Pawpcorn

 meat grinder.jpg   14.12K   5 downloads
The old fashion hand meat grinder would seem to be a basic kitchen tool... yet I can NOT manage to locate on of these, and no one seems to have a clue where to find one? I live in Bang Mot (Rama 2 / Central) but could travel anywhere in the BKK area to get this... Thanks!!
Pawpcorn

Last night... teaching adult Elementary English D, (meaning they have been learning for 100 hours already!)

Unit 13 book topic was Education and Careers... and we'd been in this unit now for 3 2-hour classes.

Book question was: "What languages are taught in Thailand {your country}?

One student said "English", so I held up my hand with one finger up, and said "Ok, and...?" long pause... blank stares...

Finally I said "What else?"... more blank stares... this time looking like they didn't understand the expression "What else?", so I wrote "What else?" on the board... and got more blank stares!

In disbelief, I said, "Come on, you're not telling me that after learning in this class for a YEAR, you've NEVER heard the expression "what else" and you don't understand??? And again, I held up my hand, counting off, first finger up, saying "English..." trying to raise second finger, while saying "And...????"

More blank stares...!!!

Finally I said... "Chinese...???" and everyone went "OOOHHHHhhhhh!!!"

Jesus,  ไม่เข้าใจ {mai koh jai} "what else!" AAAaarrrggg...!!!

A little later we got to talking about "phrases" (one example being "what else" lol) and it turned out that they didn't know the word "phrase" either.

[One piece of background info on this situation is that it WAS a small class last night, only 3 students out of 11 bothering to show up, being as how Friday, today, is Mother's Day...

AND another teacher had taken over the class for almost all of "Elementary C", but they gave the class back to me, after the students repeatedly petitioned the staff for my return... finally threatening that they would NOT PAY to renew for Elementary D, unless they returned me, as their teacher. So I haven't been their teacher for the entire 100 hours (does that let me off the hook for them not knowing some basic words or phrases? 555) and we clearly REALLY like one another, and really have a great rapport...]

Soon afterwards, we got around to the more serious business of playing UNO!... 555

Sometimes teaching English here takes a saint's patience... and the experience can be unbelievable.

On the UPside, I DID learn a new Thai word last night "bone", {falling stress}, for "complain" and refined my pronunciation of "lume" {falling stress}, for "forget".

THAT word of "complain" came up, as part of my opening (conversation) question, to the class... asking the question "Have you ever complained about a meal?" explained to mean in a restaurant, and "ever" meaning in your lifetime...

NOT surprisingly, (considering Thai culture) only ONE of the three students had ever complained! And that turned out to be a complaint about... having ordered a meal off a menu without prices... being surprised that the meal cost so much! I was thinking maybe this was some Hi-So restaurant or something... and I asked him... how many people eating, and how much was the bill? He said just himself, and I nearly fell off the chair when he said the bill was THIRTY BAHT!!!!  555

TIT, too funny, really, you couldn't make this stuff up.... truly Amazing Thailand. 555

Hi, guys...

Heading up to Udon Thani (Kumpahwapi, to be specific) for Songkran, so my better half can spend some time with his family...

I've got Udon Thani covered, knowing two boy bars there, but we wanted to spend an evening in Khon Kaen, also... and with it being a HUGE COLLEGE town, figured that there must be at least a COUPLE places that would be fun to visit while there...???

Anyone able to point me in the right direction, or area?

Thanks!
Pawpcorn

I've been wondering about this for a long time, and thought I'd ask the TV experts about this...

Often, when travelling through the Thai countryside, I come upon roadside stands selling "Honey". They display an old dried-out wild bee hive, as "proof" that this is "honey". It's sold in used Whiskey bottles(!).

OK, I love honey, so I bought a few bottles a while back, but (besides still being able to smell the original whiskey[!]) it seemed that the liquid was thinner than honey, and didn't really even seem to taste like honey; more like syrup.

AND I used to have a few beehives when I was a youngster, and I KNOW how much work can be involved in maintaining beehives. AND I don't recall really ever seeing a beehive farm (the white boxes, placed in a field) here in Thailand...

So I started to suspect that this might just be sugar and water, cooked, and made to look like honey.

I came upon an old bottle of this in my cupboard last week, and decided to try an experiment; I poured some of this thinner liquid into a shallow bowl, and put it in the refrigerator, in order to dehydrated it a bit, to make it thicker, and more the consistency of honey.

I'm giving it the benefit of doubt, and trying to see, if once it's thicker, if it will seem more (and taste more) like honey. I just tasted it a couple of minutes ago... it's thicker... but still doesn't really seem to be authentic "honey".

Anyone out there with the true scoop on this? REAL or FAKE???

Apologizes; my laptop is under repair; up against deadlines; having to access ThaiVisa at public site; thus difficult time issues to research all these questions on TV, so I ask them, anew...

Background: My American passport (issued July 2006, expires in 2016) is due for it's yearly renewal in Mid December. I have a work permit, and the company I work for takes care of (and pays for) renewing my work permit and visa, (Non Immigrant B ) every year.

My passport has 24 pages, but page 21 is the last page that is divided into 4 parts, and has the headings "Entries" Visas" and "Departures" on it. Every one of these pages (8 thru 21) have already been used/stamped, with the exception of the bottom half of page 21.

I intend to have the visa renewed this year with a multiple reentry extension, for ease of being able to visit abroad next year, should I choose to.

Questions:
1)  Is it possible to use the final 3 pages (22, 23, 24, labeled "Amendments and Endorsements") for continuing departure / entry stamps?  They are all blank, except for a single reentry stamp, from an early reentry from Cambodia, prior to having the Non Immigrant B status)

2) How many blank pages do I need to have in my passport to permit a 1 year multiple reentry Non Immigrant B endorsement to be issued?

3) What is the additional fee for the Multiple Reentry renewal, (over the standard Reentry, which my company pays for)?

4) My passport is pretty worn out (since I carry it with me for our friendly BIB every day). Should I get a NEW passport, or just have extra pages added? What are the pros and cons, if any?

5) What's the current fee for getting a NEW passport?

6) What's the current fee for getting extra pages added?

7) Does the American Embassy accept Thai Baht, or do I have to pay in American Dollars?

8) How long does it take (IE how long will the American Embassy have to possess my passport) to add extra pages?  How long, if getting a NEW passport?

9) What proofs of I.D., or proofs of residency will I need at the American Embassy, for either the extra pages or new passport to be granted? I really think I only can show my Thai Driver's License and current utility bills. Is that enough?

10) Finally, anyone know the current hours / days of operation for the American Embassy on Wireless Road? I seem to recall their hours are rather restrictive, with a complete shutdown for lunchtime...??

Thanks SO much for anyone who can help me answer these 10 questions above!