Chiang Mai Life

Japanese Cooking Lesson 2

2007-11-09T14:23:00.000+07:00

Gyooza, Ikameshi, Tanaga To Shiratsu

The second Japanese cooking lesson was fun and delicious because Chieko san taught our group of all Thai students, all-time favourite of "Gyooza" (fried vegetable and ground pork dumplings) and new exciting food called "Ikemashi" (stewed stuffing squids with sticky rice) and "Tanaga To Shiratsu" (fried pickled lettuce with tiny dried fish). It is not so difficult to cook both Gyooza and Ikemashi, I have learnt that Gyooza is rich in nutrients with combination vegetables of cabbages, Chinese chives and lettuce, onion, mushroom mixing with ground pork. Frying Gyooza uses only few oil, water is added in frying process to authentically soften the food and create crispiness. I really love Ikameshi because I live in the land of sticky rice so it is easy to find good ingredient, it takes short time to prepare this squid menu while the cooking process is easy, let it simmering in a pot then I can switch to other jobs and come back in 30 - 40 minutes. The only draw back is to choose the squids of real freshness and without chemical contamination. Chieko san brilliantly used Thai pickled lettuce to inspire this sophisticated side dish" "Tanaga To Shiratsu ", it was the delightful flavour of Thai-Japanese friendship. Apart from those lesson food, Chieko san also cooked "Oden" and "Okara" (fried minced tofu with sliced carrots and sea grass) for us to try.

Japanese style farewell lunch

2007-11-09T12:02:00.000+07:00

Chieko san, connoisseur of Japanese food in Chiang Mai recently hosted a Japanese style lunch to bid farewell our good friend, Kumiko Funaki who returned to Yokohama after over one year working in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I was invited to join this stylist "Bento" party at Chieko's residence.

It was a tradition for guests to bring something for the host, either flowers or anything, on that day both one of the Japanese guests and I happened to give Chieko san the same pink lilly bouquets. Chieko san' s lunch began with pomegranate juice which is believed to enhance blood cells. Aesthetic style lunch boxes arranging on the table featured Sashimi, Tamago Yaki (thick omelette stuffed with Japanese eels), cooked rice with gingko nuts and green beans serving in Sakura shape and Kani Shinjoo.

Side dish was Tsukemono (pickle) of Kimpiri Gobo roots, tomatoes with chopped onion, cucumber with sesame and seaweed. Two more sumptuous dishes were shrimp tempura and Stewed pork with egg, long bean and radish. It took time and efforts to prepare the food which Chieko san explained that it was Tokyo style food. On that day, Chieko san received two large cartons of food supplies from her elder sister in Tokyo so I knew why her "Bento" was so uniquely special.

Dog Training in Chiang Mai

2007-09-28T21:00:00.000+07:00

My brother brought a rare wild dog from southern most border town opposite Padang Besar to Bangkok but no one could raise him so my sister sent him to Chiang Mai. Looking like "Bang Kaew dog", except the long nose face, he was two months old when he arrived in Chiang Mai,I called him "Boodoo" ( the name of dark dressing for "Khao Yam" southern food ) because of his dark physical beauty with black and partly brown soft hair. I had observed his super hyper- behavior and ground digging and biting things,days after days he had become a trouble maker, Boodoo created serious scratches on my car 's bonnet and bit several parts under another car that needed fixing many times. My husband's new car was also badly attacked so he had to park it outside the house. These did not include others of daily shoes and flip flops biting, ran away to wander around and swam in a pond of nearby orchard, sabotaging my favourite potted plants, hanging air plants and new flower trees I grew by uprooting them. It is amazing how the dog identify which plants and trees I love.

Asked if my husband and I were mad at this rascal dog, "Very Little" because we love Boodoo so dearly. Like,humans,everyone has both good and bad sides, Boodoo is entertaining, charming in his style and loyal to his masters. Most of visitors to my house commented that Boodoo was not such a good looking dog ( diplomatic meaning of ugly)or having "Ban Nok" (country) look and they were scared of his giant front teeth and his frightening tounge with many spots of birth marks. Girls hated his dirty behavior of sniffing their under wares by striking his nose under their skirts both front and rare attacks, then I would heard screaming after that.

I managed to find a professional dog trainer to give Boodoo better disciplines and correct his behavior. His name was Police Sergeant Major Sukij Techa, a dog trainer based at Border Patrol Police Unit in Mae Jo of San Sai District, he came to observe Boodoo and said I should wait until he was 8 months old and Boodoo needed to stay with him for four months at his house in San Pa Tong District, about 30 kilometres from Chiang Mai. He was delighted to enroll Boodoo because it was his first time to train a wild dog.

