Pattaya Mail — Columns

HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:
 
 
Winebibbers Grapevine
 
Dolf Riks: The Ginger Club
 
Heart to Heart with Hillary (Advice column)
 
Thai Idiom: Jik

Winebibber’s Grapevine  

Not in the driving seat
Boozy Italian tourist Beppe Farena called Pattaya police on his mobile phone to report that his steering wheel and dashboard had been stolen from his rented car in Soi Yodsak. A squad, accompanied by the rental company owner, was on the spot in minutes only to discover him sprawled the back seat and fast asleep. After sobering up in the local nick, Beppe explained that he must have opened the wrong door by mistake after emerging from an infamous den of iniquity. He was fined 2000 baht for nearly driving under the influence of drink.

Computer sex change
A posh Pattaya hospital caused a stir this week after a pregnant woman emerged from labor pains and left with her newly born baby and smiling husband. Calling at the cashier’s office they were surprised that the total bill, including three overnight stays and treatment fees, came to a modest 4,000 baht. But they were visited at home by the hospital accountant two hours later who explained that the bill had been for a circumcision and not for a birth at all. Apparently, a computer had confused code 43087 with 40387. The husband was said to be cut up by the whole affair.

Media merger probable
Telecom Asia has confirmed that IBC (International Broadcasting Corporation) and UTV, a Bangkok cable company, are to go ahead with talks on the viability of a merger. Neither company is currently making money because of heavy capital investment and sluggish sales of satellites, decoder boxes and fibre optic cables. A merger could boost the two companies’ bargaining power with suppliers of programs such as Star Movies, HBO, TNT and Discovery Channel. UTV is not available in Pattaya, but there are several hundred direct IBC subscribers in Chonburi, Pattaya and Rayong. Expect to pay around 800 baht a month plus installation charges of about 2,500.

Alarming clock
Animal lover John Spittal, 67, took apart a partition wall in his Jomtien house after hearing the whimpering of a trapped animal. Emerging from a huge pile of cement and dust, he found nothing but the whimpering still continued. His wife Dora, returning from shopping, pointed out the sound was from the battery of a digital clock on a nearby table. Neighbors said that Dora was extremely angry but said nothing as John’s hearing aid is still being repaired.

 Say cheese
While stocks last, Friendship Supermarket, the Chinese temple looking building in South Road, is selling 250g imported Cracker Barrel cheese at 92 baht. That’s cheaper than before the devaluation of the baht in July. They are also very competitive on items such as sauces, selected wines and crockery which is situated upstairs. And they are open till after 2 a.m.

Musical first
When in Bangkok, the finest selection of CDs is at Tower Records on the eighth floor of the World Trade Center. Great for pop, country and western, movie music, the works. They also have a smaller branch in the new shopping mall directly opposite Villa Supermarket in Sukhumvit. When visiting Bangkok malls, note that the advertised opening times don’t always coincide with reality. World Trade Center, for example, officially closes at 21.00 hours but many of the retail outlets have shut up shop by 19.00. Owners blame the recession.

Rule Britannia
The British Embassy’s Ploenchit Fair this year is on Saturday, November 22. All the great and the famous will be there, or what’s left of them. Why not organize a minibus excursion and save yourself some cash? But don’t forget to allow for the inevitable traffic jams in Sukhumvit and Wireless Roads. Always popular, the Fair is the brightest spot in the embassy’s public calendar.

Driven to drink
27 year old Norwegian catering officer Tor Steinar rejoiced after obtaining his Thai driver’s license at the offices opposite the Mercure Hotel. He drank three double Klosters and then drove smack into a stationary highway police car. He held his license for exactly one hour twenty minutes before losing it. For good. Faced with a fine of 20,000 baht and repair bills totaling 285,000, he is currently facing disciplinary proceedings at work. Friends say he is hoping to get an entry in The Guinness Book of Records. Well, always look on the bright side of life.
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Dolf Riks: The Ginger Club

The other day I was approached by a flock of avid ladies belonging to the Pattaya International Ladies Club. They asked me to do a talk for them on some aspects of the South East Asian kitchen. I showed the leading lady some of the ginger plants I have growing and she was quite enthused. It appears now that there is a lot the ladies do not know about this wonderful family of the zingiberaceae, most of which has not only culinary values but also medicinal ones. Incidentally, I regretfully declined the invitation for the chat, as I am by nature much too bashful to talk to large audiences. Prior to it, I am not to be talked to for days.

