Features and long-form coverage of culture, travel, food, and tradition
By Ohhappybear Life is always full of surprises. Case in point is a lot of things we thought we knew so well, yet still turned out to be not exactly what we knew at all. Recently, while munching and cooling down through a bowl of chilled noodle in Bangkok Chinatown or Yaowarat, we came across
By Ohhappybear Not too long ago, I got assigned a story about wedding foods in Thailand. The topic sounds innocent enough, but when I delved into it, I found only complexity and a lot of undocumented, hence untraceable, cultural tidbits and beliefs that somehow had shaped the foods served at weddings across the Kingdom.
By Ohhappybear In the world of so-called ‘foodie’, among numerous words that have always been repeated and slapped until well-bruised, is ‘artisan.’ Not that I have anything against the word per se, what I feel is that it is now getting much more difficult to impossible to discern. When everything is labelled ‘artisan’ so liberally,
By Ohhappybear There’s something about the furthest, remotest place that beckons many of us. The north part of the Northeast of Thailand, for me, is a land that usually calls for our visit. Due to its remoteness and somehow scarcity of all things glittering and modern, say five-star accommodation and malls, this part of the
By – Ohhappybear Wise people, and I mean wise foodie people, once told me that to get to really know the place well, you might want to start at the fresh market. The stomach of the place, the galley, the soul, and direct path into the heart of locals. So, in Phuket, we usually feast
By Ohhappybear Whatever you might have known about Thai-Esan cuisines, the pictures started to blur when, maybe it’s my imagination, you crossed more provincial lines going north. The further up you travel in Thailand’s Northeastern region, the more you will see that regional cuisine has changed from the usual so-called ‘Esan’ staples of ‘Som Tam’
By Ohhappybear It is now not a secret that Phuket folks love their foods. They say with pride that locals, one proudly born and bred in town, are mostly familiar with a 7-meal day. That’s the usual deeds, they say. And for visitors who are fortunate enough to come across the real Phuket’s delicious lifestyle,
By Ohhappybear At the Thai Royal Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Centre in the southern province of Phang-Nga, for a couple of hours and a bit of elbow grease, animal lovers and volunteers can get exhilarated by the fact that they have done something useful to others. To the sea turtles, to be exact, as these
The recently published book “Bangkok Wakes to Rain”, by Pitchaya Sudbanthad, captures Thailand’s rich history, beliefs, traditions, ways of life and politics amidst political and socio-economic turbulence and resilience. The book features a number of loosely bound stories centered on a house in old Bangkok, which was later replaced by a condominium. The
Sukhothai – On Noodle and History By Ohhappybear For historians, or those self-proclaimed historical buffs, Sukhothai means a magnificent place to study the old pasts. But for food lovers, the name can mean another thing. Sukhothai as a province, as many of you might have already known, is Siam’s founding capital city with a traceable record
The Blooms of Phang-Nga By Ohhappybear The seaside, mountain-trimmed province of Phang-Nga is a place for natural worshippers. Tree huggers, me included, would like it here very much here. Whenever we did our southbound road trip, passing through key provinces like Krabi and Phuket, Phang-Nga that is wedged between those two mega-destinations, would appear as
There is always an allure of a place far, far away. Many times, we are just not too happy with our own routine-ridden spaces, and we just need to get away. A long drive, the wind in your hair, the no-schedule, no-destination, no-agenda feeling that liberates and immensely satisfies us. And a long drive is
