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Bangkok Post
09-08-2025
- General
- Bangkok Post
Paper bags, patriotism and mushy peas
One of the more thought-provoking stories of the week was an unnamed Thai hospital being fined after it was discovered private files on patients were being used to make paper bags for popular street snacks. Apparently some people at the business entrusted with destroying the files instead took them home and made paper bags out of them. It probably won't come as a surprise that I have personal experience when it comes to the influence of Thai paper bags. I arrived at work one day to find a package on my desk. I opened it and found it contained a used paper bag popular with street vendors. I was intrigued to see the bag was from a page of the Bangkok Post and more specifically, the PostScript column. The sender explained in an attached note that he bought some fried bananas at the market and was amused to find the bag was my column from the previous week. He added, perhaps a little unnecessarily, that he enjoyed the bananas more than the column. Actually I was quite pleased to see that the column could serve a useful practical purpose. Anyway it's always good to get feedback. Perhaps the biggest reaction to the column came when PostScript carried an Aussie's less than complementary comments on mushy peas, the famous dish from northern England. It prompted a vigorous defence the following week from numerous fans of mushy peas. One reader wrote he was "shocked, nay horrified, at the derogatory comments about one of the world's greatest unheralded cuisines." A couple of years ago PostScript came under fire again for suggesting the Great British Chip was similar to "French Fries". It prompted considerable rumblings in proud British stomachs. "Shockingly unpatriotic" was one of the more polite observations. The heroes of Makkasan Last week's item concerning keeping lions as pets sparked memories of a classic Thai story featuring a Big Cat. Long-term readers may recall the adventures of Ai Dum, a pet black panther which escaped from a Bangkok house in June 1981. For space reasons I will skip the details but for nearly six weeks the panther was on the loose with regular sightings at the overgrown Makkasan railway engine graveyard. The increasingly nervous public demanded action. After 41 days it was joyfully announced that two wildlife officials had fearlessly overpowered Ai Dum with tranquiliser darts in the railyard. The duo were dubbed the "Heroes of Makkasan". Shortly afterwards Ai Dum was released into the jungle by officials at a Uthai Thani wildlife sanctuary. But this is not the end of the story. Postcards from the jungle A few days later an irate private zoo owner showed up demanding to know what had happened to the black panther two fellows had "borrowed" from him a week before. The two "heroes" then admitted they had staged the whole thing. They had rented the "captured" panther from the zoo and had planned to return it when all the publicity had died down. What they hadn't bargained on was the authorities quickly releasing what they thought was Ai Dum into the jungle. The heroes quickly became villains. As a footnote, for several years I received postcards addressed to "Professor Crutch" and signed "Ai Dum" relating anecdotes about his life in the jungle. And of course the original Ai Dum was never caught. Play your cards right After years of being very much frowned upon because of its association with gambling, playing poker in Thailand is apparently now acceptable if played in an international tournament. One suspects there could be an awful lot of such tournaments popping up soon. This development has got bit of a U-turn feel to it although it doesn't bother me as I'm hopeless at poker. It seems to require a lot of mental acuity, concentration and skill, which rules me out for a start. According to the authorities it is ow regarded as a sport. Being a bit old fashioned, while I appreciate the skill required in poker I find it hard to accept something as a sport if you don't have to take a shower after it. Aces high The world of poker has given us many expressions we use in everyday life. The most obvious is "poker face", meaning someone who displays no emotion and reveals nothing about their true feelings. It's the kind of look you see from visiting dignitaries at the Oval Office when Mr Trump is in full flow. Other common expressions derived from poker are "ace in the hole'' or "ace up the sleeve" meaning to enjoy a hidden advantage. And "holding all the aces" needs no explanation. There are plenty more of course, including "calling one's bluff" and "raising the stakes''. I suspect the one expression I would become very familiar with is "when the chips are down." Walkies My thanks to reader Daniel Wilkinson in Khon Kaen for a final word on unusual pets: "A man bought a talking centipede from the pet shop. When he got home he whispered into the box 'do you want to go for a walk?' NOTHING. He whispered again 'I'm going for a walk in the park, do you want to come?' NOTHING. He tried a third time. This time a voice said, 'I heard you the first time, I am putting my shoes on.'"
