

-Purchased some lab equipment as I want to learn how to calorie count food (I'll be back asking for suggestions)

-Got to level 154 on Candy Crush with a little help from a 9 year old

And........I've spent far too much time on the Internet.

going to do a diving course , I am really happy about doing this as I will be moving down south next year..

kevvy

Washing my butt after a poop instead of wiping - can't even use loo paper anymore, sore as hell on a recent trip to the UK!

Home schooling.

Being a single parent to two teenage girls (wife is abroad, UK, working most of the year).

Game programming - been a developer for more than quarter of a century, but for business (retail/banks/etc) - but started writing my own games for Pc/Apple, mobiles and consoles. Going well

Bike riding - could never be bothered as an adult at home, but now bill paying trips, small shopping trips and bank trips on the bike - not serious stuff, 10-20km max, all on road on a cheap Chinese Tesco's bike.

Sleeping alone (see single parent above).

Not doing my own car repairs - just too hit here (no garage) to be bent over an engine for hours - and too cheap to get it fixed at CockPit etc.

Dying my hair - never had to back then - signs of getting old, but not old enough to lose the vanity (still got all my hair n teeth though )

As to baking - I used to make my own bread at home in the UK. I made all sorts, like onion bread, tomato bread, nans, garlic breads, French loafs, bun/cobs/rolls, pies and cakes. Trying to do it here, but can't seem to get it to rise properly here - I think maybe the heat kills the yeast off in the packet (I tried the obvious like holding off the salt - using instant (activated) yeast, good quality bread flour, finisher, extra baking soda - to no real avail). Tips here would be nice

love cooking but hated cooking sweets. maybe I should get some advise on this .

Ah ... those were the days.

Music and love ... the heartbeat of the soul.

I have learned that grown up men after a life of hard work in the west who retire to Thailand have finally found out how to wipe/spray their bum without mommys help after a dump,already 3 topics running about this.

Life in Thailand must really be boring for some people,and apparently for some posters civilizations have been built and destroyed because of toiletpaper <deleted>..

love cooking but hated cooking sweets. maybe I should get some advise on this .

I hate eating sweet things, but I would love to make perfect cakes, if I would have the time.

love cooking but hated cooking sweets. maybe I should get some advise on this .

I hate eating sweet things, but I would love to make perfect cakes, if I would have the time.

Did a double choc cake today, its only 20 mins prep 40 minutes cooking job done ! No time at all really.

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... just a thought for the day ...

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I really enjoyed some of the points made by #6 until the bit about wifey beeing back in the UK......While you are in Thailand?

At the risk of being told to mind my own business...are they your biological kids? If yes why are you not educating them in the UK?

going to do a diving course , I am really happy about doing this as I will be moving down south next year..

kevvy

Welcome to the community! If you did the PADI course, chances are that the PADI instructor pointed out the importance of continuing to nourish the interest soon after the initial certificate (he SHOULD have according to the curriculum). I agree with this view - get involved and this will open up a new world and bring you new friends. There are daytrips available from many places...

love cooking but hated cooking sweets. maybe I should get some advise on this .

I hate eating sweet things, but I would love to make perfect cakes, if I would have the time.

Did a double choc cake today, its only 20 mins prep 40 minutes cooking job done ! No time at all really.

20131101_192041.jpg

That is a nice one!!!

But I mean these old fashion difficult one and without semi-finished products.

My mother did them when I was a child. Some I recall needed more than a day to do (because some things must cool down or wait till you can do the next step).

But it is pointless if no one want to eat it and I don't have time.

I once made handmade Tortelini, I needed 8 hours and started when I was already hungry....

I do many thing very different here in Thailand that I have never done before, maybe because before I was employed, now I am retired!.

*Take public transportation, no longer own or drive a car!

*Take my footwear off when entering a house, no longer wear shoes! Dress most every day in shorts and tee shirt.

*Stopped drinking a lot, now just on special occasions.

*The Wai has taken over the act of shaking ones hand.

*We raise, geese, ducks, chickens and rabbits.

*We grow a lot of our own food, Tomato's, Mexican corn for masa, Chile's, many types of Thai vegetables, onions, okra, cilantro, Limes. and many fruits.

*I do a lot of baking, bake all my own bread, cakes, cookies, Pizza.

*Make our own porkstrami, corned beef, ham, bacon, chorizo, sausage, syrup, flour and corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, pasta, yogurt in a crock pot, fresh cheese, nixtamalization of our home grown Mexican corn,etc

*Have made a horno (pizza oven) a wood burning oven out of a 55 gallon drum, a UDS ugly drum smoker out of a 55 gallon drum, an underground BBQ pit, am currently working on a solar food dryer and next plan to make a solar oven

Real in to becoming more self sufficient.

