Phed Mark - Bangkok's spiciest basil pork made by a world-famous food blogger

Mark Wiens is quite possibly the most famous expat in Bangkok. A food blogger and vlogger, he travels all over the world with the dream job of eating food. Mark Wiens is especially famous for loving spicy food (his slogan in Thai translates to "if it's not spicy, I'm not eating"), and when I heard that he had opened up his very own restaurant in Bangkok, I knew that I had to go.

If you don't know Mark Wiens, you can see him here in one of his videos. This is a great video of "duck guitar" that I think you'll enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RktdJIBv2Ww

The name of the restaurant, Phed Mark, is a pun. In Thai, "phed maak" means "very spicy", and from the logo of a flame with a big hot chili smile, I knew that I was in for something phed maak indeed!

The tiny local shop, which looks like a very classic Thai street food restaurant, is located just outside of the Ekkamai Bus Terminal, where all great adventures towards Pattaya, Chonburi, or Rayong begin.

His restaurant just serves one dish: krapao (a spicy dish of  minced meat with Thai holy basil). Turns out, it's his favorite Thai dish, and he worked with some celebrity chefs, including the Iron Chef Thailand, to come up with what he decided was the best of the best of Thai krapao.

"Is the 'very spicy' very spicy?", Pinky asked the lady working the counter. She reassured us that yes, it was, in fact very, very spicy.

I very bravely ordered a medium-spicy pork basil. I couldn't help noticing that "less spicy" was rated at just one chili, "medium signature" was rated at two chilis, and "very spicy" was rated at not the expected three, but an astounding SEVEN chilis! I shudder to think...

Due to COVID-19 dining regulations, we couldn't eat in, but my fiancee and I ordered two medium basil porks to go. Riding the BTS Skytrain home, the amazing smell of Thai holy basil and chili kept hitting me, and my mouth was watering by the time we got back home.

The dish was incredible! While a little expensive for a krapao (the go-to street food dish preferred by Bangkokians), which normally runs for 50-60 baht, it was well worth the price. The bowl was full of premium jasmine rice and an extremely generous portion of lots and lots of basil pork. The dish was topped off with a rich duck egg fried to perfection with a slightly runny yolk - just the way I like an egg served over my Thai food!

The taste was a little different than a standard street corner krapao. We guessed that instead of just throwing a handful of chopped chilis into the wok, they must have created a chili paste of secret spices and herbs to give it a uniquely aromatic and slightly smoky flavor. Amazing!

Now, when I first came to Thailand, I couldn't eat spicy foods. Over the years, I've slowly built up my tolerance, and now I can almost keep up with my Thai fiancée (almost). I have now come to love the taste of spicy food, and I finally understand why people like to eat spicy dishes.

I thought that medium wouldn't be too hot (It was, after all, rated just two chilis). But, boy! It was! I had to eat the krapao in two eye-watering sittings. While I relished every single delicious bite, I had to keep a carton of milk on hand.

Totally worth it!

But I can't help but wonder what the seven chili "very hot" krapao would have been like...

If you enjoy reading about the great food that I eat in Thailand and on my travels throughout Southeast Asia, head on over to my other blog The World of Street Food! I think you'll enjoy it. 

>>www.theworldofstreetfood.com

My Sealandic Coat of Arms

As a part of my micronational interests, I have received a coat of arms from the Sealand College of Heraldry, which has been entered into the Sealand International Register! It was designed by Prince James of Sealand, the Director of the College of Heraldry.

Over the past several weeks, I had been in correspondence with the College of Heraldry. I was asked questions about my background and my interests. Finally, my documents arrived today, and I couldn't be more excited to share my new coat of arms with you all!

Like with any good coat of arms, the grant of arms is full of symbolism which the College personalized for me. I'm really pleased with the meaning and the final results!

The arms display a grid to represent "the vast area [I] wish to travel' with blue representing Thailand and red representing my French-Canadian heritage. Three circles represent 1: my home country of the USA, 2: my adopted home in Thailand, 3: new destinations yet to be explored.

The crest depicts the tree of knowledge representing my teaching career and interest in academia, with the particular floral emblem of Bangkok.

The unicorns represent my English-Scottish heritage and "noble spirit".

The motto is Latin for "fortune favors the bold".

The Arms of Baron Michael Desrosiers, OMS

Arms: Lozengly Azure and Argent on a bend Gules three roundels Argent, the whole surrounded by the collar of the Knights of the Military Order of Sealand.

Crest: Upon a Baron's helm, mantled Azure doubled Argent, this crest: issuant from a Baron's coronet, a golden shower tree Proper.

