Makan in Thailand

[Meanmachine]

Yes Steve, This small little coffee shop " Peking Room " is nostalgic one of a kind, I started to come here late July 21, usually I would go to the round about Hawker centre, more variety for the chicken cutlet . . . it appeared it has lost the sort of appeal.

The Peking Room coffee shop has nothing to shout about except the Indian store whipping up a storm with simple fare of white rice with fish,  chicken & mutton with spinach and cabbage over plate of delicious curry, all for $5.50/, just increased 0.50ct from 1st dec. I usually drop by for early lunch, closed on alternate Tuesday. 

My main reason of visiting Tanglin Halt his to avoid bigger HawkerC is crowds . . . by 12 pm I'm off.

[Shibadog]

3 hours ago, steveluv said:

Today’s breakfast is my favorite Indian roti prata at a local coffeeshop at this very old Tanglin Halt estate

Tanglin Halt market

The food center in the market

The fresh food market 

The coffeeshop

The prata stall

My breakfast

with carrot cake

 

I saw myself in one of your pics 555

the roti prata coffee shop (peking room) used to have a corner stall selling fried chinese snacks like you tiao (doughstick) and ham cheng pang. It closed a while back and has been replaced by a KL style pork soup place. The soup is no frills type and pretty close to what one can find in KL although i prefer seafood pork soup. Comes with either rice or noodles. The noodles are really like KL flavour - greasy, and with pork lard. https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2021/09/kl-pork-noodle-by-old-village-peking.html

[Mooose]

On 12/18/2021 at 9:15 AM, steveluv said:

Its been a while posting here since I return from my US trip recently. Very busy with work.

Taking a break this weekend. Singapore and Thailand started VTL 4 days ago on the 14th so I decided to visit the family, not been back almost 2 years.

See how quiet the Suvarnabhumi Airport is in this video. Visited this Thai Airways lounge for the first time.

 

Flight was 08.00 I arrived at the gate at 07.35 was shocked to find it empty and everyone boarded so early

 

I asked staff if I am the last passenger she said yes. I was embarrassed and apologized. She said oh no problem because there are only 4 yes FOUR passengers in this flight 😱

One passenger here

and 3 passengers here

good to hear that khun steve .. and hope your return is unaffected with yesterday's suspension of no quarantine (except for one night) test-and-go ..

enjoy your visit back here!

[steveluv]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-resume-test-and-go-quarantine-waiver-vaccinated-travellers-february-covid-19-2447541
 

Thailand to resume quarantine-free travel for vaccinated arrivals in February

International visitors await instructions from health officials inside the arrival terminal at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand on Nov 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Lillian Suwanrumpha)

20 Jan 2022 02:20PM (Updated: 20 Jan 2022 02:47PM)

BANGKOK: Thailand will resume its "Test & Go" quarantine waiver for vaccinated arrivals from Feb 1, its coronavirus task force said on Thursday (Jan 20), in response to slowing COVID-19 infections.

The scheme was suspended a month agoafter only seven weeks due to the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant and uncertainty about vaccine effectiveness against it.

The policy requires visitors to test on arrival and again five days later, while agreeing to have their whereabouts tracked, spokesperson Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a briefing.

Authorities also extended the hours restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol to 11pm from 9pm. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed, however.

The moves are aimed at reviving a tourism sector that has been decimated by the pandemic, with numbers limited by weak global travel demand and Thailand's rigorous quarantine requirements.

Visitors last year to Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, were about 0.5 per cent of the pre-pandemic figure, which hit a record of nearly 40 million in 2019.

The taskforce also agreed to expand another similar quarantine waiver programme, the "Sandbox" to include popular eastern beach destinations Pattaya and Koh Chang.

The scheme, where vaccinated tourists must agree to stay in one location for a week, is currently operating in Phuket and Koh Samui.

Thailand has reported 2.3 million infections and nearly 22,000 coronavirus-related fatalities overall. About two-thirds of residents have been vaccinated and 15 per cent have received a booster.

 

 

[Wt_know]

sawadeekap …. go go go ale ale ale

[Adrianli]

35 minutes ago, steveluv said:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-resume-test-and-go-quarantine-waiver-vaccinated-travellers-february-covid-19-2447541
 

Thailand to resume quarantine-free travel for vaccinated arrivals in February

International visitors await instructions from health officials inside the arrival terminal at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand on Nov 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Lillian Suwanrumpha)

20 Jan 2022 02:20PM (Updated: 20 Jan 2022 02:47PM)

BANGKOK: Thailand will resume its "Test & Go" quarantine waiver for vaccinated arrivals from Feb 1, its coronavirus task force said on Thursday (Jan 20), in response to slowing COVID-19 infections.

The scheme was suspended a month agoafter only seven weeks due to the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant and uncertainty about vaccine effectiveness against it.

The policy requires visitors to test on arrival and again five days later, while agreeing to have their whereabouts tracked, spokesperson Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a briefing.

