Bangkok Fishbowl: Exotic species swim free in abandoned mall

Sawatdee, krup! 

Greetings from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada which is, notwithstanding Thum's Thai Kitchen, as well as soon to be Thai Express and a few other places that advertise themselves as serving Thai food (enough said), about as far away from the Kingdom of Thailand as one can get. Just pick up a world globe to see what I mean. Hey! How the heck are you! Glad you could drop out of cyberspace for a mug of coffee and a virtual treat. Y'have to believe that I keep up with what's happening in our former home and occasionally bring you news items or fun stories that I think are worthy of inclusion in my blog. Here's one of them...

A few blocks away from Khao San Road (home to thousands of young, backpackers) sits New World, a four-storey, roofless, abandoned mall on the corner of Banglamphu Intersection. The building’s flooded basement now serves as a home for thousands of fish and is arguably home to the most exotic underwater species in Bangkok. 

How was this new world created inside New World? It’s a long story.

Back in the 80’s, Kaew Fah Plaza Company Limited built New World as an 11-storey mall. The company was later found in breach of a building law after it constructed seven more floors on top of the approved construction blueprint. (Believe me, that is not a rare occurrence!)

The mall was shut in 1997 and an unfortunate series of events occurred thereafter. The mall was set ablaze in 1999, causing some casualties and in 2004, one person was killed from collapsing debris during a partial demolition.

The mall’s fifth to eleventh floors were eventually dismantled to be in line with the original plan and New World has been roofless ever since.

With no roof, rainwater unsurprisingly collected in the basement. The pool of static water reared mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes annoyed vendors in the neighborhood. To fix this problem, some vendors released a bunch of fish into the pool so as to curb mosquito breeding. Quickly, that bunch of fish reproduced into thousands.

In 2011, New World closed its doors after a huge number of local visited the mall to view the 500-square-meter fishpond…

Free fish anyone? I'm really surprised the fish haven't been snapped up and grilled on a sidewalk vendor's charcoal smoker. We're having salmon tonight... bought at a local supermarket. Wonder where they got it?

See ya, eh!

Bob

You’re Not Really a Vegetarian Unless You’re Drinking Vegetarian Water

A totally splendid good day to you and all your family. Thanks for dropping out of the cybersky today to partake of a mugful of superb coffee (remember...it's good for you!) and a virtual muffin. Say...have you tried living on a vegetarian diet? Well, maybe you think it's vegan but is it really? 

An Indian home appliance company recently introduced the idea of ‘vegetarian water’ in an ad campaign, to appeal to their predominantly vegetarian customer-base. It might seem absurd, but they’ve tried hard to make it sound convincing – they claim that their new product, the Prestige LifeStraw water purifier, ‘gives only pure and vegetarian water’.

“Pure vegetarian water? Must be an advertising gimmick!” the newspaper ad declares. And then it goes on to give reasons why it isn’t a gimmick. “Most purifiers claim to kill all viruses, bacteria and germs,” the ad reads. “But the chemically killed microorganisms remain in the water, making it safe, but effectively non-vegetarian.” Consuming dead creatures in your water, they imply, is against the principles of vegetarianism.

So TTK Prestige has the perfect solution – a non-electric gravity based product with advanced Swiss-based multi-stage Ultrafiltration technology.

It removes 99.9999 percent bacteria and viruses, and 99.99 percent protozoan cysts, so you get ‘safe, pure vegetarian water’. The Prestige LifeStraw is in line with the company’s portfolio of increasingly innovative products; they’ve created it in partnership with Lifestraw SA, a popular Swiss manufacturer of state-of-the-art water purifiers.

Miraculously, the LifeStraw purifier can filter out microscopic microorganisms, while retaining all the essential minerals in the water, which is apparently what vegetarians want. But I wonder if vegetarians do consider bacteria and other such life forms as a part of the animal kingdom. And what about the millions of bacteria that we already have living inside our bodies? Would vegetarians want to kill and filter them out as well?

The idea of vegetarian water might be unique, but I’m not quite sure vegetarians are going to buy into it. What do you think?

Me? I wish they could filter out the taste of flouride or whatever it is they put in our water.

See ya, eh!

Bob

5 Keys to Eating for Better Brain Health

A splendiferous day to you...and a 'caffo' one, too! Caffo, of course, is a day where you learn something you didn't know before...and indulge in a touch of coffee, which, as you will read further down, is good for you (but we know that already, right?). So, pour some caffeine into your mug and accompany that with a virtual treat, why don't'cha?

Although many people may see the value in the grain- and gluten-free diet proposed by Grain Brain, getting them to take the final step, to actually make a nutritional change in their life, can often prove difficult.

That’s understandable, because the first few days and weeks of making any lifestyle change are challenging. In this case, those who have trouble cite an inability to find gluten-free recipes, uncertainty over conflicting gluten-free food lists, reliance on dining out, or any other of a multitude of issues.

Eating to prevent brain disease and Alzheimer’s is, of course, my goal for all of us, but the below tips expand well beyond my objectives and speak to overall ways we can improve our diet.
   
Set aside cook time: What ruins many grain- and gluten-free diets is the on-the-go moment, when it’s easier to reach for a cereal, a granola bar, or a PB&J sandwich, instead of a hard-boiled egg, vegetables & hummus, or other Grain Brain-friendly snack. 

