cookery - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-29T01:03:53Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/cookeryThailand Beach Town Hau Hin a Foreigners' Retirement Paradisehttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/hau-hin-a-foreigners-retirement-paradise2013-12-03T22:28:41.000Z2013-12-03T22:28:41.000ZChef LeeZhttps://tripatini.com/members/ChefLeeZ<div><p dir="ltr"><span><br /> Hau Hin is a beach town 3 hours south of Bangkok by bus which offer foreigners everything Bangkok has to offer but in a concentrated area - a narrow town only a couple of kilometers wide at its widest. <br /> <br /></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9296575500,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9296575500,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9296575500?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr"></p><p dir="ltr">The bus to Hau Hin from Bangkok's southern bus terminal runs near every hour and the bus station offers a variety of food options while you wait for your bus to load (10 minutes before departing). Just recently It has become either illegal or socially unacceptable to drink alcohol on the bus.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:13px;">The Hau Hin bus station is located at what could be considered mid-town and is surrounded by food and rooming options with air con available for as little as 500 baht a night but honestly 800 a night at</span> <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297922-d1097826-r145854532-Jing_s_Guesthouse-Hua_Hin_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan_Province.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT" style="font-size:13px;">Jings Guest House</a> <span style="font-size:13px;">gets you a cleaner, bigger room - and of course you could stay at the Hilton if that is within your budget. One block north is the night market strip and to the east on the same street about a 10 minute walk is the Hilton's public beachfront.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Very few beaches are not leased and thus not covered with lounge chairs and shade umbrellas serving cold refreshments and hot food. A 15-minute walk on the beach south of the Hilton you will find the ocean surf to not have any of the barnacle and cracked oyster shell covered boulders and rocks as you will find in front of the Hilton. Unfortunately Thai's will be Thai's and means the beaches are littered with litter from bottle caps to bags to plastic cups, jugs, pieces of rope broken class, garbage of every sort and it appears Hau Hin as a city hasn't the means to properly clean up the mess and make the beaches clean, safe and enjoyable. September - October storms add jellyfish, small sea urchins and sea cucumbers ) to the water and the beaches. Don't pick up the sea cucumbers as they will share their clear quills with you. Sea urchins are generally small and dead so their already broken spines are of little consequence unless you should step directly on the top of one. <br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">There are 3 or more modern malls in Hau Hin, with a new, larger mall under construction, offering all the trimmings of modern malls and night markets for shoppers.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">There is great variety in both foreign and Thai cuisine to check out, from those that shouldn't be making pizza to rack of smoked ribs. Food quality is hit or miss, as many restaurants are lacking in quality. There is a very good restaurant,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cool-Relax-Huahin/180648371954216" target="_blank">Cool Relax</a>, approximately two blocks south of the bus station on the right hand side offering Swiss and Thai cuisine place in either an open-air terrace dinner setting or inside their air-conditioned dining room.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">The night market strip includes many restaurant options. Unfortunately they do not understand a baked potato without sour cream, chives and bacon bits is just a buttered potato. Their steaks are 1 cm thick before cooking and they should be a minimum of 2 cm thick before cooking.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Of course it offers the nightlife of bars and all that goes with that. Its red-light district is contained and avoidable.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">There are a great many foreigner-oriented condo and housing projects available for rent or purchase if one is looking for a retirement location. Two-bedroom ranch-style homes can be purchased for 2.4 million baht ($60,000 U.S.), and in town, one-bedroom kitchenette condos are available for the same price or can be rented for near $1,000 U.S. per month.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">It is a golfers' paradise with many courses to play. </span><span style="font-size:13px;">Fishermen can take in ocean fishing or landlocked fishing. </span><span style="font-size:13px;">Scuba and snorkeling island coral is just offshore.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">The airport is located at the north end of town and is where the green tuk tuks (10 baht per ride) turn around and return to the town center. Taxis don't have meters. You can rent a motorcycle for 200 to 250 baht for the day (take date and time stamped pictures of all existing damage) before you drive away.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Visa runs will soon be only 90 minutes out of town as recently an old border crossing has opened to trade and is expected to soon also offer passport visa runs.