Showing 1 - 10 of 44
Jack of all fruits
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 09/10/2016
» The world population was listed at one billion in 1804. Statistics show that 123 years passed before it reached two billion in 1927, but it took only 33 years to hit the three billion mark in 1960. From then on it rose by leaps and bounds, taking only 14 years to reach four billion in 1974 and 13 years to rise to five billion in 1987. I still remember reading about the world population reaching six billion in 1999. It now stands at 7.5 billion, and it took only 17 years to reach that number.
Desert bloom
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 04/09/2016
» Arun Kumar Paul sent me an email from Kolkata, India, to say that he loved plants like his own life. "I have a few adenium plants," he added, "but I have little knowledge of their culture. Could you give me some ideas?"
Exploring the world garden
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 05/06/2016
» During my visit to the Philippines two months ago, a good friend of mine gave me a bag of pistachio nuts which her sister, Pin, had sent her from the US. Pin and her family live in Delano, California, and she regularly sends food packages that includes pistachio nuts, almonds, dates and raisins to her sister in the Philippines.
Turn over a fresh leaf
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 08/05/2016
» If you have tasted the Thai traditional snack mieng kham, then you know how Piper sarmentosum, or cha phlu in Thai, is eaten. Mieng kham is a concoction of one or two pieces of diced ginger, shallots and lime, a slice or two of chilli, one or two pieces of dried shrimp and roasted peanut, and a pinch of toasted shredded coconut. All of that is topped with a sauce made from palm sugar, fish sauce, galangal, lemongrass and ginger, and wrapped together with a cha phlu leaf. Eaten in one bite, the different flavours blend perfectly, like different musical instruments played harmoniously together to create a beautiful melody.
Passing the smell test
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 17/04/2016
» Ten years ago, Kriepob Limkangwalmongkol wrote to say that Phuket, where he lived, had many Chinese Taoist temples and they burned quite a lot of mai juang, or theptaro wood, to cleanse the atmosphere during their numerous ceremonies, especially during the annual vegetarian festival.
Flowers of flame
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 10/04/2016
» The Tabebuia rosea, or chompoo panthip, on Kasetsart University's Kamphaeng Saen campus in Nakhon Pathom province caused a traffic jam as it attracted people from far and near last February. The trees were planted on both sides of the road and when they dropped all their leaves, only to be blanketed by flowers all at the same time, they were a sight to behold.
Why tamarind seems to keep a peeling
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 21/02/2016
» Regular reader Paul Schiller and his wife Beatrix are long-time residents of Khao Lak in Phangnga, where they seek warmth during the cold winter months in their home country, Austria. They were on holiday in Hua Hin recently when they saw an unfamiliar fruit. “Today in Hua Hin, nobody knows this, I got not even a Thai name,” Mr Schiller wrote in his email asking for help in identifying the said fruit.
Palms are a fan favourite
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 31/01/2016
» Poonsak Watcharakorn, 63, has the biggest collection of Licuala palms in Thailand. But he is far from satisfied. “I want to have the biggest collection not just in Thailand, but in the world,” he said.
Nature’s air conditioners
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 10/01/2016
» While I was writing this, extreme weather was wreaking havoc in many parts of the world. In South America, vast areas in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay were hit in what was said to be the “worst flooding in 50 years”. Deadly tornadoes, snowstorms and floods brought winter woes to Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas and several other states in the US Midwest and South, and record-breaking rains brought floods that devastated parts of northern England and Scotland.
No need to dig deep into your wallet
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 16/08/2015
» My friend, Imee, is a keen gardener and an incurable plant lover. She would rescue dying plants discarded by her neighbours and nurse them back to health. She has a green thumb, and in no time these would be thriving and bearing flowers or pups in her beautiful garden in San Diego, California.