Penfold's South East Asian Odyssey

Before you start writing any letters of complaint or offering to wash my mouth out with soap.....a fuk, is actually a type of vegetable here in Thailand!!!! In Thai script it is written ฟัก and when pronounced, it sounds just like the English swear word. So, as you can imagine, I have had hours of fun with this in Thailand!!!! But, what on earth is a fuk, I hear you cry? It's known as a "winter melon" or "white gourd" in English and is common throughout South East Asia. For those of you, like me, who are botanically challenged, the winter melon is in the same family as honeydew melons. However, unlike the honeydew melon its flesh is not as sweet. It has a very mild flavor and is often used in soups, although I enjoy eating it when it's stir fried with chillis. They are well known for their detoxifying properties and can also be used to make vegetable juice drinks. I have also heard that it is used in China to make tea. Here are some examples of dishes made w...

As I was eating breakfast this morning, our next door neighbours' son showed us a video clip, which he had taken on his mobile phone, of refuse collectors from the local council stealing our garden tools and rooting through our belongings that we keep next to the garage. Here is the clip showing the light fingered c*nts at work!!!! The way the fat f*ck just casually walks around the corner to our garage is astounding. The brazen bloody cheek of it....I want to introduce him to my friend "pain"!!!! We made a CD copy of the clip and my girlfriend's sister took it to the local council/government office to make a complaint. But, even when confronted with video evidence of theft by their employees, they refused to accept responsibility and said the binman was just looking for rubbish to take away!!! What complete and utter boll*cks, they just can't be bothered to confront the issue because somone will lose face. So, in true Thai style, it gets swept under the carpet. A...

Thailand is currently looking more like a water park than your favourite holiday destination!!!! The worst flooding in decades has left over 100 people dead and thousands in need of emergency aid. In the last week, the city of Hat Yai in the Southern province of Songkhla has been particularly badly affected and the tourist mecca of Koh Samui was forced to close it's airport and was left without electricity and other essential services for a prolonged period. Here are some pictures of the devastation in Hat Yai..... In the immortal words of Sir Alex Ferguson it's a bit "squeeky bum time", if you're living in Songkhla. At home, here in Banglamung (which is on the outskirts of Pattaya city in South East Thailand), we have been very lucky, with only some lower lying areas being hit. The worst our soi has experienced is a few overflowing drains. However, this has meant I have been clearing up shit smelling rubbish for the last couple of days....but on the birght side...