Authorities also extended the hours restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol to 11pm from 9pm. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed, however.

The moves are aimed at reviving a tourism sector that has been decimated by the pandemic, with numbers limited by weak global travel demand and Thailand's rigorous quarantine requirements.

Visitors last year to Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, were about 0.5 per cent of the pre-pandemic figure, which hit a record of nearly 40 million in 2019.

The taskforce also agreed to expand another similar quarantine waiver programme, the "Sandbox" to include popular eastern beach destinations Pattaya and Koh Chang.

The scheme, where vaccinated tourists must agree to stay in one location for a week, is currently operating in Phuket and Koh Samui.

Thailand has reported 2.3 million infections and nearly 22,000 coronavirus-related fatalities overall. About two-thirds of residents have been vaccinated and 15 per cent have received a booster.

 

 

How is the shopping areas(Prathunam, MBK, Chinatown, etc.) and tourists attractions in BKK? All back to norm?

[Wt_know]

1 hour ago, Adrianli said:

How is the shopping areas(Prathunam, MBK, Chinatown, etc.) and tourists attractions in BKK? All back to norm?

can open door wide wide ... no quarantine ... no testing ... nothing

but we all know ... where is the SOURCE of TOURISTS .... coming in MILLIONS ...

if emperor xi not open door ... no one can go out ... no tourist = no back to norm la ... 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Wt_know

[steveluv]

13 hours ago, Adrianli said:

How is the shopping areas(Prathunam, MBK, Chinatown, etc.) and tourists attractions in BKK? All back to norm?

So far all same same. No difference at all. Weekends crowded as usual. Traffic back to normal, means jam. However past 2 weeks seen a little less traffic but nothing major. I’ve been visiting the malls a lot lately.

[steveluv]

Want to share a personal experience. On 11th last week Tuesday I was having a meal at Peppe’s with a lady friend. Now, because she is anti-vaccine and anti-medicine (including paracetamol) she is careful in getting infected with covid, so we had our meal outdoor. Halfway through the meal told me she wasn’t feeling normal. 

We left the restaurant separately. The next day (12th) she told be she's got running nose and itchy throat and she isolated herself in her bedroom from her other family members as she suspected she's been infected with covid. Later that evening she had slight fever, 38.3 degC but this fever lasted only 2-3 hours. 

On Thursday (13th) she did an ART and as expected the result was positive. Over the next 2 days she continued to have the runny nose and itchy throat symtoms but no more fever. Tested ART again on Saturday the 15th again is positive. However on Saturday she told me that her condition is starting to get better.

On Monday the 17th (6 days after she complained about not feeing well at the restaurant), she did the ART again and lo and behold the result was negative. She decided to isolate herself one more day and test the next day 18th, again the result was negative that's when she stopped her self-quarantine.

As for me and her 3 family members we too did ART every other day so far so good.

Thought I share this for your information.

[Adrianli]

1 hour ago, steveluv said:

Want to share a personal experience. On 11th last week Tuesday I was having a meal at Peppe’s with a lady friend. Now, because she is anti-vaccine and anti-medicine (including paracetamol) she is careful in getting infected with covid, so we had our meal outdoor. Halfway through the meal told me she wasn’t feeling normal. 

We left the restaurant separately. The next day (12th) she told be she's got running nose and itchy throat and she isolated herself in her bedroom from her other family members as she suspected she's been infected with covid. Later that evening she had slight fever, 38.3 degC but this fever lasted only 2-3 hours. 

On Thursday (13th) she did an ART and as expected the result was positive. Over the next 2 days she continued to have the runny nose and itchy throat symtoms but no more fever. Tested ART again on Saturday the 15th again is positive. However on Saturday she told me that her condition is starting to get better.

On Monday the 17th (6 days after she complained about not feeing well at the restaurant), she did the ART again and lo and behold the result was negative. She decided to isolate herself one more day and test the next day 18th, again the result was negative that's when she stopped her self-quarantine.

As for me and her 3 family members we too did ART every other day so far so good.

Thought I share this for your information.

Stay safe. Especially when you are overseas. 

[steveluv]

18 minutes ago, Adrianli said:

Stay safe. Especially when you are overseas. 

Thank you

 

[steveluv]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Food-Beverage/Thais-snap-up-crocodile-meat-as-pork-prices-surge2?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220121190000&seq_num=14&si=44594

Thais snap up crocodile meat as pork prices surge
African swine fever seen hitting pork supply for months to come

Barbecued crocodile at a market stall in Bangkok in 2019. Demand for crocodile meat has spiked as an alternative to pork.   © Reuters
MASAYUKI YUDA and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writersJanuary 21, 2022 12:15 JSTUpdated on January 21, 2022 19:01 JST

BANGKOK -- Demand for crocodile meat is surging in Thailand as the price of pork continues to rise due to a supply shortage caused by the spread of African swine fever in the country.