Cheers:

Sweating a lot more than back home.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

How about reversing the title of this topic for the over 50s?

Such as: Things you don`t do now you did before? or Things you can`t do now you could do before?

I use a bum gun now, which I didn't before.

I speak Thai now too, and didn't do that before.

I MUCH better with spices while cooking now. Can't just go buy a pack of seasoning for whatever flavor you want here, so you learn to put together your own.

I dress quite a bit lighter. No more gearing up for 5 minutes just to go outside anymore during winter.

I don't walk around as much, which sucks, as I'm a big walker. Here it's more painful than enjoyable though.

I actually eat quite a bit healthier here. Back home you'd just walk outside and there was fast food all around, so it was easy. Here though, I think the closest McDs is about 15km away, so it's just easier and better to cook a nice meal at home.

I use a bum gun now, which I didn't before.

I speak Thai now too, and didn't do that before.

I MUCH better with spices while cooking now. Can't just go buy a pack of seasoning for whatever flavor you want here, so you learn to put together your own.

I dress quite a bit lighter. No more gearing up for 5 minutes just to go outside anymore during winter.

I don't walk around as much, which sucks, as I'm a big walker. Here it's more painful than enjoyable though.

I actually eat quite a bit healthier here. Back home you'd just walk outside and there was fast food all around, so it was easy. Here though, I think the closest McDs is about 15km away, so it's just easier and better to cook a nice meal at home.

I like your post, Mr Nautilus. Very nice reading.

May I suggest early morning walks to you?

Quaint customs here include:

1. Toilet rolls take pride of place in the centre of the dining room table

2. There are no toilet rolls in the toilet!

3. Wearing a bull dog clip at the rear of ones skirt to attach the belt to the skirt

4. 4 or 5 people on a motorcycle.

5. You give donations to the police tea fund

6. You get paid to vote!

7. You stop the bus 20 metres before the bus stop so that you can get on first

8. Driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway because it is too far to the U turn.

9. You think that the 80km/hr signs on the motorway refer to minimum speed.

As well making bread and pizza...also sour drought (spelling???) rye bread.

Also make cider (don't know if it is illegal or not).

Trying to grow tomato but failed.

dont live anywhere near korat do you? not interested in bread or pizza or toms

one thing i do now that i couldnt do before was keeping my mouth shut when i saw a dog being ill treated.

now its shut up or die.

back in china, did not play basketball , swim or go to chinese restaurants regularly, do now, coz friends, exercising, and food are the things i miss the most.

As well making bread and pizza...also sour drought (spelling???) rye bread.

Also make cider (don't know if it is illegal or not).

Trying to grow tomato but failed.

dont live anywhere near korat do you? not interested in bread or pizza or toms

one thing i do now that i couldnt do before was keeping my mouth shut when i saw a dog being ill treated.

now its shut up or die.

No in Bangkok.....

But I have dried frozen starter culture for sour drought rye bread, if you want to try to make it.

(very easy to do, and not much work). I even bake it in the cheapest infrared oven and it gets perfect.

My living, well adjusted to Thailand culture was mass murdered by our home-maid who didn't saw any purpose on that smelly grey-brown liquid in the fridge.....

One thing I'm doing and I'm proud of it - growing my own coffee. I have 40 or so bushes round the garden walls. I get enough coffee now to keep me going for a year. It's been a pleasure finding out how to grow and process the coffee. Visitors reckon it's the tops. Incidentally, it's suggested that coffee grows best in the mountains, but I'm in a valley between hills, 70 k north of Chiang Mai city and it works down here too.

Now it takes all night to do; what I use to do all night.

I was a school teacher for three years, something I was not qualified to do in the UK, but on two of these years, I was replaced by Philapinos who worked for little more than half my wages. But if I turn it around, I was a professional musician back home with no chance of doing it here in Thailand.

Started to realize in what a small world I used to live before. Found out that Buddhism's more understandable for me than Christianity.

Learnt how to teach English by doing it. Now I speak German with an American accent, my Thai has improved but I still don't know if I'm speaking Lao or Thai.-

I really enjoyed some of the points made by #6 until the bit about wifey beeing back in the UK......While you are in Thailand?

At the risk of being told to mind my own business...are they your biological kids? If yes why are you not educating them in the UK?

good question.

Sweating a lot more than back home.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I concur, and taking several more showers per day.

Water is so cheap...