When we’re in a rush, we have little to no time to prepare a meal, and it’s often those grain-based foodstuffs that are easily accessible and available as we’re walking out the door. How can we prevent this? 

Set aside a few hours on Saturday or Sunday and use that time to cook all your meals and snacks for the week. Grill seven chicken breasts, hard-boil 12 eggs, sauté a few servings of vegetables, or whatever else your stomach desires. If you do this, you’ll have all of your meals and snacks prepared for the week, not only saving you time (consider you only have to clean up once!), but also saving you from making poor dietary choices.
   
If it can go bad, it’s good for you. If it stays good, it’s bad for you: This is one of my favorite sayings about the food we eat. I think we all have seen the famous image of the fourteen year-old McDonald’s meal that hadn’t aged a day. Upon seeing that, I think we all intuitively know that there’s something wrong with food that doesn’t “expire.” When at the supermarket, remember this adage when making the choices of what to stock your kitchen with.
   
The Anti-Alzheimer’s Trio: It should become one of the staples of your diet. When it comes to eating “memory food” there is no better trio of items to fight Alzheimer’s and dementia than grass-fed beef, avocados, and coconut oil. This group of high-fat, brain-smart foods are a staple of the Grain Brain diet, and should work their way into your weekly meal plan as well.
   
It’s all about a cup of joe: I’m a big fan of coffee, and super thankful that it’s not only savory, but brain-healthy as well. Not only does coffee activate our Nrf2 pathways, helping to fight off oxidative stress and protect against neurodegenerative diseases, but recent studies have found that high levels of coffee consumption can be associated with up to a 65% reduction in risk for dementia. Drink up! (Let's hear it for coffee, eh!)
   
Make sure you get enough DHA: Your body is only minimally able to make DHA, a critical fatty acid for brain health. So supplementation is key. I recommend a total daily dosage of DHA of around 1000mg. This can come from eating wild fish or better, take either a fish oil supplement or a DHA supplement derived from algae. 
    
So there you go. Have yourself a good one!
    
See ya, eh!

Bob

Meet Hitchbot, the Robot Hitchhiking His Way Across Canada

Hi there! Glad you could make it today. The urge for a delicious mug of coffee is overpowering sometimes, isn't it? Me, too! Help yourself and nudge one of those virtual megamuffins onto your plate while you're about it. Say... have you ever done any hitchhiking? In 1961, I took the train from Montreal to Vancouver...then hitchhiked back. In 1963, I hitchhiked out to Vancouver and back. Lots of stories whenever you have a few hours. Meanwhile, here's a new hitchhiker. It's okay. You can pick him (it?) up!

While picking up hitchhikers is generally considered unsafe, Canadian motorists are going to find it difficult to refuse this cute, fun-loving robot. His name is Hitchbot, and he’s about the size of a six-year-old child. Equipped with a GPS, 3G wireless connectivity, a camera, and a built-in child booster seat in its bum, he will soon try to catch rides all the way across Canada – from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Throughout the coast-to-coast journey that starts on July 27, Hitchbot will be completely by himself. He is expected to find rides by signalling with the only movable part of its tiny body – his arm. 

He can talk too; researchers are expecting him to be able to charm his way into getting the rides that he needs. Along the way, he will even share all his adventures via social media. “It’ll sort of be like having an out-of-control teenager in your car, taking pictures of you and posting them on Facebook,” said David Harris Smith, the brains behind the project.

“Simply put, I am a free-spirited robot who wants to explore Canada and meet new friends along the way,” Hitchbot declares on his website. According to Smith, “Hitchbot can ask people if they have a story they would like to share with others and this would be posted as video to Hitchbot.me. We will moderate posts to avoid inappropriate content.”

I wish hitchhiking had a better image. It's a great / cheap way to see the country; meet folks, and generally get a whole lot of experiences you otherwise never would have had.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Margarita Cupcakes

Ole! Ole! Great to see you. How's it going today? Got a special treat for you today but fill your mug with some freshly brewed arabica and snag a virtual treat. Now where was I? Oh yeah...

Last night was Nong's 'girls' night out wherein she and a bunch of Tims girls let off steam at a local restaurant. Wednesdays, the RCAFA (Royal Canadian Air Force Assn) holds 'Wing Night' and I was invited to tag along. I thought I'd make a treat for the group...some Margarita Cupcakes. I had the recipe in my book of favourites...some tried...some untried...and had yet to make this one. What an opportunity, I exclaimed silently to myself. This is a fun group. So I made a dozen. Although I put a little too much tequila in the frosting, which made it too runny to build high atop the cupcakes, they tasted 'Awesome!' as I was told. The cupcakes disappeared before I could even try one. Guess I'll just have to make some more. Got a whole squirtable bottle of frosting left!

Here's the recipe:

Margarita Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila
For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila (Keep it to i tablespoonful)
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, power on!)
6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

All I will add is that the other fellow in the group said he never danced - ever. Well, whether or not my tequila creations had anything to do with it or not, ten minutes after scoffing down one of them, he was up on the dance floor. To paraphrase a not-so-old adage, "One tequila...two tequila...three tequila...dancefloor! (That's Nong on the right...also after only one cupcake!)

See ya, eh!

Bob