March 10, 2009
It’s always nice to be able to get away from the bustling and polluted city of Bangkok for a short trip to somewhere more pleasant and quiet. The opportunity presented itself last weekend as Silver Bullet’s department organized an outing where the staffs were encouraged to bring along family members. It was essentially just a one night stay-over at Chez Nous Boutique Resort, located along Chaosamran Beach at Petchburi, just about 2 hours drive away from Bangkok.
Getting there was a nightmare, though. The road leading to Petchburi province is a a total chaos and a mess. I wasn’t even the driver, yet I felt like I was hit by succession of heart attacks as many a pedestrian just popped up along the barricades of the highway and trying to cross over 4 lanes of road as vehicles were travelling at high speed! Add that to maniacal, inconsiderate Schumacher -wannabe drivers. Sheer madness! These people are just suicidal.
It was, otherwise a nice, quiet and fuss-free resort to chill at. It wasn’t much of an outing per se, as I do think that the main excuse for the “outing” was nothing, but to eat. Lunch and dinner were the only activity we had as a group. At lunch, there were already talking about where they’d be having dinner! I gotta to admit though that the seafood was really fresh.
We now can add one more location that’s not too far away from Bangkok to our list. Something which we would not have been aware of, if not for this outing. We’d definitely consider the Che Nous Resort again for a short retreat.
View of the main fountain and our room
The pool and view of the sea
Fresh all-seafood lunch at a nearby restaurant with its resident cat and mynah
Scenery taken from a moving car on the way out of the resort towards home
March 9, 2009
There are no shortages of street beggars in Thailand. I passed them by every day on my way to work, on both sides of the roads and always at the same spot like the day before. I wonder if they only “work” from 9-5 since I don’t see them anymore in the evenings. Although I do feel sorry for them, I don’t usually give them any money as I don’t know for sure if they get to retain their keeps. From what I heard and somewhat affirmed by some of the locals, there’s a syndicate running behind these sorrowful looking beggars. That means, these ‘beggars” get dropped off at the exactly the same spot every day and whatever money they collected at the end of the day will go to the syndicate. I don’t know how much truth there is in such things, but it makes me think twice if I were to spare them any change. I would rather give them food or if they sell small packets of mints on the streets, I would buy it from them; let them keep the change. At least they are making some effort to earn an honest living, rather than just sit around and rattling their empty containers asking you to donate. Unfortunately, most of them have become nothing but a blind spot to me.
Recently, I saw a food vendor on wheels, whom, while pushing his cart through the narrow soi had stopped right in front of this one particular beggar and gave her a box of food from his cart. The reaction from this beggar who I avoid eye contact with on a daily basis, was not what I would have expected. She actually glared at him, open and closed the box twice, and had it shoved aside as if she was being insulted. It did look like she was none too pleased. (I managed a peek and it looked like delicious fried rice freshly prepared and even covered in glad wrap!) Whatever happened to beggars can’t be choosers.
March 6, 2009
How does that look for a home-made Mee Goreng? It still doesn’t taste as authentic as the Indian-style Mee Goreng as you get from the hawker centres in Singapore, unfortunately. But when the craving gets in the way, I do what I can. It was finished in just 2 days, so I guess it is palatable.
The recipe was taken off the Internet with some improvisation on my part.
Mee Goreng
2015-07-15 09:51:38
- 1 lb yellow egg or chow mein noodles
- lb boneless mutton [I had used beef)
- 1 tspn light soy sauce
- 1 tspn dark soy sauce
- black pepper
- a pinch of sugar
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 green chillies, sliced
- bean sprouts
- sliced cabbages
- 2 potatoes, peeled, boiled [al dente], halved, cut into small thick slices and tossed in 1 tsp chili powder & 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 fried bean curd cake, sliced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 10 shallots, thinly sliced, fried golden brown for garnish
- 3-4 limau kasturi [kalamansi lime], cut into into wedges
- 5 fresh red chillies
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 to 5 tbsp tomato puree
- Slice mutton and marinate [20 mins] with 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and black pepper
- Heat wok to smoking hot, add 4 tbsp veg oil, add onions, stir-fry for a few seconds
- Add marinated mutton and stir-fry briefly [medium-rare or medium], remove mutton, set aside
- Combine seasoning sauce with 1-2 tbsp water
- Add sauce to wok, bring to a rapid boil, allow to thicken slightly
- Add noodles, stir-fry to thoroughly coat noodles with sauce
- Add bean sprouts, salt to taste, stir-fry
- Add potatoes, fried bead curd, cabbages and the set aside meat together, stir-fry
- Push mee to sides of wok, add a little oil, pour in beaten egg, cover with mee and leave to set for about 1 min
- Add lime juice and stir-fry noodles well until ‘dry’ and slightly charred
Grubbs n Critters http://grubbsncritters.com/
Serve in a plate. Garnish with fried shallots, limau kasturi [Note: the squeeze of lime is what brings the flavors together] – and serve.
