Daily Archives: July 12, 2005

Fried Mackerel with Shrimp Paste Sauce

As you probably know by now, I live in Paknam which borders the Gulf of Thailand. As you can imagine, seafood features quite heavily in menus at numerous restaurants in this area. Even the roadside stalls sell plenty of dishes which have seafood as their main ingredients. Today I want to tell you about a popular dish in this area called “nam prik pla too” ( น้ำพริกปลาทู ). This basically translates as Fried Mackerel with Shrimp Paste Sauce.

As you can see from the above pictures, the meal is served ready cooked. You choose your fish, which raw vegetables you want and even the spicy sauce. This meal costs 15-30 baht depending on the size of your helping. The “nam prik pla too” sauce is made up from dried shrimp paste, garlic, green chili, shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar.

Open Vegetable Markets.

An open vegetable market has its own beauty. It is timeless, because the oldest markets might have existed in the same manner that open markets exist today.

With pressure on land, these markets vanish and tall buildings come up. In MTT I, Chaengwattana road, there was a vegetable market, with elevated platforms, and outside the enclosed space, fruits and vegetables were sold by vendors. I used to buy guava from the vendors sitting outside the enclosed market.

This time I found the market missing. A large condominium has come there.

I Love My Government

I certainly don’t understand how my government can tell me that the photos I sent to them with my application for a fiancee visa do not constitute “evidence that we have met”. Photos offering dowry, photos at graduation ceremony, photos with monks , photos with family and friends, photos in front all a plethora of Wat’s, photos with hill tribes.

Now I feel good about being a pack rat because I’m going to send them about 8 weeks worth charge receipts, money exchange receipts, ticket stubs for boats, trains and planes (and one for my upcoming trip for good measure), passport stamps and my proudest souviner my fine for overstaying my visa! (I hope Thai customs lets me back in):-)

I’m a winner! (short version)

Hey I like the new look. Wahoo! I’m the number one Thai Fanatic! Yeah lol..Thanks Richard for making me number one..does this mean I get a prize? 😉

(Sorry for the ‘bullet blog’ this time. I’m stuck using my laptop while my PC is being fixed and I think I would rather wrestle Satan..it would be easier!

More blogs in a few days so stay tuned..

Wit

love showcase

we were greenhouse students
lucky enough to
have spent three weeks
with the personable Thais

heads bowed and hands clasped,
the villagers formed
a tight circle around us
their mouths moving in sync
with the priest
chanting prayers for us

praying that we return home safely
praying for longevity and marital bliss,
with kids to brighten our days

self-conscious laughter
stirred from our silent homage
perhaps we were amused
at their casual connection
of a good life with marriage
perhaps we felt uneasy
thinking about grown-up stuff
who knows how life would treat us?

after prayers,
they never ceased
tying yellow strings around
our waists for a long time
[for good luck, we heard]
we kept smiling hard,
as if cheerful mugs
could somehow convey
our swirling gratitude inside

their simple gestures
tanscended all barriers
their sincerity humbled us
their generosity
left me so bloated
on the balance scale of give-and-take
that I ached for
my lack of vision
in showing my love