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A Gift of Wood
Nam put out the call on FB for fresh lamyai (longan) branches that I want to try for smoking meats, and a good friend came through. Her dad cut off some branches from their trees in Ubon Rachathanee and sent them back with her this weekend. Seeing as how imported apple wood chips cost about $30 US for a 5 lb bag, this should be a great alternative. Thanks, Jay (from J)!!
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The Basil Sun God
Mina wants a pizza, Mina gets a pizza. This pizza disappeared so quickly after it came out of the oven, I didn’t get a pic. I’ve been trying new crusts and simple uncooked sauces… I now want a better (hotter) oven.
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I, Hiropro
I was a tester (paid in t-shirts) for the first color version of the Google logo on i-mode however many years ago, and I’ve never looked back. Gmail is the most important site/service to me, period. Some of the Google Suite is also indispensable. But my all-time favorite is Maps (and Earth). Nothing else makes me feel quite like I lived through an important technological period than using cutting-edge tools with a huge initial wow factor which I eventually started taking for granted. So beta testing new Maps features? Yes, please.
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How many kittens can you see in this photo?
HONDA CRF250m & crew The spooky one is Ghostface Kitteh. The tabbies are RZA and GZA. Method Meow not pictured… Wutang forever.
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Maha Sarakham Police Using Sasumata
This is an interesting video I found on FB, purportedly from this article in the Nation, although I can’t find it there. It’s interesting mainly because the nonlethal weapon sasumata (known as a “man-catcher” in English) was adapted from an an ancient and very deadly samurai weapon of the same name (in Japanese, the English translation of which is “spear-fork”). Text from the Nation article: Muang Maha Sarakham police demonstrate how to use sticks to subdue a suspect on Tuesday. A video of Maha Sarakham police using Y-shaped and hooked sticks to subdue a frantic drunken man, which went viral on Monday, was part of a wider strategy, it…
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Tacos de Larb
The ultimate Thai-Mexican fusion: This was, again, an awesome leftover mashup. Larb made from chicken is fairly uncommon, but I found a local food stand that makes it really well… At 20 baht per bag, I’m happy whenever it’s available. I added some shallots to the mango salsa from the other day, and used up the rest of our taco stuff from last week. Verdict: SPICY MOVE!
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Kon-Tiki – The Best Fishing Movie Ever?
I don’t remember the last time I saw this movie, but it must have been around 35 years ago… I can’t believe how good it is. This might be my favorite one-hour movie, and perhaps my favorite documentary, ever. There are just these gems of knowledge and experience spread throughout the whole voyage. Gonna watch the Hollywood remake from a few years ago next.
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Home Fries with Mango Salsa
…and some leftover carnitas and beans, topped with fried eggs.
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Japanese T-bone Curry
Max wanted curry and Mina wanted steak; necessity is the mother of noms.
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Bengal Currants (carissa carandas)
I only started commonly seeing these berry-like fruits this year. They seem to be growing in popularity up here in Issan, but I suspect they were brought here from another part of Thailand, where they are apparently have shorter names: Nam daeng and nam phrong. They are apparently used in India for pickles. I had started calling these Lao Cherries, but there are a couple other fruits already called that (plus they don’t seem to be from this area), so I finally just looked it up. So the important thing: Do they taste good? They taste like vitamin C punched you in the throat. Like the sourest mango and unripe lemon…
