• News & article

  A recipe for harmony on the streets of Bangkok

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 28/05/2017

  » When the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced its decision to clear vendors from the city's streets, they didn't present a clear-cut plan for the procedure. Many wondered where the vendors would be moved to. Others asked if sellers would quit their livelihoods altogether and find a different job once and for all.

• News & article

  Head south for retirement bliss

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 30/04/2017

  » Thailand is becoming an ageing society and some of us need to be well prepared. How will your life be after retirement? It's wise to plan how to get by in those possibly empty-handed years. Better than a plan is to save up now and purchase health insurance or, if life savings permit, invest properly. Make sure you get access to the financial aid and welfare from the government. Don't just age carelessly. You have choices. Make a smart one.

• News & article

  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.

• News & article

  Rravel Blight

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 21/02/2016

  » This may be taking a dim view of things, but our approach to promoting tourism here seems to be geared toward travellers who like things quick and easy. This is the way things are working now, and it has caused the deterioration of many of our tourism sites.

• News & article

  Street and sour

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 20/12/2015

  » A couple of months ago a survey was conducted to determine how people abroad viewed Thailand’s food. The result was that phat Thai was thought to be the national dish. Thai food, people thought, had to be sprinkled with pounded peanuts, and was made with fresh herbs that might include galangal and krachaai, although ginger could be used instead. A Thai dish had to be extremely spicy and was eaten with chopsticks. It was suitable for vegetarians and was cheap.

• News & article

  Storm in a coffee cup

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 02/08/2015

  » The story was a small one but generated a lot of attention, with plenty of conflicting opinions. A group of businesspeople, equipped with laptops and paperwork, went into a coffee shop and sat there for three hours negotiating and talking business. When they got up to leave they were presented with a bill for 2,260 baht — 260 baht for beverages and 2,000 baht for the time.

• News & article

  Let food be thy medicine

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 14/06/2015

  » People who don’t do much of their own cooking probably think that preparing a meal is a complicated business. First it has to be planned, then the ingredients bought, and then there is the time spent cooking. After that there are dishes to be washed and cleaning up to do. Even then, there is no guarantee the food will turn out well. Finally, the money involved might be more than what you would have paid if you had simply bought the meal. So, might it just be a good idea to forget about the cooking, decide what you want to eat, where you want to eat it, and how much you want to spend, and then buy your meal?

• News & article

  Disobey our robotic food overlord

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 02/11/2014

  » Thai food, in all of its plenitude and variety, has spread smooth as silk to every corner of the globe. But now it has come under scrutiny by a government unit that has created a device to define strict standards for recipes.

• News & article

  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.

• News & article

  Destroying the past

  B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 13/07/2014

  » The close link between Thais and water, or waterways, stretches far into the past. The cultural basis of this bond can be seen everywhere: the structure of traditional houses, Thai professions, religious and other beliefs, customs, arts and crafts, and cuisine. All are closely tied to water.

1 2 3 Next Last