Bangkok Post
13-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
Taking a journey into the unknown
According to newspaper reports Bulgaria will next year become the 21st country to adopt the euro. Admittedly it's hardly earth-shattering news and is possibly the first time Bulgaria has ever been mentioned in PostScript, let alone its currency, the "lev". But it reinforces my feeling that the European Union and the euro is partly responsible for taking the fun and romance out of travel. Naive though it may sound, travelling was more exciting in the days when every country in Europe had its own currency and idiosyncrasies, and crossing a border was venturing into the unknown. When I first went abroad in the 1960s, part of the enjoyment was the strangeness of it all. Getting your passport stamped in funny languages by menacing mustachioed immigration officers, eating peculiar foreign food and tackling strange languages was all part of the experience. Then there was getting plastered with mates on the local plonk, the cheaper the better. Along came the European Union which made travel smoother but perhaps a trifle boring. More recently things have changed again for Brits as a result of Brexit and after years of breezing through immigration they have to once more get their passports stamped in Europe, just like the old days. The biggest challenge in the 1960s was grappling with foreign currencies. There was definite excitement in having your wallet stuffed with thousands of Italian lira even though it was barely enough to buy a plate of spaghetti. But these days you can travel across Europe without a sniff of a franc (except in Switzerland), lira, peseta or escudo. And now Bulgaria's mighty "lev" is about to bite the dust. A lifesaver I had the pleasure of spending some "lev" many years ago. During my overland trip from London to New Delhi in 1969 we travelled across a snowbound Bulgaria in early February. After a freezing night in the capital Sofia we boarded our old coach which battled through a blizzard before reaching the outskirts of Plovdiv, the country's second-largest city. I was feeling under the weather, cold and undernourished. At a small café on top of a hill overlooking the city with my few remaining levs I purchased a bottle of the most delicious yoghurt I have ever tasted. It felt so refreshing I bought two more bottles which kept me going all the way to the Turkish border. So I've always had a fondness for the lev. Metric mayhem I suffered an unnerving experience when the British currency system went metric in the early 1970s. When I left England in 1969 the traditional "pounds, shillings and pence" system was still in effect. But when I returned a couple of years later things were very different. Upon arrival at Heathrow I changed money and clutching the new coinage immediately felt a stranger in my own country. It was all very disconcerting. There were no comforting half-crowns, sixpences (tanners) or three-penny bits. I was totally lost. The first few days were a nightmare. When shopping I was forever giving incorrect amounts however simple the transaction and receiving a lot of dirty looks in the process. Attempted explanations that I had only recently returned to England made no impression at all. I was a certified twit. Saving the pound A Thai colleague recently asked me why the pound sterling is commonly called a "quid". As far as I know it's short for "quid pro quo" meaning a thing exchanged for something else, although that could well be incorrect. The quid itself has many nicknames which vary throughout Britain. When I was a kid it used to be called a "nicker" although I'm not sure why. We liked that word because it sounded a bit naughty. When the British government decided to phase out the traditional pound note for a coin it enraged the tabloid newspapers. The Sun led the way with a truly patriotic front-page headline "Leave Our Nickers Alone". Nicknames for quid were very popular in cockney rhyming slang and among the favourites were "saucepan lid" and "fiddley did." Those were the days. Crony currency I hope the Thai baht doesn't get lured into some kind of regional monetary union. And that goes for the other currencies in Southeast Asia. The riel, kip, dong, kyat and ringgit have all got their own character and long may that remain. About 20 years ago there were reports that Asean was considering proposals for a single monetary unit. At that time the Post's business section carried a popular Insider column which had fun dreaming up possible names for the currency. All sorts of exotic offerings were suggested, but my favourite was the "crony", a splendid name which seemed so appropriate. Because the baht was always being misspelled some journalists suggested "bath" would be a grand name for this Asean money, with smaller denominations called "plugholes", which probably would have been the direction in which any combined currency would head. Bath time Most readers will have seen advertisements with unusual offers on the lines of "house for rent, 40,000 baths" or "massage, 390 baths". There was some amusement back in 2004 when one of the newly opened budget airlines was proudly advertising flights for as little as "899 baths". Of course, there is always the computer spell-check, which is not averse to changing "baht" back to "bath", so you really can't win.
