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HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Bruno’s celebrates Swiss National Day with culinary journey through 5 cantons

Serving rice gruel is a sunrise business for Rung

The sweet life in traditional and modern style

Tears and happiness as Sai Yai Rak Camp project ends

PCEC gets a taste of the Lulu and Daisy Goat Farm

PC Classic raises funds for Juvenile and Family Court

PGF hand over 2.7 million baht to Heartt2000

Rotary Club Taksin-Pattaya raises 50,000 baht at fund raising event on Walking Street

Bruno’s celebrates Swiss National Day with culinary journey through 5 cantons

Elfi Seitz

Fredi Schaub, owner of Bruno’s, threw a special Swiss evening to commemorate Swiss National Day. Guests of honor were Swiss Ambassador Hans-Peter Erismann and his wife Freda. Observing that this was the 714th Swiss National Day, His Excellency in his pre-dinner speech reminded those present that there is a special relationship between his country and Thailand, His Majesty the King having lived and attended school in Switzerland as a child.

Fredi Schaub (left) welcomes Swiss Ambassador Hans-Peter Erismann and his wife Freda to the Swiss National Day feast at Bruno’s Restaurant.

Fredi’s dinner was a culinary journey through five cantons of Switzerland, featuring, for those who know and enjoy Swiss food, a Schaffhausener Zwiebelkuchen and a Buendner Gerstensuppe, a tender Forellenfilet nach Luzerner Art, a Tessiner Kalbfleisch-Roulade with Steinpilzrisotto Roesti, and finally Thurgauer Apfelkrapfen mit Zimteisn auf einer Vanillesauce mit Kirsch. All very delicious indeed.


Serving rice gruel is a sunrise business for Rung

Chatchanan Chaisree

Rungnapha Uthayo is a familiar figure to those starting work very early, or going home very late. At around 4 a.m. she takes up her place on Soi Paniad Chang 17, next to Yume Karaoke in Central Pattaya, from where she does a brisk trade selling rice gruel until about 10 a.m. when she goes home for a well-earned rest and to prepare for the next morning.

Rungnapha Uthayo with her rice gruel for sale.

Rung and her small family arrived in Pattaya from Kamphangphet nearly two years ago.

She says that she has to wake up around 1 a.m. to prepare the soup, a paste of rice flour, “kuay jab”, and curdled blood of fowl. Her husband Chet goes to the market to buy pig offal, fowl’s blood, and vegetables. They follow a set routine closely, ready to set up at 4 a.m.

Most of the early customers are bar employees and bar customers, but as the morning brightens the school children and their parents come past and stop for a hasty breakfast, and later it’s the turn of the department store workers and general public.

Rung has a young daughter, Nong Yok, who at two years and eight months is too young to be left at home alone, and so accompanies her mother to work every day. Nong Yok, she says, is very well behaved and charms many of the customers.


The sweet life in traditional and modern style

Chatchanan Chaisree

Thai desserts are a symbol of Thai tradition and hospitality, the art of making delicacies from natural ingredients that are attractive to look at, have an enticing aroma, and are absolutely delicious.

Suphan and Amara, owners of Amara Thai Dessert, create a selection of delicious Thai desserts.

Suphan La-Or and Amara Chaichana are both authorities on traditional desserts, as well as having the creative skills to mix up ingredients that make exciting new dishes. Pastries, puddings, custards, jellies … all seem so simple when these two skilful ladies prepare them, but of course it needs real talent that not everyone has.

Amara showed Pattaya Mail how to make a pudding with pandanus leaf, coconut meat and milk, glutinous rice flour, palm sugar, and salt. First you mix the glutinous rice flour with the coconut milk and salt. Then pour it into the cone shape cup. After that, mold the glutinous rice flour into a circular shape and cook it in boiling water. Pour into the cone. Easy!

Desserts play a role in various ceremonies throughout Thailand, and different names are given to the sweets to denote prosperity, good fortune and sound health. Gold trimming is used when a family moves into a new house because it represents a long life, while layered puddings are supposed to help a person increase their income, and fluffy dumplings denote someone who is number one!


Tears and happiness as Sai Yai Rak Camp project ends

Suchada Tupchai

The official closing of the Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp pilot project was performed with a ceremony on August 11 presided over by Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn.

Housed on the Sattahip Naval Base, the camp has been a combined attempt by a number of organizations to help resolve the problem of vagrant children and integrate them into society. A total of 29 unaccompanied children between the ages of 12 and 19 years had been rounded up in Pattaya and put through the 30-day course, which ran from July 14 to August 12.

Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn chats with parents and guardians

A team from the Air Fighter and Coast Guard Unit led the training, the intention being to teach the children self-discipline and self-respect, and to give them a more positive attitude to show that they could become responsible members of society with the potential for productive and happy lives.