Pol. Sgt.Maj. Sukij charged me 4,000 baht per month providing with dog feeds and vitamins,on the first day at school, Boodoo was excited with his new home and two- dog friends so I didn't worry much about him, Pol. Sgt. Maj Sukij's house is located in a rural village near a Buddhist temple with a charm of northern Thai farmers life style which you can see their cattle, dogs and free range chicken. I regularly visited Boodoo once a week to learn how to command and train him the same as the trainer did. Pol Sergt. Sukij conducted training twice a day of early morning before work and late afternoon sessions after work. After one month, Boodoo could sit and wait, crawl and wait, doing side walking (walking closely next to a trainer) after 2 to 4 months he could walk backward, doing 3 legs walk (one leg wounded), zigzag walk,entering and waiting in a cage including sawasdee. It was difficult to make Boodoo follow my commands in the begining due to my soft tone voice but there was improvement until the training was over. Pol. Sgt.Maj. Sukij is a good trainer and a dog lover and really patient in conducting training. He also visited Boodoo many times after Boodoo returned home to remind Boodoo of what he had learnt from him. Boodoo is two years old now (September 2007), he still be able to follow my commands though sometimes he becomes lazy, yawning or sits in ugly posture like a monkey, the way he used to do. Seeing me holding a hand bag ,getting ready to go out, Boodoo now would walk into his cage and wait for me to log the cage prior to driving my car out of a house. The most important thing is - the dog 's owner should keep giving instructions to your dog regularly, otherwise, it would be a waste of your time and money.

Interested dog lovers can contact two professional dog trainers at :

Dog Training and Home Stay in Chiang Mai

Pol. Sgt.Maj. Sukij Techa, Tel. (089) 997 9519

or Pol Sgt.Maj. Chomporn Boonyasap, his dog training house is in San Sai District,15 kilometres from Chiang Mai city. Tel. (081) 784 0045

e-mail : jiap_panida@yahoo.co.uk (for English, your message will be translated & sent to the trainers)

Beijing 798 Art Zone

2007-09-23T01:38:00.000+07:00

News report on Channel 9 mentioned about art galleries and trading has become booming in China reminded me to write about my visit to art galleries in Beijing in 2006. My daughter, Juggie who was then studying in Beijing recommended me to observe China' s modern art scene at Beijing 798 Art Zone in Chaoyang District. It covered the area of 230,000 square metres of old factories designed and constructed by East German experts so the main building adopted Bauhaus designing concept. In 2002, the 798 Art Zone has attracted artists, galleries, art studios, fashion designers, interior designers, environmental design experts and many more until 2007, there are nearly 300 art and cultural institutions established there.

Juggie and I were thrilled by what we had seen, the classic state owned factory zone of 798, 706, 797, 707 and 718 were turned into art galleries. It would take at least two days to tour all galleries, so we visited only the ones our time allowed. Glancing from outside, you never knew there were galleries hidden inside many old buildings. Walking along this art zone, there was hot vapour coming out few factories that were still in operation with trucks moving along nearly end of street from time to time, we felt like it was such a splendid installation art.

Surprisingly, Chinese people had more art expression freedom than Thai artists by using their chairman Mao portrait on 100 Yuan bank note to convey direct sex message at one of erotic art exhibitions. Cultural revolution art entitled "Art is in hands of the People" at Bochi Space was impressive as well as many brilliant modern art pieces by Chinese and international artists on displayed in this art zone. For art lovers,next time you visit Bejing, 798 art zone is a MUST! and highly recommended.

Japanese Cooking Lesson 1

2007-09-01T22:36:00.000+07:00

Jiap to mooshimasu

Having some Japanese friends in Chiang Mai,I was invited to join a Japanese style party with cooking lesson at Narumi' s house. I was the only Thai among our Thai - Japanese Gang of Five ,who frequently met for dining out ,Japanese bakery class and contributing for local activities.Realizing that I'd love to learn Japanese cooking,Narumi san kindly asked her friend, Chiiko san to teach me how to make "Norimaki" ,I learnt how to spread Japanese rice on seaweed sheet and wrapped the food on bamboo mat which should left the space at the edges ,about one centimetre each. A water bowl was need to moisture my hands when spreading the rice then placed stuffed ingredients according to my favourites .On that day we had varieties of shredded tuna in mayonnaise,marinated shitake mushroom,omelette slices, pickles ,fermented soya beans and sliced Japanese vegetable. Then finally cut them into pieces of 2.5 - 3 centimetres wide and dipped into Japanese soy sauce and wazabi mmmmm.....

I had prepared my shrimp fried rice and thin omelette to test on wrapping as "Norimaki" ,which I put the omelette sheet on a seaweed piece ,then spread my fried rice on and finally added only two cucumber pieces. I had served my friends in Thai style with Nam Pla Prik (fish sauce,lime juice,slice bird eyes' chillies and chopped garlic). They all said "Oishi" (yummy).

Other Japanese food I had tried were delicious potato salad presented in cake decoration style with little boiled broccoli and tomatoes,O-hitashi(sweet potato with Japanese nuts )and kurikinton.One of my friends cooked French food of summer vegetables with tomatoes called "Natsu yasai no tomato ni" which tasted really good. I made "Yam Woon Sen( Mung bean vermicellies spicy salad) and they all enjoyed it. After lunch,we had fun time doing "Kujibiki", exchanging gifts by mean of lucky draw.

Next time we will meet again at Chiiko's House to cook Lesson 2.