Thai Society/Culture
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Online Teaching at Thai University
The biggest COVID wave so far spread through Maha Sarakham from a couple months ago, so my university postponed the new term until this week. I’m teaching four Public Speaking classes per week online. This is what a typical class looks like, with about 2/3 the students: I tell them they only have to turn on the camera when they speak because some of them are on weak connections or are connecting through mobile data plans, and it might save them money as well as improving performance. Thailand has good connectivity, though, and a lot of businesses share free wifi, so I use the first week to pinpoint who has…
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Issan Lunch
Can’t remember where this was, but looking at it makes me hungry.
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Mr. Organ Donor
Some guy used his American ID to make a store member’s card in Thailand: From r/thai: LINK
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let your brain melt
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Thai Funeral with Royal Sponsorship
This is a video from last week. The whole funeral lasted seven days. I have read online about soil or water being provided from the royal institution for these affairs; in this case it was a candle with a bundle of flowers (made from corn husks and fragrant tree bark) that was eventually lit by a representative from Bangkok. I need to find out more about this, though. This was my second time at a funeral with these honors, and I learned a lot more this time. It was a fitting and touching sendoff for Nam’s grandmother.
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Hoetel
Were in Sangkha, Surin province for Nam’s grandmother’s funeral. We’ve been coming up here to visit her once or twice a year for 15 years. It’s a small town near the border with Laos known for black magic, apparently.. I never saw evidence of that, though. The funeral is going to be a totally recognized 7-day affair, and it’s going to be hot, so we are grateful they made a hotel with a pool here recently. Because of covid, we hadn’t been swimming for a couple of years… Instantly worked out a shoulder pain I’d had for a few months. And now we are in a Hoetel.
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I love Hatari fans
They are cheaper than Japanese models but offer similar performance; parts are ubiquitous and repair is simple if you DIY, and cheap if you take it to a repair shop.
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Fresh Khun Narin videos
Covered previously. One day, we will travel to nearby Phetchabun province and get some HD video of these guys. I’m not sure if it’s the plastic chair aesthetic, but all the latest videos are in Nokia era resolution – 240/360/480 LOL.
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In the Shadow of the Star Egg
A star egg makes everything better, especially when cooked to crispy bottom/gooey yolk perfection. Also, crispy pork is the way to go as far as Thai basil stir fry goes. I mean, to each their own, but some ingredients are clearly better than others for any given dish. More on this pad krapow hierarchy at a later date.
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Lethocerus Indicus (Giant Water Bug)
“The Vietnamese call this insect cà cuống. It is a highly prized food and often boiled and fried whole.” LINK Here in Thailand, it is called maeng da or malaeng da, and is mostly used ground up in chili paste called nam phrik or jaew bong. The pheromone that so famously attracts the females has a unique and powerful scent, unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. Not unpleasant in and of itself, but very strong. I can eat it, but have never tried it raw… I found the one above freshly dead, in my driveway. It did not smell. It’s the only one I’ve seen in the wild, although they…