By the end of the course, some of the children had expressed a wish to undergo vocational training, others have opted to spend some time in the monkhood to continue their education, while some will be transferred to Redemptorist House or Banglamung Home for Boys where they will be taken care of. They, and the children who have homes and will be returning to their families, will be contacted periodically to see if the project’s ultimate aim is working.

The children make a pledge in front of the King Taksin Monument.

Mayor Niran said that this has been a positive initiative created by gathering ideas from both the state and private organizations to support children who might otherwise have been neglected by society and turned to a life of crime. Pattaya City was glad to have supported this project, and will continue to maintain the momentum, he said, adding that whatever their financial or able-bodied status, everybody can contribute to society if they have the right attitude.

Colonel Dr Su-Mon Bunrod from General Headquarters Soldiers Precinct 14, one of the course leaders, stressed the importance of taking care of children with emotional problems. Some of the children on the course do have psychological problems, he said, and parents or guardians should be patient and understanding. Only the adults can complete the job of turning their lives around.

The closing ceremony was presided over by the Air Fighter and Coast Guard Unit. The 29 children, who had trained at Wiwat Polamuang School, made a pledge in front of the King Taksin Monument not to return to a life of vagrancy.

Those with families were reunited. Mrs Tangthai Arddet, 42, mother of one of the youths, said she was happy to see her son today as they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. She said that her son had been polite and good at school, but was misled by friends and he left the family home. The family had been worried because they didn’t hear anything from him.

Amongst the organizations taking part in the Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp project were the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center, Pattaya Social Welfare Department, the Good Omen Foundation, Chonburi Provincial Juvenile and Family Court, Pattaya Tourist Police, and the Air Fighter and Coast Guard Unit.


PCEC gets a taste of the Lulu and Daisy Goat Farm

Gregory Barton from the Lulu and Daisy Dairy Goat Farm near Pattaya was the guest speaker at a Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club recently.

Greg began his talk by explaining that he had arrived at his love for goats without any background in agriculture. He is trained in law and has also been a successful publisher. He now trades in stocks to support his interest in goats, which began at a Sydney agricultural show when he saw breeds of goats that did not measure up to the usually scraggly and scrawny image of the beast.

Gregory Barton from the Lulu and Daisy Dairy Goat Farm was recently the guest speaker at the Pattaya City Expats Club.

Answering the question as to why he should choose to opt for goats over other animals, Greg commented on the diverse personalities of the animals and said that the females are very affectionate and possibly goats were urban man’s long lost best friend. Greg said that for anyone who wanted to look up any aspect about goats they would be surprised by the number of websites that are in fact devoted to goats.

Greg’s farm is dedicated to Lulu and Daisy who were the first two goats. Throughout his talk he showed photos of the farm and the animals and process of changing the milk into the cheese of which he generously offered samples.

The bucks and does (politically correct – no longer billys and nannys!) are separated to avoid unwanted pregnancies. The does are separated from their kids so that they can be milked to continue to produce milk for the farm, but the kids are quickly weaned so that they take little of the milk from their mothers. The does are quickly de-budded so that they no longer have horns with which to do damage to the other does or the milker!

The farm at the present time has 66 goats, of which 44 are female, but only 14 of them are in milk. They are milked twice a day but these Thai goats only produce about a litre, whereas other breeds would produce up to 4 litres. The farm is a cooperative with the Thai employees using the milk to produce the cheese which they sell to create profit for salary.

Greg said that the object of the exercise was to try and produce one of the best goat cheeses in the world. The cream cheese that they produce is very good and of the hard cheese they are already very proud of it, it is sold to a number of good restaurants both in Bangkok and Pattaya for incorporation into their dishes.


PC Classic raises funds for Juvenile and Family Court

Narisa Nitikarn

The Pattaya Mail PC Classic Royal Cliff Beach Resort International Regatta, held on March 26 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, helped to raise funds for electronic equipment needed by the Chonburi Provincial Juvenile and Family Court.

August 15 saw the official presentation ceremony take place at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. Representing the PC Classic was Peter Malhotra, managing director of Pattaya Mail Publishing Co Ltd, and renowned yachtsman Peter Cummins, after whom the event is named.

The official presentation ceremony for the handover of electronic equipment needed by the Chonburi Provincial Juvenile and Family Court, from the Pattaya Mail PC Classic Royal Cliff Beach Resort International Regatta, took place August 15 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

The Rotary Club of Jomtien Pattaya manages the fund and was represented at the ceremony by its immediate past president, Judy Hoppe. Representing the Royal Cliff was the resort’s managing director, Mrs Panga Vathanakul.