New York Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Hochul's NY nuclear plant plan and more: Letters to the Editor — June 29, 2025
Kat's plant plan New York, like many other states, including New Jersey, needs in-state energy plants now ('Hochul: NY is goin' nuclear,' June 24). Gov. Hochul should consult with professionals who know how much time and dollars are needed to build nuclear plants. The last two nuclear plants recently completed in Georgia were completed in 2024. The time to complete was 15 years. The estimated time when authorized was six to eight years. The estimated cost was $14 billion; the actual cost was $35 billion. Advertisement All nuclear plants are long-term plans. If New York wants more power plants, the fastest construction is gas-powered plants. New York authorizing fracking would also keep costs down for all residents of the great state. Bob Barrett, Clark, NJ Read's social sway The second trial to find justice for John O'Keefe was mere showmanship ('Mis 'Read' guilt at 1st,' June 22). Advertisement It was the culmination of years-long efforts by Karen Read and her defense team to try their case outside a court of law, unchallenged in both social and news media forums. The courtroom is no longer an impenetrable sanctuary. Social media has infiltrated the halls of justice; sequestration from influential bias is no longer possible in a judge, jury or witness. Blind allegiance set Karen Read on her course to fame on the back of a dead man from whom justice was robbed. Denise Saupe, Minneapolis, Minn. Judicial disservice Advertisement Is it just me or is anyone else concerned about our judicial system (' 'Monster' mom has court fit over label,' June 24)? Navisia Jones only got 15 years for torturing and killing her 7-year-old daughter, but two years for annoying the judge. It appears to me that in 2025, judges deem themselves more worthy than the likes of you and me. Carolyn Brady, Spring Lake Don's F-bomb Advertisement Why is the media making such a big deal of President Trump saying the F-word ('Mount 'cuss' more,' June 25)? The word has been in use for many, many years and decades. Many past presidents have used it before, depending on what mood they are in. Cut Trump some slack. I say it is no big deal. He is sincerely trying his best to end all wars and that calls for the Nobel Peace Prize. Please focus on that. Anant Nagpur, Ottawa, Canada Bootless Barack Former President Barack Obama should give back his Nobel Peace Prize because there was no merit to it, and his post-presidency depicts a lack of substance as well ('Enablers-in-Chief,' James Rosen, PostScript, June 22). Like his friends in Hollywood, Obama is an actor, and his third term under former President Joe Biden illustrated the curtain that should have gone up a long time ago. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters He had a good game, but history will record the emptiness of it all. Advertisement Peter Cooper, Bronxville Say 'bye' to DEI Kudos to Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, for battling the nefarious limitations and other stupidity of HR ('Why My Company Ditched the DEI Cops,' June 21). The latter's goal is to create massive collections of non-thinking, overly cautious, and overly compliant people who populate corporate America. Advertisement Controlled behavior is a step toward totalitarianism. It's people like Sey who are attempting to save our nation. Samuel Frazer, Fort Myers, Fla. Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Australia's most acid-tongued food critic shows a rare softer side as he shares a powerful message after the death of his beloved dog Sailor
Notorious food critic John Lethlean has taken to social media to announce the death of his beloved dog and long-time companion Sailor. The veteran restaurant and food writer has appeared in major Australian newspapers and magazines for more than two decades, having garnered a following for his honest, engaging and often brutal reviews. 'It's taken quite a few months to process this, but Sailor's love of the water and playing with sting-rays got the better of her late last year and life just isn't the same any more,' he share to Instagram on Tuesday. He explained as a word of caution for anyone 'with a dog that won't stop chasing fish' that stingrays will naturally defend themselves and their barbs can easily be lethal to dogs. 'Like all good dogs, Sailor was nothing if not curious,' he said. Lethlean wrote in a Amazon e-book about his writing career titled 'Post Script' that he and his wife had treated Sailor like a family member. 'A childless couple with love in our hearts and enormous affection for most dogs, let alone our own, Sailor didn't share our attention with anyone,' he wrote. 'The three of us lived at very close quarters for five years... We dragged her bed into our bedroom every night when it was time to hit the hay and, when she inevitably got tired of sleeping between us, she'd jump off the bed and slip into her own. 'Just knowing she was there was comforting. I'd like to think it was reciprocal.' Lethlean no-holds-barred reviews have caused controversy on several occasions. His one-star review of legendary chef Cheong Liew's The Grange in 2008 contributed to its closure the following year. One of the pioneers of Asian-Australian cuisine, Liew had operated the restaurant for 14 years before and had been awarded an Order of Australia. In 2016, Lethlean's review of Adelaide Oval's fine dining restaurant Hill of Grace prompted them to call in their lawyers after he roasted the food, the service, the décor and the staff. He referred to one dish as 'brown mucoid gloop' and summed up the venue's efforts as 'out for a duck'. Lethlean also didn't hold back when the famed King Island Dairy announced it's closure last year. 'The cheeses have always been rubbish and this so-called brie I have here… completely devoid of any character whatsoever unless all you're looking for in a soft, white mould cheese is industrial salt,' he wrote. But, rather than shooting from the hip, Lethlean insisted he was methodical about they way he conducted his reviews. 'If you get a feeling from the start that there are some hard words that need to be said, you spend the next whatever hours in the restaurant making sure that you have evidence to support the kind of comments you are going to make,' he told Crikey. 'If something contentious is going in, I got photographs of it... before blogs had even been heard of. 'If I want to say something is oily, I make sure I've got a photograph of oily. If I'm going to say the tablecloths were stained and tatty, I take photographs of stained and tatty tablecloths.'
