In Pursuit Of Drinking Clean, Non-Expired Singha Beer

Watch that bottling date of Singha beer, a staple of Thai culture. Why? Let a true beer lover explain: Drinking locally made beer is a pursuit hes has. In Thailand the choices continue to diminish. Singha lager beer is one beer he’s had an affair with for over twenty years during his vacation visits over the year.

In the mid 1980’s brewmaster Peter Mittman gave him an elaborate tour of the facilities. He was impressed that they were the largest user of Czech Saaz. hops in the world, using them exclusively in their lager. He was even more impressed by his experience in the beer tasting room. It was a long session.

Much has changed in twenty years. They have lots of competition from other international breweries. They seem to be on the rebound. Both in competitiveness and quality. For a period they seemed to decrease their hop levels to compete with other international market intruders, now they seemed to have found their mojo with refreshing hop levels as an Asian lager.

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December 31, 2008 | Filed Under Food & Drink | 4 Comments 

Redder Than The Devil: Foreign Intervention Please

The red shirts, attempting to force Thailand’s new unelected government to dissolve the house for new elections, have a serious image problem. Their tactics look like a virtual carbon-copy of those used by the opposite yellow shirts. And not one of Thailand’s usually very talkative academics and representatives of the social and military elites openly supports a red version of the yellow mayhem.

Even though, put simply, the aims of the yellows and reds are virtually the same. They just they want to put their own people into office. Tit for tat and tat for tit. An Abhisit for a Somchai, a Pee Uan for a Pee Lek, while the elite continues to make history with deliberate inaction favoring the yellows and may up the ante with deliberate action against the reds.

Add the seemingly erratic, brutally calculating loyalties of coalition leaders … Thailand has become ungovernable because laws where not enforced when needed. Now it’s plain too late. Those who unhinged the constitution and due process are beaten at their own game. A Darwinian version of autocracy has taken over where even more pain is needed to destroy the old and make way for a new. Or what should the reds do?

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December 29, 2008 | Filed Under On Our Own, Politics | 32 Comments 

Bargains Anyone? Here’s The Soft Launch Of Thai DealZ

Still beta and a pure fun project, have a look at absolutely Bangkok.com’s latest offspring Thai Dealz. Yes, despite politics and crisis, life can be a steal in Bangkok. You don’t have to be a Cheap Charlie to appreciate a decent bargain.

Stop by now and then for latest offers. Or submit a hot Dealz you’ve seen. Or want to promote your own product? No problem with that. Thai DealZ’s an information bourse for bargains out there you just didn’t know yet you need them.

Maybe you get yourself – or contribute – a steal. Thai DealZ is easily accessible from these pages. In absolutely’s header menu you find a link to plain, simple, clean Thai Dealz. Maybe this can grow into something. And remember, no strings attached. It’s all free.

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December 27, 2008 | Filed Under Business & Economics, Fashion & Style, Food & Drink, Money & Shopping, On Our Own, Travel & Tourism, Truly Bangkok | 2 Comments 

Tsunami By Choice

Four years ago, on December 26th 2004, at around noon, one of the worst weeks in my life started in Villa Market with some free degustation of Blue Ice Beer, the probably worst beer in the world. While attempting to spew the terrible brew, my mother-in-law called. There’d been some big wave down in Phuket, she said. A few hours later, still dizzy from that indefinable brew, I was in my car heading down to Phuket.

Arriving there with next day’s sunrise, most coastal roads were still impassable, inundated with dead bodies and debris. Couldn’t count the bloated bodies of the dead along the road anymore even after the first day, not to mention the following days. Thailand and the tsunami-affected Indian Ocean suffered tremendous pain. But togetherness and solidarity were strong in those days.

An unseen wave of worldwide solidarity swept the disaster region. Help from everywhere arrived. Schoolchildren and housewives in faraway countries collected money for the tsunami victims. This time around, with Thailand’s political crisis, damage is of completely different nature. But not less devastating – and completely preventable, if common sense could prevail.

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December 26, 2008 | Filed Under Being Farang, History, Society, Travel & Tourism | 9 Comments 

Finland Plot Revisited

What has Thailand’s deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to do with Lapland?! And why does he have a reindeer driving license? Well, Thaksin was in Lapland in 1999. How can that possibly have anything to do with the political crisis in Thailand and the kingdom’s tough lèse majesté laws?

“Finnish conspiracy” lurks behind political crisis in Thailand – that’s the title of one of the most readable and concise accounts I’ve encountered so far on the alleged plot of Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to topple the monarchy. Legend has it that Thaksin made that plan in Lapland.

If you know some bits and pieces about the Finland Conspiracy, this account written by Finnish journalist Jukka Huusko is a worthwhile read. Even if you’re up to speed with the theory, read the whole thing. Huusko lists new facts, angles and quotes. So what were Thaksin and friends debating up there near the Arctic Circle.

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December 24, 2008 | Filed Under History, Politics | 10 Comments 

Season’s Greetings

Season’s Greetings to all! Thanks for your loyalty in 2008 and we’re all set for an exciting 2009. This year for the first time I haven’t written a single christmas card. It’s all gone emailized. And I was thinking and thinking about what to upload on absolutely for this year’s festive season.

Tempting was a proper analysis of the practically inexistent shopping for a christmas tree over here in Bangkok, a quite elaborate ritual in the West. Or insights into the art of gift wrapping. But then I stumbled over Monty Python praising Christmas and ended up in the Ubon of 1965 with Bob Hope.

That’s why we celebrate a little potpourri with this year’s digitalized Season’s Greetings. There’s something about Christmas up in Ubon during Nam, something for the hopelessly romantic and the cynics and atheists as well. To you and your family, a Merry Christmas and happy New Year! Here we go:

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December 22, 2008 | Filed Under On Our Own | 4 Comments 

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