Showing 91 - 100 of 180
Songkran will be a dry old argument
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/04/2016
» Are you ready for Songkran? I expect many revellers have already prepared colourful flower-pattern shirts to wear and talcum powder to apply on faces. The most important thing, though, are the water splashing devices, those ubiquitous guns or adapted water canons which I refer to as "Wasteful Water Mass Dispensers" (WMD).
Molecular interpretation of traditional cuisine
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/04/2016
» Local foodies will not be able to comprehend why Michelin-starred Thai restaurants are located overseas -- such as Nahm at The Halkin Hotel in London, and KIIN KIIN in cold Copenhagen, Denmark, and Thais will keep busy comparing the taste authenticity. The question, perhaps, does not need an answer. Food should not have a racial barrier, and Michelin-star standardisation helps notch up Thai cuisine into the territory of haute cuisine.
Razing 'cane
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/03/2016
» March and April are months of haze. The white-grey smoke may be just a seasonal nuisance that exists only in the northern and southern regions in Thailand, but in a sugar plantation in Dan Chang of Suphan Buri province, haze has long been a part of the people's daily lives and of the worrisome harvesting cycle. Villagers in Dan Chang get used to dry-coughing. Smoke hangs over the roofs of their houses and seeps indoors.
Thais must face up to China reality
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 28/03/2016
» There has always been a special bond between China and Thailand, which hosts the largest overseas Chinese community in the world. In Thai culture, the Chinese influence is easily traced, through descendants whose origins can be found in rural areas of the southern Chinese mainland, from where their ancestors fled poverty, communism and political oppression to the more hospitable environs of Thailand.
Myanmar up-close and personal
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 22/03/2016
» 'Welcome to the Guesthouse. The small space is made to set you free from anxiety. But first you need to leave your old perceptions behind. You need to open your mind for new memories," says Kyaw Luck, a guide for the exhibition "Myanmar Up-Close", which opened last week at Museum Siam.
Myanmar races ahead as we back-pedal
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/03/2016
» All eyes have been on Myanmar this week as it finally voted a new president, Htin Kyaw, into office, in so doing becoming the latest debutante into the democratic club. A close aide (for many he is a proxy) of democracy icon Aug San Suu Kyi, who is blocked from taking up the role due to constitutional hurdles, Htin Kyaw is the first civilian leader of the country since 1962.
Unconventional conservationist
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/03/2016
» By look and temperament, Sasiprapa Raisanguan, a 22-year-old staff member at the Centre for Protection & Revival of Local Community Rights (CPCR), doesn't fit the stereotype of a Thai conservationist. She is no starry-eyed tree-hugger clad in natural-dye cotton, nor does she have a hemp rucksack or ride a bicycle to reduce her carbon footprint. At our interview in Chiang Mai, Sasiprapa arrives on her motorcycle, which she calls "a practical choice" to getting around the northern city where her office is.
Saturday morning fever
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/02/2016
» Every Saturday, try the running workshop at Lumpini Park, a free activity that is gaining popularity. The general perception is that running workshops are for elite runners -- national team athletes with dreams of becoming Olympians. But that's not true. The Saturday outdoor running lab is run by Sathavorn Chanpongsri, a former national athlete who won a bronze medal for marathon at the Sea Games 1985, and a respected coach in the local running circle. To him, every runner should take a short introduction course on running, regardless of their level of experience.
'Coffee culture' aftertaste gets far more bitter
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/02/2016
» In the beginning, we thought coffee was just a brew to drink to keep us awake. But over the past decade, we have seen the growth of a "coffee culture" that has spread around the world, including to the Land of Smiles.
Right to rest in peace
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 03/02/2016
» Nestled in a small alley on Arun Amarin Road, Tonson cemetery has stood next to the community mosque for over three centuries. This is probably the country's oldest "kubur", Islamic burial grounds, dating back to the time before the founding of Bangkok as the capital.