Showing 1 - 8 of 8
It's a jungle out there
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 22/01/2017
» If you make a trip to a place like Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, or maybe Ban Rai district in Uthai Thani or Dan Chang district in Suphan Buri, you'll feel that you have left the city far behind and are in a very different environment. So when mealtime comes and you get hungry, you'll probably want to find a restaurant whose character matches that of the town -- one with a view of surrounding forest and mountains, if possible.
Cracking duck eggs' appeal
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 31/07/2016
» If you compare a duck's egg with a hen's egg, which one comes out on top? The right answer is that each one has its strong points. Most people prefer hen eggs, however, and it is easy to find them for sale in any fresh market or supermarket where they are bought in much greater amounts than duck eggs. Cooked-to-order food shops don't keep duck eggs at the ready for customers, who are very unlikely to ask for them.
An oasis under threat
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 28/02/2016
» Last week in this column I discussed Thailand’s system of managing tourism, one that is causing the degradation and destruction of many old communities and valuable historical sites. I suggested a number of reasons for this situation, some concerned with the tourists themselves, some with investors, some with the government offices that oversee tourism and some with an ongoing deterioration in the communities. This week I would like to look at what is happening in one riverside community in Chanthaburi, a very old one that is a new member among the ranks of the victims of Thailand’s destructive tourism policies and practices.
'Yam' that makes you go 'yum'
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 26/10/2014
» Thailand's cuisine spans many kinds of dishes, among them kaeng (curries and soups), boiled and steamed dishes, stir-fries, deep-fried dishes and more. Some go together well to form pairs. Kaeng khio waan (a spicy, coconut cream-based curry) with phat phak khana kap pla khem (Chinese broccoli stir-fried with salted fish), kaeng som phak boong kap khai jio (a sweet-sour-spicy, soup-like curry together with omelette), kaeng pa pla sai (a very spicy fish curry made without coconut cream) with pla chon daed dio thawt (deep-fried semi-dried snakehead fish), kaeng lueang pla kraphong (a fiery Southern variant of kaeng som made with sea bass) with moo waan (sugar-sweetened pork), and kaeng lieng nam tao (a vegetable soup containing gourds) with dried mussels fried with sugar and nam pla to make them sweet and salty, are just a few from an endless list of Thai dishes that pair up nicely.
Wake up and smell the coffee
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 14/09/2014
» There is no way to know how much coffee the people of Thailand drink in the course of a day. In the future, when the population grows even bigger, they are bound to consume even more. Thais and coffee are inseparably bound, and it isn't only the taste that has hooked them. One of the pleasures of Thai life is to meet up with friends in a coffee shop and relax over a steaming cupful.
In search of the perfect papaya
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 20/01/2013
» For most Thais, mention of the word "papaya" usually summons up thoughts of som tam, but the significance of this common fruit isn't limited to its role as the chief ingredients in that sour and spicy salad. It has many other uses, some with deep roots in traditional Thai culture.
Coconut curry in the ascendant
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 23/12/2012
» Surveys of current food preferences reveal that even if it hasn't managed to dislodge tom yam kung from the top spot, kaeng khio wan gai is in second place as Thai favourite in the soups and curries category.
Spice of life
B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 29/01/2012
» Cardamom is one of Thailand's most popular and widely-used spices. Scan the spice shelves at any big supermarket and you will find it in powdered form marketed under many brand names and imported from several countries. Buyers probably think that the companies that sell powdered cardamom obtain it from India or Indonesia and package it at home. But if you visit a spice shop or traditional pharmacy and ask for cardamom you will be presented with small, fragrant, spherical white pods containing black seeds. Many people also think that these all come from India or Indonesia.