Stations

This is the soy milk station.  One bag of soy milk, 5 baht.  It comes warm, you can add some gelatinous questionables or sugar, and the guy who serves it thinks I'm funny because I don't buy it sweet.

This is the gas station.  1 liter of gas, 49 baht.  

This is the chick station.  1 chick,  75 baht

Blog layout.

So my widths were a little screwy and affecting landscape pictures.  I fixed that.

-T.M

Laos

So my buddies Christoph and Julius, with whom I went to school in Germany, are travelling around southeast asia for the next few months!  They're actually in Thailand now- they got in last week- and we're planning on meeting up in Laos next weekend.

Christoph on the right, Julius in the middle.  I'm on the left ;)

Laos is one of five remaining communist countries and borders Thailand to the East.  It was formerly a french protectorate, which isn't surprising when you hear the name of its capital, Vientiane.  Here's Laos:

Laos spoons Thailand

We'll be meeting in Luang Prabang (which, according to wikipedia, means "Royal Buddha Image (in the Dispelling Fear mudra)").  Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well known for its many temples and monasteries

I dont know too much more about it now, but I'm sure I'll know more soon... stay tuned!

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A Thai Wedding

I got to go to a wedding last week!

Besides there being lots of food to eat, there was also lots to see.  I went with Yupin, we were guests of the father of the groom.  He wanted to get a picture of us:

Thais are short

I was kind of interested in a picture of us, too, so we got another one.

There we go.

When he first saw me, he said something along the lines of "Oh!  You handsome.  Like me.  Hahaha."  He was a pretty funny guy.

The wedding was a traditional one with a pretty elaborate setup.  It was very beautiful.

In the above picture, you can see a "tree" made out of banana leaves in the center of the group.  Hanging off of it are clumps of cotton string, which the guests then tie around the wrists of the bride and groom.  I asked Yupin if there was some significance to this, but she said it was just tradition.

Here you can see a guy tying the string around the groom's wrist

I wasn't planning on tying a string myself as I wasn't a guest of the newlyweds, but the father insisted.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture.  I do, however, have a picture of Yupin's sister wai-ing the bride after tying her string onto her wrist.  Thai's wai, or make a small bow, to show respect, and it's normal to wai people when greeting them or thanking them.

Note the strings on the wrists.  Some people have tied money onto the bride's wrist, too.

There were also a number of cool action photos of the bride and groom hung around the area.  Some of them were in front of fancy buildings and some were on mountains and some were in big meadows, all of them with really fancy cloths.  They were neat!  Here's one:

Don't they look happy :)

After the ceremony, there was food and drinking and music- it was a pretty good time!  Unfortunately, Geoffrey had to catch a bus to Chiang Rai, so Yupin and I had to leave early to take him there.  But that's okay!  It was really a treat to get to experience this wedding.

Making Merit

So!

This post is a little past due- my apologies!  I've been a little busy.

Today I went to a wedding!  It was neat- but I'll talk about that in its due time.  First, I'd like to talk briefly about the "merit-making" celebration I attended last week, intended to bring honor to the deceased grandparents of the host of the event.

It was a two-day event, but I was only there for the evening of the second day.  First, there was praying.  After that, there was food!

I should have kept taking pictures- this came out, and I thought it was it, but as it was the food just kept coming and coming and coming.  They had barbecued fish, vegetables, fried chicken and pork, thai spaghetti (from rice noodles), la (an isan specialty), soup, sticky rice, an eggplant sauce... the list goes on.  By the time they finished bringing out food the table was completely full.

I also had my first beer in Thailand!

'Chang' means 'Elephant'

It was... ok.  I think it was made of rice, though I can't be totally sure.  It's flavor was mild- not very hoppy, not too much body.  If it were cold, I could see it being very refreshing.  Served warm, though, it was just a little lacking.

The cooks hard at work.  Note the Thai Spaghetti in the foreground.

After dinner, there was entertainment.  We didn't stay too too long, but there was a large stage set up, with a small band and singers and dancers.  It was more pop than traditional, although Geoffrey mentioned that there might be some traditional music later in the evening. My picture is just a little blurry...

Set up around the stage were a number of food carts and carnival type games.  I bought icecream from one-- it came in a hotdog bun, served with coconut milk.  I guess that's how they do it here.

The vendor had a deep, thick-walled vat for the icecream

Yes, it really was a hotdog bun.  I think it even said "hotdog" on the package it came out of.

These are smoked (?) squished blowfish.  I would have tried some, but at that point I was stuffed to bursting.

