"thailand" news and stories

Researchers in the U.S. and Thailand have discovered that the more fruit you have in an alcoholic drink the better it is for you.

It's actually the ethanol that you find in drinks such as rum and vodka. When it is added to fruity drinks it actually makes the fruit part of the drink even healthier.

Is this really surprising news for anyone? We know that some alcohol, in moderation, can be good for you, so it stands to reason that if you add fruit to the mix they're going to add vitamins and minerals and nutrients. Though the fact that certain alcohol can actually increase the power of the fruit is interesting.

So there you go, another reason to have a Hump Day Happy Hour after work today.

A Thai scientist has managed to strip the durian, a Southeast Asian delicacy, known as the king of fruit, of its signature funky aroma. What's next, fatless bacon?

Songpol Somsri, who grew up on a durian orchard, crossed more than 90 types of the spiky fruit to create Chantaburi No. 1, which is said to smell as mild as a banana. As anyone who's read Tony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour can tell you, a durian's natural aroma is nothing at all like a banana. So noxious is the fruit's aroma that it's banned from Singapore's subways. Bourdain characterizes it thusly: "like you'd buried somebody holding a big wheel of Stilton in his arms, then dug him up a few weeks later." That aside Bourdain likes them. He really, really likes them.

I can understand his attraction somewhat. Several years my fellow blogger and intrepid eater, Jonathan, sampled one with some friends. Sure, the flesh is custardy, creamy, smooth and sweet. But it has a a definite funky undertone, kinda like garlic steeped in jet fuel, that stays with you for several hours. That aside, I say leave the durian as nature made it, in all its stinky splendor.

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Several years ago I encountered a Thai snack food that utterly captivated me. I was perusing the shelves of goodies that lined the counter at Queens' Sripraphai. This was back in the day when this wonderful Thai eatery had yet to undergo a slick renovation and was still a hole in the wall, but in a good way.

I spied a round container filled with fried garlic chips, huge dried (maybe fried) shrimp, kaffir lime leaves, dried hot peppers, peanuts and cashews. The cashier saw me eyeing it and told me it was a Thai snack that goes well with beer. I'd downed more than a few cold ones while munching on the Chinese beer snack of salty fried fish, chiles, black beans and peanuts, but I'd never seen anything quite like this. Immediately I pegged it as a great snack to munch on over a few cold brews. But what really drew me to it was the combination of classic Thai flavors it embodied. Hot, sweet, salty and fishy ... mmm. I couldn't wait to try it.

If the fruits and vegetables shown here don't look quite real, it's because they're not. They're marzipan. To be precise they're not really marzipan either, there's no almond paste in them. What they are is luk chup a Thai dessert whose name translates as "dipped fruits"

I picked up this assortment from a Thai grocery in my native Queens. These jewel-toned morsels are made from a mixture of mung bean, sugar and coconut milk. They're coated with a thick jelly that forms a skin on the fruit. The bright colors come from natural pigments like turmeric for yellow and screwpine for green. To be honest I didn't real find luk chup that tasty. Perhaps I need to revisit them.

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Ever had a hankering to order up a 78.5-pound hamburger with 12 hours notice? Now you can thanks to Bob's BBQ & Grill. This Texas 'cue joint recently cooked up what it calls the Texas Belt buster in a bid to unseat Fuddruckers Guinness World record for the largest burger.

Bob's grilled the gargantuan ground beef sandwich in honor of the King of Thailand's 60th year accession to the throne. And just why is a Texas BBQ celebrating a Thai holiday? Because the restaurant is located in Pattaya, Thailand. It was founded by Bob Schindler, a former comepetive barbecuer from Houston.

Once it gets certified, the Texas Belt Buster will hold the record. Fuddrucker's burger weighed in at a paltry 29.9 pounds. The Texas Belt Buster used 55 pounds of ground beef and took more than six hours to grill up. It comes topped with two large heads of lettuce, 35 slices of cheese and four jalapeños, among other things.

For a mere 15,500 baht ($400) you can try to take down this monstrosity. I wonder if Takeru Kobayashi has heard of this megaburger yet.