Receiving the donation was Mrs Arunee Prayongyam, chief judge of the Chonburi Provincial Juvenile and Family Court.

The equipment included a printer, microphone and digital camera, all needed for the court’s work but not covered by the department’s purchasing budget. Hearing of the court’s need, the PC Classic Organizing Committee had agreed to help.

This year’s Pattaya Mail PC Classic, the 11th in the series, was the most successful to date. Raising funds for local concerns is the primary reason for the event, with the enhancing of Pattaya’s profile as a center for water sports activities being another important aspect.


PGF hand over 2.7 million baht to Heartt2000

Michael Burchall, chairman of Pattaya Gay Festival, along with Jim Lumsden, events organizer, ceremoniously handed over a cheque representing the 2.7 million baht that PGF has given so far this year to support the work of Dr Philippe Seur and the HEARTT2000 Foundation with HIV/AIDS patients here in Pattaya.

Michael Burchall (right) ceremoniously hands over a cheque representing the 2.7 million baht that PGF has given so far this year to support the work of Dr Philippe Seur and the HEARTT2000 Foundation.

HEARTT2000 was started in the year 2000 and represents “Help Ensure Aids Rescue Together in Thailand”. The event chosen for this presentation was a special charity dinner hosted by one of the long-time sponsors of the PGF, Bruno’s Restaurant. The whole evening was a celebration with special Italian guest chef “Luca Messina” conjuring up some wonderful creations.

The evening began with a welcome glass of Italian sparkling wine with a dash of grenadine. After a salmon amuse bouche, a beautifully presented duckling aspic royale surrounded by crispy salad seasoned with orange-olive oil dressing was the first course. The parmesan cream soup with Parma ham and rosemary in a basket had everyone talking. An orange sorbet with Campari was next up to cleanse the palate ready for the main course of Australian beef tenderloin served with Italian vegetables topped with a cepe mushroom tortello in balsamico sauce. The meal ended with a zuppa inglese con salsa di cioccolato which sounds much better than layers of sponge cake soaked in Alkermes liqueur and chocolate-vanilla cream served with chocolate sauce, but tasted divine… A fitting ending to a very pleasant meal served up as impeccably as ever by the staff of Bruno’s Restaurant under Fredi’s watchful eye.

The object of each PGF event, whether committee or sponsor organised, is to raise money in support of HEARTT2000 and other local charities. The Italian dinner was no exception and due to the generosity of so many people donating items for the lucky draw or making cash donations under the guidance of Jim and his “Boyz” over 200,000 baht was raised. That along with the 44,000 baht from the 500 baht per head ticket from the 88 attendees meant that almost 250,000 baht was raised on the night.

This could not have been achieved without the very generous support of our sponsors who provided prizes, Ursulla Antiques and Jim’s International Tailors, both long-time supporters of the PGF, along with Asian Moon, Exotique and Jim who donated the mask which cost 16,000 baht. Special mention must go to Honest Gems who regularly provide the star prize jewellery, on this occasion a beautiful diamond and sapphire bracelet.

To all who attended and made this another very memorable occasion the committee wishes to express their thanks. If any individual or owner of a business would like to become a sponsor/formal supporter of the PGF and HEARTT2000 check out the website at www.pattayagay festival.com


Rotary Club Taksin-Pattaya raises 50,000 baht at fund raising event on Walking Street

On Friday 12th, Saturday 13th, Sunday 14th and Monday 15th August members of the Rotary Club Taksin-Pattaya attended Walking Street, in front of our friends at King Seafood Restaurant. There they held a fund raising event on behalf of SOS Rice and Rotary Club of Taksin-Pattaya various charities.

Prizes included sweets, bags of crisps, cans of coke, cuddly toys, giant teddies, gift sets of drinking glasses and electric fans.

The fund raising event was using a fishing net to fish out small plastic capsules floating in water. Inside the casuals were small pieces of paper which contained a prize. The nice thing about this event was that everybody won something. The prizes were sweets and bags of crisps, going up to cans of coke and then on to the better prizes of cuddly toys, giant teddies, gift sets of drinking glasses and electric fans, etc.

The local population loves to have a go at this as they always win something, and of course many foreign visitors also took part along with their children. Unfortunately, the main day being Saturday, much needed rain decided to fall on the show! Club members had to pack up quickly and wait for around one hour for it to stop, and that then made the crowds much smaller than usual. Even so, they managed to raise nearly 10,000 baht on Saturday night.

People not wanting to play the fishing game had the opportunity to help fund raise, as the club had two large collection boxes at both ends of the stand and a steady stream of people were putting money into these during the evenings. The overall amount raised over these days was app. 50,000 baht.