Set up near the entrance of the festival was a large structure made out of folded bamboo leaves.  It had some ceremonial purpose to house offerings to the grandparents- there was a small hole in one side of it that people had thrown money and rice into.  I had the good fortune to meet the man who made it--he was extremely proud of his work, and I think he was also pleased to see that an American appreciated it as well.

In the foreground is a picture of the grandmother.  In the background you can see a bananaleaf house.  To the right are comforters and other textiles and gifts- it's unclear to me if these were gifts or offerings.

This was all banana leaves! Note the small hole on the right side for offerings.

This spire would hold the bones of the deceased grandfather, per Buddhist tradition.

On the way out, I noticed the women had begun cooking again.  I still couldn't eat any more, but judging by the size of the pots they were using, they must have been planning on a long night!

mmm fish :)

Buddhism

The dominant religion in Thailand is Buddhism.  In much of Isan, though, a special brand of folk buddhism is practiced-  it includes many traditional elements of buddhism, but also some more "pagan" practices, for lack of a better word.  This is something I'd really like to know more about, as it seems to be pretty unique (although I might be very much mistaken there).  Geoffrey is kind enough to point out some common practices and some "folk" buddhist practices to me as we travel around.

Buddhists worship in temples, which, as far as I can tell, are each devoted to one specific deity.  Inside, they look something like this:

This family arranged a meeting with the monk- it appears they've brought lunch along.

In Thailand, most men spend at least some part of their lives as a buddhist monk.  For some, this lasts only a few days, while others may remain a monk for months or even years.  Unlike Christian priests, being a monk is not a lifetime appointment..

The monks are easily spotted by their bright orange robes and bare feet.  Every morning, they ring their bells and go around the village, begging for food.  The food they collect will be their breakfast and lunch; monks are only allowed two meals per day.

A belltower.  Notice the drums on the bottom tier.

The monks hold a special status in society, which comes with some specific rules.  For one, they're expected to be very holy.  They're not to touch women in any way, and there's even a special language to use when addressing them.  They're often invited to local events, and their presence in the community is an honor.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a "merit-making" event last week.  As far as I can understand, Buddhists believe in something a little like karma, in that good deeds improve their lot after death.  Also, at least according to the local buddhist practices, that something is transferable.  This event was to  "make merit" for the deceased grandparents of the host- I'll write a little more about that in my next post.

ข้าว

So you may have noticed the rice steamer in the last post.  Here it is again:

We're talking about that badboy on the left

It's probably appropriate that I write a little bit about rice, considering it's importance in Thailand, and especially in Isan, the state I'm in .

Rice is such a staple in Thailand that it's included in almost every meal- breakfast, lunch, and dinner alike.  In fact, if you want to ask someone if they want to eat, you might ask them if they want "with rice"- you know, because everything is with rice.

The Thais eat sticky rice. It's a little different from the rice that I'm used to.  For one, it's sticky.  You generally eat it with your hands- there will be one or two large rice baskets on the table with rice in it which everybody takes from while eating.  Sticky rice is best enjoyed rolled into little balls and eaten with other things- meats, vegetables, sauces, fruits, jams- whatever you like, really.

An aforementioned rice basket

Sticky rice can also be prepared in many different ways- it can be cooked with coconut milk and a little sugar to make it sweet, or it can be steamed to make it more savory.  In the first picture, you can see the rice steamer sitting on top of a pot of boiling water.  The bottom of the steamer is also made out of palm fronds, like the rest, but they are much more loosely woven so that water vapor can easily penetrate into the steamer.

Once the rice has been steamed, it should be cooled.  Remember those cooling trays we used for the peanuts?

Geoffrey, cooling the rice

Finally, once the rice is cooled, it can be stored in a rice basket.  The rice baskets are nice- they make carrying the rice easy, lock in moisture, and keep it warm for a surprisingly long time.  Day-old rice can be re-steamed.  On re-steaming it only becomes more sticky and more delicious!

See that sticky rice?  It's cooked with coconut milk and stored in
banana leaves, so it's a nice single-serving sweet treat.  It's great with mango!

There's a Thai expression which I like. It says something along the lines of: "If you don't close the lid on your rice basket, your wife will run away!"  As you can see, it's very important to enjoy and cherish something as delicious as sticky rice.

Peanuts

Let's talk a little about peanuts.

First off, they're delicious.  Second off, they're even more delicious when roasted.

