Published     31 December 2004

The Nongkhai Narrative (Pt. 12)

If there was to be a contest for the best Christmas dinner in Nongkhai, my vote would have to go to Glen at the Meeting Place. Like Christian's, Jose's and OJ's, his meals are always delicious, but where Glen scores is on presentation, as I hope the accompanying photo shows. We had turkey, ham, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and mange tout, with gravy, cranberry sauce, and a salad garnish. It was superb. There was so much on the plate that not everyone could finish their meal, but Dott and I were pleased to return clean plates, which I always think is the best compliment to the  chef. It's hard to believe that this wonderful meal was less than ₤3 (less than 5 Euros), but it was.

More good news is that Glen (left) has confirmed that he is taking over the premises formerly occupied by Andrew, where he will establish The Outback Bar and Grill. Glen says that he is not going to have a set menu, but will be offering  different 'specials' every day. Balloon chasers (you know who you are) may want to note that the new establishment is expected to open on Friday 14th January 2005, when you will be able to mix with paying customers.

As you may infer from this photo (left), Glen is proud of his new cooking range, and needed no persuasion to pose here with it! Sadly however in the photo, the cooker looks better than the cook! So here is a better one with Glen in Santa hat, while below Dott and I made our farewells at the end of the evening.

Although he's not a poseur, it's true to say that Glen needs little persuasion to pose for a photo, so here he is with fellow countrymen Gary and Tony.

Naturally all three claim credit for the name of the new bar (The Outback Bar and Grill), but it's such a mouthful that I can't see it being used a lot. I'm sure most people will refer to it as the 'Outback', or 'Glen's', but I shall stick to my original suggestion of 'Priscilla's', and commend that name to all readers in Nongkhai. 

 As well as visiting the Meeting Place on Xmas Eve for our turkey dinner, Dott and I were there the previous evening for Joy's birthday. I am too much of a gentleman to reveal Joy's age, but if you were really curious, you could multiply the number of candles by two.

It also happens that the lovely young lady holding the cake is Joy's elder daughter, while the disembodied pair of hands holding the other cake belong to Joy's younger daughter.

It's no wonder that Paul (below) has such a silly grin on his face when he has such a good looking wife and two good looking daughters.

A lot of people have asked me why Ian hasn't featured much in recent episodes, and the truth is that I have hardly seen him for several weeks. At first I thought that it was his weight was back up to 95kg, but it now transpires that he has taken it upon itself to persecute a poor homeless wretch. The sad subject of Ian's wrath who has only one tooth in his head originally came from Manchester, England, but is now incarcerated in a Thai prison. (So an improvement in lifestyle there I think!) Clearly he likes being a guest of His Majesty as he has apparently stayed on more than one occasion before. I can still picture Mr One Tooth sucking on his mince beef and mash potatoes in OJ's while stealing cigarettes from Goldilocks. However Ian has sound reasons for grinding this miserable specimen  under his heel, and has undertaken to write a humorous account of his side of the story, which will be featured exclusively in future episodes on this website in 2005.

Also joining our Soap in 2005 will be Frugal Freda, who will be giving useful tips to farangs in Nongkhai who have to live on a modest budget, who want to save money, or who are just plain 'kee niaow'. However her first task will be to explain why she stayed in an expensive suite at the Grand Hotel on New Year's Eve, when she has a perfectly delightful bijou residence of her own in Nongkhai.

I will also reveal the identity of the role model for Frugal Freda, and use their photo (suitably disguised) as a trademark for Frugal Freda. Neither my wife Dott, nor Win could be a Frugal Freda, but they do provide an easy link to Win's colourful flower shop.

So, here are just a few pictures of flowers taken in Win's flower shop at the Eastern end of Tha Sadet market. While all the flowers are artificial, many people are fooled into thinking that they are real, and have to touch them for verification. Personally I love the spider orchids, so have included a couple of pictures of them below. Win mounts them on trunks and branches of real but dead trees. He then adds artificial moss, different fungi and finally the orchid itself. The whole creation has a natural and authentic feel to it.

Dott and I have moved house within Nongkhai, about 140 metres from our old house. Only the number of our address has changed. The orchid on the right is the one I bought for the new house, where it sits in the lounge. A friend of Dott's who came to visit could not believe that it was not real!

Below are two pictures of my wife. One was taken in the old house, and one was taken in the new. While it's not hard to spot a number of small changes (e.g. we've now got curtains, a phone, and pictures on the wall) one thing seems to remain constant doesn't it? But at least in the old house I could get Dott's attention from time to time! 

Moving from the old house means that we've lost Don and Virginia (below left) as neighbours, but in the curious way that these things work, we've probably seen more of them socially since we've moved, including a couple of visits to the riverside barbecue (Neua Yang Gao Lee) where I took this nice photo of them. Pictured below right are our new neighbours Morton (from Norway) and Joy. In the curious way that these things work, we don't socialise with them at all, but I bumped into them at the Meeting Place and took this photo.

Dott and I were lucky to be able to move to the new house, as Lars (right with cigar) had paid a deposit for the house, but he decided against it at the 11th hour, by which time I had seen it and expressed a strong interest. Ironically Lars and his girlfriend are now looking for a house in Nongkhai, and I think secretly he is kicking himself for not taking the house when he had the chance, but he is too nice a guy to hold it against me. With him and his girlfriend at OJ's one evening are his mother and father who are visiting Nongkhai from Sweden.

As well as Joy's birthday party at the Meeting Place, another birthday party was for Dott's nephew Khao Farng, seen here with his mother Oy. They have been staying at OJ's, and Dott has spent a lot of time with her nephew. Unfortunately his father Nawng, Dott's brother had a bad accident on a motorbike in Bangkok on Christmas Day, so Oy and Khao Farng have returned there to be with him.

Here is Nawng enjoying himself at our wedding last February. We wish him a speedy recovery to full health.

The dog I am holding belongs to Nang the lady  in the blue dress holding up her finger. Her younger brother Yao was one of those who lost his life to the tsunami in Phuket last Sunday. His remains have been returned to the family.

I know one other person who hasn't heard from relatives who were working in Phuket.

When Andrew went back to New Zealand, his wife Wee went to work in Phuket. The good news is that although she and her sister were in Phuket at the time of the tsunami, they escaped on a motorbike. She has apparently been in touch with her mother.

I don't know what I can add to the sentiments expressed around the world, but my heart goes out to all those who have lost someone.

Best Wishes for 2005 to all our readers

Tony and Dott Brading

P.S.  2005 Woofs to all readers and 2005 special kisses to Kim

from Doughnut

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