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Several international hospitals are available if you should find yourself in need of high-quality medical care.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Cooking school options are limited, with schools running only when they have sufficient minimum number of prepaid students, but there are high-quality classes offered by</span> <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293916-d2005169-Reviews-Chef_LeeZ_Thai_Cooking_School_BKK-Bangkok.html" style="font-size:13px;">Chef LeeZ, Thailand Trip Advisor</a> <span style="font-size:13px;">#1 culinary arts Thai cooking school since 2011, only three hours away in Bangkok.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">The alternate to retiring in Thailand's mainland is retiring to a Thailand island such as Kho Samui and that is a romantic thought, but when you are on an island and when there is a severe weather or power related problems you will know you are on an island and may be without water, food, power or escape for days on end. You may have to be emergency (army) air evacuated. Also in a couple of months you will have explored the island and then what to do with your time?<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">Hau Hin as a mainland town and is a mini Bangkok surrounded by a variety of options for everybody and is only a couple of hours to Bangkok. It is proposed to receive a bullet train in the near future and then it will be only 1 hour from Bangkok.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">If you are considering Thailand's mainland for your next trip or as a possible retirement spot you really should give Hau Hin, a generous amount of your Thailand time.<br /> <br /></span> <span style="font-size:13px;">May your Thailand experience be safe and wondrous!</span></p><p dir="ltr"></p><p dir="ltr"></p></div>It is said that "the best place to learn about culture is at the dinner table!"
So starting your Thailand vacation with a Thai cuisine class or a course from a Thailand Cooking School offers you the https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/3169359-BlogPost-5090372013-06-14T23:50:37.000Z2013-06-14T23:50:37.000ZChef LeeZhttps://tripatini.com/members/ChefLeeZ<div><p dir="ltr"><span>It is said that "the best place to learn about culture is at the dinner table!"</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008774459,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008774459,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="9008774459?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>So starting your Thailand vacation with a Thai cuisine class or a course from a Thailand Cooking School offers you the cultural experience and other benefits. Some of these benefits are:</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>1. the trip to the market will teach you how to select fresh ingredients and which fruits make your body hot and which counter them by making your body cold and which not to combine together.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>2. You will learn what makes the difference for a great Thai dish and you will know when you are being served lesser quality foods and why it tastes that way.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>3. You could learn how to tell your meal providers to not add MSG as it it Thai's favorite food flavouring ingredient and you should stay away from MSG.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>4. You will learn of Thai culture related to the class.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>5. Again depending on the class, you choose, you may even receive a complimentary food presentation or fruit carving demonstration.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>6. This also allows you an option to end your trip with a cookery class and refresh what you learned in the first classes plus learn a few additional dishes.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Whether you take cookery class at the start of your vacation or an intensive course or at the end of your trip here are 8 questions to help you in selecting from the many Thailand cooking school options.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>1. Does the school website answer all your questions or does it leave you with unanswered questions ... There's a reason for nondisclosure ... and I'm positive it's not that they don't know what they charge or what they teach ...</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>2. Location: is important even if you are not coming through Bangkok you can still apply this check list to your Thai cooking school selection research. There are reputable cooking schools in every major center. Some schools have small storefront schools to leave you with the impression of small classes but these store fronts are used as student pick-up centers from where you will be delivered to a large class comprised of many store front pick-ups.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>3. Teacher experience: A true answer to this question may be impossible to obtain. But again if not on the website ask yourself why not? Where did the teacher train or are they simply able to cook and speak basic English?</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>4. Teacher qualification: As in question 2 a true answer to this question would likely be an exception. Most of the teachers will not have degrees or certificates of culinary study nor will they have a Thai Dept. of Skills level 1 or higher diploma.