Here's what unroasted peanuts look like:

Getting more delicious

Roasting them is pretty easy.  You throw them in a wok and flip them constantly for about fifteen minutes on medium heat.  No need for oil or grease or salt or anything!  Here's what a guy roasting peanuts looks like:

Notice the constant flipping!

After you've roasted the peanuts for a good 15-20 minutes, they'll start to become dark brown or even black.  That's okay!  The peanuts have an outer hull, and it's that which is browning.  Your nuts are probably still in good shape.  Peel off the hull and taste one- that's the best way to know if they're done.

Getting there!  About five more minutes

Once the peanuts are done, pour them out onto a cookie sheet.  The Thais have special cooling trays made out palm fronds (I think) that they use for peanuts as well as sticky rice.  When the nuts are cool enough to handle, press down and roll them using your palm.  This will help separate the hull from the nut.  This takes a bit of time, so have patience!

Yupin, being very patient.

The last part is the trickiest.  It requires some motor skills I don't quite have, and it also requires that your cookie sheet has some sort of a lip.  Take your tray outside and flip it, each time catching the nuts back on the tray.  The much lighter hulls, now separated, should fly away in the wind.

Look at that form!

And there you have it!  Peanuts, delicious, freshly roasted, and ready to eat :)

So what is a Thailand, anyway?

Aroon Sawat!

I want to take a couple minutes today to talk about Thailand as a country, for your sake as well as mine.  I didn't do too much research before coming, so I'm still learning lots of things about Thailand as a political entity and about its demographics.

Let's get started.  Thailand is in southeast asia:

here!

It's capital is Bangkok, and the country has about 67 million people in it, making it the 20th most populous country in the world.  It's about 200,000 square miles, making it about 20% larger than California (I didn't realize it was so large!)

Thailand used to be referred to as Siam (ergo Siamese), but hasn't been called that since 1949.  The language of Thailand is Thai, although the region I'm in has a dialect which could almost be called its own language, called Isan.  Isan is almost closer to Laotian than to Thai.

I would say that it's hard to get around in Thailand as an American because the standard English proficiency is so low (ranked 54 out of 56 countries globally), but Thais are extremely patient and even xenophillic- they don't mind trying to talk to you, and will help you out however they can.

Thailand has a tropical climate and has rainy and dry seasons.  It's always at least warm and often hot- although I haven't really experienced that yet.  So far temperatures have been in the 60-85 degree range for me, and always sunny.

Thailand has a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and they love their king very much.  His image is everywhere in the country, and I haven't yet heard anyone say a bad word about him.  He seems like a very good man.

This dude

As Thailand is a newly industrialized country, most of the amenities we're used to can be found here.  The local currency is the Baht, and as a rough rule of thumb about 30 baht equal a dollar.  Things are very very cheap by American standards (and even cheaper by European standards)- it's not a problem at all to get a meal for about a buck.  

The economy grew very rapidly in the 80s and 90s and continues to grow strongly today.  Nonetheless, about half the country still works in agriculture, and Thailand's greatest export is rice--it's actually the world's largest rice exporter.

About 95% of Thais are Buddhist and 4% are Muslims.  Christians and Hindus make up the other 1%.  

I'll keep you posted as I learn more!

Kitties! also, lots of pictures

So Thailand is kind of a funny place.  There are plenty of things you wouldn’t expect to see in America, some things you wouldn’t expect to see in Thailand, and lots and lots of things you wouldn’t expect to see anywhere. 

Here are some of my first impressions:

            -There isn’t any hot water.  I’m sure it’s available in some places, but I haven’t found it yet.

            -There is plenty of food, everywhere.  I was a little concerned about losing weight, but now I realize that was silly: one is never more than a couple meters from food in Thailand.    

            -Most meals are eaten with the hands.  All meals are eaten with sticky rice.

            -Thais will eat anything and everything.  Fruits, stalks, leaves, stems, flowers, beef, pork, chicken, fish, buffalo skin, bugs, birds, eggs, bugs- it doesn’t really matter.

            -Thai is a tricky language!  There are five tones, meaning that the intonation of a word is important to its definition.

            -Most toilets are of the squat variety.

            -It seems like everybody rides little motorbikes.  I haven’t seen any crotch rockets yet, though; most of the bikes are small and not very flashy.

            -There are animals everywhere!  It seems like everywhere you turn there's either a cat, or a dog, or some chickens, or a lizard, or water buffalo, or something else prowling around.

Cats!

Chickens!

More cats!

Termites!

Temples!

Shrubberies! 

Food!

Lookit that chin

Sticky rice!

More cats!

Even more cats!

Water buffaloes!

Tamarinds!