When I started this column, way back in 1994, I began with a description of locally used herbs and spices. Many of the 1994 readers have left and others have replaced them. So I have decided to do an abbreviated list for those interested, which they may hang in their kitchen, or do what the Dutch house mothers do with their "Birthday Calendars". They hang them on the inside of the toilet door to be contemplated upon during some reflective moments.

The Proper Ginger

Bot: Zingiber Officinale. Fam: Zingiberaceae

Other names: Khing (Thai), Djahé (Ind.), Halia (Mal.), Inguru (Sri Lanka), Ale (India), Ingwar (Germ), Gember (Dutch).

Ginger is one of the most popular flavourings in South, South-East and Eastern Asia. The ginger family is a huge one and I am only going to discuss the better known on this list which are used in the kitchen. To get an impression of how vast this clan is, travel to Bogor, West Java and visit the large botanical garden started by Stanford Raffles during Napoleontic times. I discovered a patch of members of the ginger group, consisting of at least twenty varieties. The ginger rhizome is candied, dried or eaten fresh. It is used pounded in curries, shredded as a garnish over steamed fish, or stir-fried with other ingredients. It is added to drinks and marinades and used for stomach disorders, and is good for the digestion.

Imported ginger was used in Greek and Roman times, and in the middle ages people believed that ginger was a remedy against the bubonic plague and other distressing discomforts. Nowadays, in Europe it is mostly used in drinks, candied in sweets and powdered in cookies and other pastry. The leaves of the ginger are eaten with the Nam Prik and Lawar in Indonesia and taste a bit buggy, like certain insects, but is highly appreciated by connoisseurs.

The Greater Galangal

Bot: Alpinia Galanga. Fam: Zingiberaceae.

Other names: Kah (Thai), Laos/Langkuwas (Indon.), Siamese Ginger, Galangar.

"Siamese Ginger" is a misnomer as this plant, like the whole ginger clan, is unique to Southern Asia as well as Southeast Asia and even China. It is as much used in Thai cooking as it is in Malay and Indonesian cooking. Like all the Zingiberaceae, it is a very good digestive. Definitely one of the most important spices used in Thai, Malay and Indonesian cooking and added to many curries and soups. The flavour is hot and pungent and it was probably used to "pep" up dishes before the advent of the chilli pepper in post-Colombian times. It is flavouring and a preservative. The leaves are also eaten like the leaves of the proper ginger.

Superficially, the rhizome looks like the ginger but there are marked differences. The leaves of the plant are much larger and very spicy indeed. The plant itself is robust and an asset to your garden. The flowers are beautiful; greenish-white, waxy and hairy, often eaten with Indonesian Lalap, Thai La’ap or Nam Prik (chilli sauce). An infusion of "Kah" brewed with boiling water is said to be beneficial for those with a flawed digestive system.

One of the finest Thai dishes is "Gai Tom Kah" or "chicken boiled with "Galangar".

East Indian Galangare

Bot: Kampferia Galanga

Fam: Zingiberaceae

Other names: Poh Hom (Thai); Kencur (Indon.)

In the early evening in a Balinese village, when the cooking fires are burning and the smoke in the foliage of the ancient trees of the forest, the prevalent aroma of Balinese cooking is omnipresent and never fails to stir my appetite.

What is the aroma of Balinese cooking? The Balinese use the so-called nine spices in the kitchen (whenever I try to name them, I only get as far as seven) with among them one of the most characteristic and discernible ones, the "Kencur" (pronounced "Kenchoor"). This member of the ginger family is more or less used all over Indonesia but especially in East Java and across the Bali Straits on Bali. It has a strong aroma and should be used with discretion, as it tends to dominate. It is a mandatory flavour of a dish called "Urap".

