tutsiwarrior

old favorites homage where homage is due...lotta talent outta philly in the late 50s... South Street in philly, of course... tutsi stumbles out of a taxi on South St, in philly on business in 2007, after a merciless economy flight from saudi and he's likkered up...and on the sidewalk there are some girls harmonizin' and I say 'whooeee, that girl she know's what's happenin'...and I say 'look here babe, whyn't me and yew go get us a drink somewhere?' (tutsi lapses easily into his early Pasadena street patois, Pasadena is a Bloods town) and she sez 'sho would be nice but yesee mistuh I'se only 15 y.o....' and then the coterie flutters on down the sidewalk laughin' and yellin'...them girls were all dressed up and lookin' good... oh 'meet me on south street, c'mon an' hurry on down...'

12 years ago my thai wife and 2 nieces came to HCMC with just their passports and were able to stay a few weeks...I believe the same still applies to ASEAN countries passport holders but I'd check the VN gov't website to make sure...and 2 years ago my son who carries UK passport was stamped in at Hanoi for 15 days without a visa...

where to find this product at the supermarket? are the packets refrigerated? I'll try out the flavoring but I'd basically like some udon noodles to substitute for my usual breakfast instant ramen...mix with leftovers, miso paste, etc...left over stir fried greens in oyster sauce and garlic are good for this purpose...

ditch the belt and buy some suspenders (braces)...I did some years ago and never looked back...a good selection on the internet...

the white bean stew was grand (see previous post)...I had a look at the recipe and thought 'chopped cilantro stalks in the cooking mixture? with cumin and cinnamon?' sounded like a chef on acid...very nice and fragrant and then there's the bit at the end with cilantro leaves mixed with oil and lemon juice which was the kicker...I tossed in a splash of bottled lime juice that I use for a vodka mixer but they got fresh lemons at makro... this one and the previous garbanzo/chick pea recipe posted earlier with cinnamon and paprika serve to illustrate the versatility of beans simmered in a sauce...quite remarkable but even better if ye got some nice bread on hand...an impetus to improving one's bread making skills... btw when the step daughter got home with the goods I asked about washing the cilantro (pak chee) and her eyes got big 'ye always gotta wash the cilantro!...' good to keep in mind...

my favorite european actor he was excellent in Wim Wender's The American Friend also with Dennis Hopper in an adaptation of an episode from Patricia Highsmith's Ripley series...he was always like 'hmm, looks like I'm gonna die soon...what next?' RIP Bruno...

b.b.but...if it's true that TB frijoles come dried in a bag and are reconstituted on site then why aren't they available in Thailand? easy enough to ship over a few containers and provide instructions in the local language...no need fer a local supplier... there's no excuse not to have beans, smells like a local fascist/nationalist conspiracy to subvert wholesome american fast food cuisine in the name of preserving local values... meanwhile downtown some large dudes with automatic weapons, ski masks and sweatshirts emblazoned with 'FLF (Falang Liberation Front 'we've had enough!')' burst in upon the TB premises and shout in broken thai language 'restore the beef and beans or face the consequences!' and then shoot up the illustrated menu behind the counter...

just did the daikon radish salad again tonight but using gavny's suggestion with the fresh ginger and it was tip top... a big roar for gaviny...didn't have any fresh chiles on hand but I'll remember for the next time...but now I'm runnin' outta rice vinegar, time fer a trip to makro, only got a kilo bag of miso left and etc...and someone said that they now have nice avocados? next up: cannellini white bean stew...gotta remember to get a kilo of tomatoes and a bunch of cilantro... https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/feb/02/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-iraqi-white-bean-stew-fasoulia

a few weeks ago I found some avocados at the big Lotus in changwat Suphan no less and they were very nice, Haas and didn't say where they came from, picked them over and found a kilo (can't remember how much it cost) nice and just barely yielding to a small squeeze... they were on a top shelf where they keep the specialty items, musta been for the benefit of falangs as the shelf is too high for the line of sight for most thais...got them home and immediately made an ensalada de palta, sliced with just a dribble of vinegar and a sprinkle of salt...and not bad at all, not as tasty as what I useta get in California but I ain't complainin'... never woulda thought that I'd find nice avocados at tescos...

if in Hanoi in the Tay Ho (Westlake) district there is an excellent dental clinic on the ground floor of the Fraser Suites building (8 years ago)...not cheap but the work was top class...all locally trained VN staff... I wouldn't take my dog to a dentist in the UK...they were laughable...I got better treatment in medieval Bolivia 50 years ago...

must not fergit that the local Taco Bell is meant to be marketed to locals and that the quality of the local beef, even when ground up is abysmal...I always get the kilo packages of imported beef mince from makro to use at home for me meat loaf and me chilli... with the beans there are loads down the local market, packaged black beans and red kidneys mostly used for sweet thai khanom...fergit making any frijoles refritos from that stuff, I've tried and failed...must have either pintos or white beans that are not grown or available in Thailand as far as I can see... and ain't no one gonna want to appear to be kowtowing to a buncha mewling falangs and their Taco Bell sensibilities (cue the local national anthem)...meanwhile some generals huddle with local pinto bean profiteers and mutter 'them falangs want their beans do they?...well let's see what we can do, heh, heh, heh...' and then 'SPECIAL BEEF AND BEAN MENU FOR FOREIGNERS ONLY'... be careful what you wish for...

southerners in the US would add the pork fat to the cooking water for the broccoli and let simmer...my Tennessee grandma useta use hog jowl which is about the same...I'd always discard the cooked fat because I don't like fat and gristle but it would coat the veg with a nice layer of grease...excellent with fresh green beans... but I must say that it would be a bit hard on the stomach if breaking a fast...

made this which was nice...another garbanzo/chickpea recipe...as long as ye have quality canned chick peas handy no need to ever mess with the soaking and the cooking... https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jan/28/thomasina-miers-chickpea-black-pudding-spinach-ragu-recipe used ground pork instead of the black pudding and some trimmed long stemmed greens from the market instead of spinach...woulda been nice with some baby bok choy but can't always find it...no leeks available where I live so just left them out... the combo of paprika with ground cinnamon is interesting...supposed to be a spanish tapas bar recipe...be nice to have some fresh crusty bread to eat it with as there's plenty of jus from the toms...

so, can we presume that the 'new rules' regarding the 800/400k business will only affect retirement extensions that were issued after 01 March? my present extension was issued late December and my first 90 day report will be due in late March...should I worry about the new rules regarding 800/400k when I do my report? I was also thinking about exiting Thailand before my report date in March and returning 2 weeks later so that my report date would be 90 days from the date of my return...would the new rules only affect me after I renew my extension in December?

hey...the bum gun debate is no laughing matter... years ago an associate returned home to little england from an asian overseas posting and decided to install a bum gun in his bathroom...and then his wife appeared indignantly to ask what he was doing and he explained...and then she said 'yer crazy, over my dead body...our friends and guests will have a look and then we will be a laughing stock...' 'then maybe yew should get some new friends and not associate with ignorant western savages...' the bum gun experience had broadened his cultural understanding beyond normal western acceptability... and that's all that it took for their marriage to dissolve into bum gun water...granted their marriage wasn't in very good shape anyway...marriages destroyed, children without fathers, and etc resulting from alternative toilet hygiene and xenophobic western resistance thereto...