Thailand's First "Blood Type Cuisine"

I saw this ad for a restaurant in Bangkok - it offers food specially attuned to your blood type.

This is all new to me -- bit of hocus pocus I think.

The "blood type diet" theory has gained widespread attention from the public since the release of "Eat Right For Your Type" by Peter J. D'Adamo, N. D. (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1996). The book's basic premise - that Type O's are the dominant, hunter-caveman type that require meat in the diet, that Type A's are docile vegetarians, while Type B's are dairy-eating omnivores - has become a manifesto for many people to rationalize including regular portions of meat and other animal products in their diet. ("After all, my ancestors did it.")

M

Eating out in Bangkok

OUCH!

How they love their spices in Thai cooking!

OUCH!

By gum, Tues and Weds nights this week I nearly burnt my tongue off.

Theres is a particularly spiteful chili - gets you round the underside rim of your tongue -- like a million small hot needles all jabbing you at once.

Boy does it hurt.

But it's strangely addictive too.

On Tuesday night, I went to a restaurant I've been to a couple of times before ("Ban Chiang" in Surasak) -- based in a traditional Thai wooden house, it serves tremendous food @ reasonable prices (a £20 slap-up meal for myself & 2 colleagues ... Rajat the mad Indian and Genya the mad Ukranian). Ban Chiang gets slated in many web reviews, but I really like the place.

And on Weds night, colleagues from our local Bangkok Agency took me to a restaurant serving home-style Thai cooking ... that chili again!

Then they took me to 'The Londoners' pub - tiny Thai girls dressed in Beefeater costumes serving Fuller's London Pride. Surreal.

Ban Chiang (I found out later) is named after a famous UNESCO archeological site - must go some day.

Ban Chiang (Thai บ้านเชียง) is an archeological site located in Nong Han district, Udon Thani Province, Thailand, at 17°32′55″N, 103°21′30″E. It is listed in the UNESCO world heritage list since 1992.

Discovered in 1957 it attracted enormous publicity due to the red painted pottery found there. The first scientific excavation was made in 1967 and uncovered several skeletons together with bronze grave gifts. Rice fragments have also been found, which prove that the Bronze Age settlement was made by farmers. The oldest graves found contain no bronze and are therefore from a Neolithic culture; the latest ones are from the Iron Age.

The first dates of the artifacts using the thermoluminescence technique resulted in 4420 BC-3400 BC dates, which would have made the site the earliest ever Bronze Age culture of the world. However, with the 1974/75 excavation enough material for radiocarbon dating became available, which resulted in much later dates - the earliest grave was about 2100 BC, the latest about AD 200. Bronze making began circa 2000 BC, as evidenced by crucibles and bronze fragments. Bronze objects include bracelets, rings, anklets, wires and rods, spearheads, axes and adzes, hooks, blades, and little bells.

M

Full on Bangkok

An earlier post suggested that I was going to sit in my hotel room all night whilst in Bangkok. Need-less-to-say I did go out.

Bangkok's quite full-on to say the least. Great fun! Tremendous contrast with these cloud shots I took from the plane on the way over.

Yes, the night shots are meant to be blurred - I'm being arty.

M

Man Mo Temple, Hollywood Road, Hong Kong

Last Sunday we finally got round to visiting the Man Mo temple -- it's only 160 years old, but looks absolutely ancient inside.

Full of HUGE smoking spiral incense sticks (which take two weeks to burn apparently), it's very atmospheric & moving.

I was rushed when we went as the boys were getting fractious. I need to go back for some meditation.

More:

Built in 1847, Man Mo Temple or Man Mo Miu (Traditional Chinese: 文武廟) is a typical sort of temple worshipping the Man Tai (文帝), Pau Kung; Mo Tai (武帝) and Kwan Yu -- to pray for good results in examinations. It was built in honour of two gods, Man the god of literature and Mo the god of war.

M

Getting ready for Chinese New Year

On Sunday we went out and bought our Laisee or Ang Pow envelopes.

We got a load for me (with my name in Chinese on it ... Mark Cripps = Strong (Supporter) Horse Nation ... 'Horse Nation' is a very popular surname (like Smith) ... means something like 'Patriot') and for Joss (Joss means luck in Chinese so these were easy to find).

Come Chinese New Year, many people at work; people who serve lunch; bus drivers; helpers; security guards etc etc will be expecting their laisee - with money in them.

There's some exotic and unfathomable formula which determines how much one should give to whom. And money should not be given to married folks -- I don't understand it to be honest. But need to gen up on it soon as it'll prove expensive otherwise.

Here's more:

The story of Ang Pow red envelopes.

The story of "ang pow" dates back to the Sung Dynasty in China. A village called Chang-Chieu was at the time terrorised by a huge demon. No one was capable of defeating it, not even their greatest warriors or statesmen. However, a young orphan, armed with a magical sabre inherited from his ancestors, fought the evil demon and eventually killed it. The villagers were triumphant and the elders presented the brave young man with an ang pow filled with money for his courage in saving them. Since then, the ang pow has become a part of traditional Chinese customs.

And how much to give:

The number of coins or notes in the ang pow may take advantage of the Chinese homophones. For instance, you can give a favourable amount ending with eight (8), as it sounds like fortune in Chinese, or nine (9), which sounds like longevity. Four (4) is not a good number to give as it sounds like death. You should always give money in even numbers though as to receive one or three or any other uneven number would be considered unlucky. Although to receive one Chinese i-ching coin in the envelope is considered very lucky.

M

A Sunday in HK

Sunday's in HK are weird -- 99% of the Phillipino helpers are given the day off & sit around in public spaces play cards; braiding hair etc. I think I said before they make a noise like 1000 birds cooing.

I must paste a pic here.

Anyway, apart from the helpers, downtown HK is deserted on Sundays. Good time for a stroll!

M

Boxing day @ the Dunn's no2

Boxing day @ the Dunn's no1

The Dunn's (Bill & Joan) were kind enough to invite us all round for Boxing Day lunch and a treasure hunt.

I think there were c. 20 of us all-in!

M

Angry Archie

His normal pose these days.

God only knows how we're going to cope when he's a teenager.

M

Xmas lunch

Top Christmas lunch -- I could not move for hours & fell asleep by 17:00. It was the jetlag and not the sherry.

M

Xmas presents!

LOOK IT'S STAR WARS!

THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE

blissful seventh heaven rapture

One night in Ambridge and the world's your oyster

Feeling a bit surreal.

It's Sunday night and I'm sitting in my Bangkok hotel room listening to the Omnibus edition of today's Archer's. Sad eh?

Amazing city out there and I'm here listening to the Archer's streamed via the internet off the BBC site.

Middle-age is rapidly enveloping me. I need to get a life. :-)

M

Xmas cousins

Good to see the cousins getting on well. Must be hard for Olivia and Sam to relate - with such an age gap I mean.

M

Xmas morning walk in Winnie-the-Pooh land

Joss' sister lives very close to the scrub land that inspired AA Milne to write WtP.

Great walking but blooming cold that morning (compared to HK!).
M

Christmas morning @ The Stirrat's

First stop in our whirlwind Xmas tour of the Home Counties was a 3-night stay @ The Stirrat's (Joss' sister's house).

They made us tremendously welcome and they pulled out all of the stops to make it a special Christmas.

Boys were (for the most part) on best behaviour - did not seem to be phased by jetlag etc.

Sorry about the stuffed goose pics -- thought they were quite poetic!

m