There is a variety of the Kampheria Galanga in the wild in Thailand with small bulbous rhizomes, but the scent is different and this, as well as the proper Kencur, is of no importance in Thai cuisine. I believe that Kencur or Poh Hom is used for medicinal purposes only, as it is sold in a dried form in Chinese pharmacies. I gave some plants and rhizomes to a friend with a garden in Chiang Rai province where it flourished indeed. After a few years, he visited me again and brought me the plants and there was a vast difference between these and my own harvest on the balcony herb garden. Failing the fresh rhizomes or leaves, one may use small amounts of dried Kencur in cooking, but the fresh product has a superior flavour.

Next week more about the Zingiberaceae

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Dear Hillary,
I am a fifteen year old girl and I still go to school. A few months ago I was allowed to sleep in my friend’s house, we had a birthday party there and my friends convinced me to smoke a cigarette. At first I felt sick, but when everybody started to laugh at me, I tried another one. Altogether I’ve smoked about 10 cigarettes this very evening. Since then, I’ve always smoked a cigarette in-between and I really like it now, but on the other hand it scares me and I am afraid I might get addicted to it. My parents would kill me if they found out. What should I do to stop smoking?

Maybe Addicted.

Dear Maybe Addicted,
You are right with your feeling about getting addicted. A few cigarettes now and then and all of a sudden you cannot stop anymore. Please do me a big favour: Don’t listen to your friends anymore in this matter. They are still young kids and don’t know what they are talking about. If they tell you that you are a chicken if you don’t smoke, reply to them that it is a sign of more strength to be different from the crowd.

Smoking is very unhealthy, though not immediately but in the long run. It ruins your complexion at first and later your arteries and your lungs. Since you are a very young girl, it might also be dangerous for the growing of your uterus and therefore a problem later on when you want to have children.

I am a smoker myself, I do know what I am talking about when I tell you it is very hard to stop after you become addicted to cigarettes. The best way of avoiding this problem is: DON’T START smoking. If you are unable to stop by yourself anymore, seek the help of your family doctor and/or ask your mother for help.

Dear Hillary,
I am a newcomer to Thailand and I still have to get used to the very different climate here compared to my home. I like to wear make-up, otherwise I do not feel like myself. There’s one problem: my lipstick doesn’t stay on for very long. It smears all over and I feel very embarrassed about it. What can I do to make it last?

Lips

Dear Lips,
You are right, the hot and humid climate makes it very difficult for lipstick to last all day. Here are some hints to help your lipstick stay on:

1. While applying foundation onto your face, blend it over your lips also.

2. Put some translucent powder on top of it to give it the right base to work on.

3. Line your lips with a lip-pencil the same colour as your lipstick.

4. Apply your lipstick with a lip-brush.

5. Kiss a tissue to get rid of any excess colour.

6. Press a single layer of tissue against your lips and, by using a bigger brush, dust some translucent powder through the tissue. This will leave a fine dusting of powder over your lips and give you a dry base for the second coat of lipstick.

7. Apply a second coat of lipstick and blot again.

If you do so, you won’t have too many problems anymore. It is also important to use a good brand lipstick. Right now there are many available especially created for those problems.

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  Thai Idiom: Jik

‘To Peck’
‘It’s a verb’

‘It’s a pain’
‘Well, it’s not a superlative’

British nationals use the idiom ‘peckish’ to express they are a bit hungry. This idiom is related in action, but not in application.

The verb ‘to peck’ in the Thai language is what a chicken does.

In this sense, it refers to constant picking at someone, with no other reason but to annoy them. Jik is not constructive behaviour.

A husband may say, Why do you always jik?

It is similar to the English idiom ‘henpecked.’

Make sure you pronounce it with a low tone as jik with a high tone refers to petty theft.

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