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>5. Teacher Style: Ask if they teach "the craft", the technique to Thai cuisine as many schools instruct their teacher not to take the time to impart this to you as it is a separate revenue source as in: curry class or Tom yum chili paste.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>6. The School Class room. Remember ... Thailand's’ temperatures are often over 40 degrees Celsius with 99% humidity and if you are in some alley school in the open air and you fire up the gas burners you can bet you're gonna sweat! A climate controlled (air conditioned) school costs more to operate and as a result will cost more for a class but provides for clean cool air during your class. One outdoor school was simply a private residence porch barbecue used as a school! Do you really want to sit on the floor, Thai style, to prepare your ingredients? Why not attend a stainless steel classroom? Do they overbook? If so, will you actually cook or be like in the audience and watch while others cook?</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>7. Price: Costs are important and no one likes to be taken!. My research found rates as high as 1,000 baht per dish with the lowest being 600 per set of 3 dishes in an outdoor setting with the average price being near 300 baht per dish and air con schools averaging 400 per dish or 2,000 baht for 5 dishes.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>8. Notoriety: Some very prominent schools are all about their dog and pony shows, dressed in ancient Thai dance clothing they dance and sing and rhyme to you and you may find yourself reading their recipe book to your cooking partner as their lesson.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>One School scored 8/8.</span> <a href="http://www.chefleez.com/"><span>Chef LeeZ ... Culinary Arts Thai Cooking School</span></a> <span><a href="http://www.chefleez.com">http://www.chefleez.com</a> in Bangkok, Thailand.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>May Your Thailand experience be a safe and wondrous one!</span></p><p><span> </span></p></div>Making Biber in Switzerland's Appenzellhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/making-biber-in-switzerlands2010-09-24T20:30:00.000Z2010-09-24T20:30:00.000ZSteve Mirskyhttps://tripatini.com/members/SteveMirsky964<div><img class="size-medium wp-image-1079" title="biber" src="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/biber-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /><br /><br />We spent the first 2.5 days here in Switzerland exploring <a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/destinations/resorts/holiday-destinations-in-switzerland/appenzellerland.html" target="_blank">Appenzellerland</a> close to the country's eastern border with Germany. The efficient and comfy train whisked us to <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g198851-Weissbad_Appenzell-Vacations.html" target="_blank">Weissbad</a>, a village surrounded by steep green pastures rising in every direction with majestic mountain ranges in the distance. <a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home/summervacations/summer-regions/summer-destinations/holiday-destinations-in-switzerland/appenzell2.html" target="_blank">Appenzell</a>, the next town over, was filled with one-of-a-kind local craftspeople and artisan foods made uninterrupted for generations. Small shops, usually the sole province of fairy tales, are still alive and well here. And one of these shops we visited was a bakery that focuses on making only one sweet treat...the elaborately adorned Biber.<br /><br />If I mention Biber, perhaps you can't immediately imagine what I'm talking about. But if I show you a picture of it, perhaps you have seen it before. It's an ornately decorated specialty dessert. Calling it a cookie simply doesn't do it justice because it's much more than that. Stamped and sometimes decorated with intricate designs, it's essentially two sheets of ginger bread containing a subtle blend of herbs that sandwich a layer of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan" target="_blank">Marzipan</a>, a type of almond paste. After spreading out the dough and Marzipan, poking it with holes to allow air to escape during the baking process, the newly formed Biber is then stamped with a wooden carving that usually has the imprint of a bear. After it is baked and wrapped, you can store it for up to 5 months. It actually tastes better if you can keep it for at least 1 month allowing ample time for the flavors to mix together and complement each other. This sweet treat is particularly popular at Christmas time.<br /><br />Now you can get a sneak peak on how we prepared it. I did get to bring my creation home and yes I have been able to restrain myself from sampling it for the time being. My goal is to save it till December for my official taste test. <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" width="640" height="385" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/YW9BzhBIyBs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" ></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" ></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" ></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YW9BzhBIyBs?fs=1&hl=en_US" ></param><param name="" value="" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YW9BzhBIyBs?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" width="640" height="385" allownetworking="internal"></embed> </object> <br /><em>photo and video courtesy of Steve Mirsky</em></div>