The shortage of pork, an essential part of the Thai diet, is expected to last for months. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last week ordered government agencies to address the issues of food supplies and price surges urgently. This is particularly important for him ahead of general elections set to be held by March 2023.

"Many food vendors and restaurants have come to me to ask for crocodile meat to buy," said Wichai Roongtaweechai. The 65-year-old operates a 3 hectare farm of 10,000 crocodiles in Nakhon Pathom province, 60 km west of Bangkok. Until recently, the farm mostly sold crocodile skin to the fashion industry and the carcasses were sold or exported to restaurants, including Chinese ones, that serve exotic meats.

But over the past few weeks, his crocodile meat sales jumped to more than 100 kg per day, up from only around 20 kg a day. He said he can get around 50 kg of meat from each crocodile.

New customers show up at his farm nearly every day. Wichai said a noodle shop owner from Bangkok bought crocodile meat, as an alternative to pork, for the first time on Monday.

According to the Agriculture Ministry's Department of Fisheries, 1,150 people in the country either own crocodile farms or are involved in the crocodile trading businesses. In total, they raise around 1.2 million crocodiles per year, of which 60% are processed for meat exports -- many to China -- worth around 6 billion baht ($182 million). The remaining 40% are culled for the leather business. Only some have been sold to local restaurants of exotic dishes.

The price of crocodile meat has risen to between 80 baht and 190 baht per kilogram from 50-100 baht. The most expensive part is the tail chunk, which is soft, chewy, and low in fat.

A crocodile farm in Ayutthaya province in 2017    © Reuters

Despite the price rise, crocodile meat is still substantially cheaper than pork, which has been sold at a retail price of roughly 250 baht per kilogram recently. According to the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand, farm-gate pig prices in Thailand were quoted on Jan. 2 at around 105 baht per kilogram, about 33% more expensive than a year earlier.

Thailand detected its first case of African swine fever on its soil on Jan. 11, while the disease has swept through Africa, Europe, and Asia in recent years. Though harmless to humans, the virus gives pigs hemorrhagic fever and has a high mortality rate. Hundreds of millions of pigs have been culled due to the disease globally.

Thailand has faced a pork shortage since mid-2021 and at least 159,000 of farmed pigs were culled between March and October of 2021.

Authorities have attributed the deaths to other viral diseases and the government has repeatedly denied that there is an outbreak of African swine fever, sparking allegations of a cover-up. The farming industry believes that the disease has been circulating in Thailand for a while.

As the price of pork jumps, restaurants and street vendors have had to pass on those rises. Kor Moo Phraram 5 restaurant in western Bangkok temporarily jacked up the price of its signature grilled pork jowls by 30 baht. Well-known fried pork chain Moo Tod J Jong increased the price of fried pork and stir-fried pork liver on Jan. 3.

Sorravis Thaneto, director-general of the Department of Livestock Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said last week that he hoped to solve the problem of African swine fever within eight to 12 months.

Main opposition Pheu Thai Party said in a statement on Jan. 12 that it would raise the issue of the alleged cover-up in parliament, stressing that it wanted accountability. The party also said it would submit evidence to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the matter.

On Tuesday, the cabinet approved a 1.48-billion-baht ($44.8 million) budget to give the public access to affordable consumer goods at 3,000 locations nationwide and 50 mobile units in Bangkok and its vicinity for at least 90 days. This was seen as a response to Prayuth's call for the government to alleviate economic hardship.

"All government agencies shall regulate and solve the issues in order not to cause impact to the general public, especially in regards to goods hoarding and unreasonable increase in prices," government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkorngchana said on Tuesday. "We ask all businesses large and small to maintain their prices."

Wichai said he and his wife started their crocodile farm business 30 years ago. It was originally a niche business with few players and competitors. Although demand for crocodile meat has risen substantially recently, Wichai is still cautious about expanding the business as it needs a lot of investment and land.

"We need to raise them for about three to four years before they are ready to be sold. I need to think hard if I want to expand because we are not sure whether Thais' appetite would change," he said.

[steveluv]

Missed last year's Lunar New Year celebration with the family in Singapore due to Covid. Things had been better so this year I could go home.

Yesterday at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, really quiet most shops closed

 

[steveluv]

My ride

The flight

 

Very good mutton curry

Arrived Singapore Changi Airport

Going for the PCR test

Practically no queue at all

 

[steveluv]

Home at last

 

Hotel

Very nice view of the city

Singaporean's favourite noodle 

Meepok dry noodle

[PSP415]

Welcome home, Steve.

Have a great family reunion and catching up. 

Stay safe 

Cheers 

[Tohto]

22 minutes ago, steveluv said:

My ride
 

 

The flight

 

Very good mutton curry

Arrived Singapore Changi Airport
 

Going for the PCR test
 

Practically no queue at all

 

 

Welcome home.

SQ business class food has no more presentation. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Tohto

[Wt_know]

welcome home steve .... huat big big ....