Supporters: On the dexter and sinister sides a unicorn segreant Argent winged and horned Or, gorged of a book proper upon a pendant and chain Purpure.

Motto: 'Audentis fortuna Iuvat': fortune favors the bold; 'E Mare Lbertas': From the sea, freedom.

Seven Suns

I love matcha!

Seven Suns is a new matcha bar that opened recently at my local shopping mall. On a hot Thai afternoon, I stopped in for a cup of rich iced matcha.

Matcha is a specialty-grade Japanese green tea which is grown in shade and ground into an extremely fine powder. It is then mixed into warm water using a special bamboo whisk, creating a thick and rich hot tea. 

Compared to other teas, matcha is higher in caffeine and nutrients because you consume the entire leaf. It is full of great health benefits, but it can be kind of expensive, especially if you get a high grade.

Even though the little shop is tiny, it has a very zen-like Japanese aesthetic, and is set amongst a raked sand zen garden!

The tea, poured over ice, was rich and naturally sweet. While it is sometimes sweetened with milk, this tea was more traditional - just 5 calories of pure, rich tea.

Wat Asokaram: The Monastery of No Sorrow

Before leaving the Bang Pu Recreation Center, I pulled up the maps app on my phone to see if there were any other points of interest that we should check out before leaving Samut Prakan and heading back into the city. One point stood out: a beautiful Buddhist temple not far from the BTS station. 

Before we got back on the train to head into Bangkok, we had a driver take us to Wat Asokaram, where we were greeted first by a larger-than-life statue of Ashoka, the ancient Indian emperor responsible for the spread of Buddhism throughout the subcontinent and across Southeast Asia.

The temple was built by the renowned monk Phra Ajarn Lee in 1962. While it's fairly new by Thai standards, the temple must be one of the most beautiful in Samut Prakan.

Ajarn Lee's remains are enshrined within the temple. His place of honor in the shrine hall is due to the Ajarn's teachings, which spread the now common Thai Forest Tradition sect of Theravada Buddhism into the mainstream.

Known as one of the greatest teachers and meditation masters of the Thai Forest Tradition, Ajarn Lee's life is full of myth and legend. Although he never made such claims himself, rumors swirled among his students that the master possesses psychic powers.

Wat Ashokaram was built as a temple dedicated to meditation retreats. It sits on a large plot of land along the coast in Samut Prakan Province, surrounded by lush mangrove wetlands and mudflats. The main prayer hall is richly decorated in golds and reds, but it's not the most impressive feature at the temple.

The Phra Thutangkha Chedi is a castle-like structure comprised of thirteen chedis which represent the thirteen duties of a Buddhist monk.

Inside, bronze statues of eminent monks from Thai history encircle the central relic shrine.

A glass pyramid sitting before each statue contains relics such as hairs or bone fragments from the famous monks. Thai Buddhists believe that this place, with so many relics from so many powerful monks, is a very special holy site.

We climbed up the chedi, encircling it and admiring the beautiful structure and the surrounding views. The temple grounds stretched out before us in all directions.

Monks live in huts in the mangrove forest, and there are plenty of smaller chapels and shrines scattered throughout the temple grounds. A large group of white-clad individuals on meditation retreats volunteer at the temple, working to keep in clean.

We walked through the muddy forest to a small chapel set out deep amongst the mangroves. While not nearly as large and opulent as the central prayer hall, this little chapel was decorated in beautiful murals depicting the life of the Buddha.

Although the weather had been cooler in the morning, it was growing hot as we walked through the temple grounds. The steaming mudflats made the air thick and humid, and I was almost ready to head back to the nice air-conditioned train. 

Before heading back, however, we stumbled upon one last spot within the temple grounds.

A large statue of the Buddha stood behind a smaller statue of one of his disciples, a monk carrying an umbrella and who is said to bring wealth and luck to those who honor him. Someone had left him a beautiful pink lotus bud. 

Valentine's "Love Rose" Cornetto Ice Cream

Last year on Valentine's Day, I wrote about the heart-shaped pink "Valentine Burger" from 7-Eleven. This year, I thought I'd carry on the tradition with the latest Valentine's snack from my local convenience store.

This is the brand-new limited edition Cornetto "Love Rose" ice cream!

It's a peach milk flavored ice cream shaped like a beautiful pink rose. While the ice cream itself is super creative, I was kind of surprised by the flavor. I had expected strawberry, not peach! Peach feels like a more summertime flavor than a Valentine's one to me. Anyway, it was fun to try.

Feeding the Seagulls (with video)

Every year from October until April, a flock of seagulls migrates to Thailand for the cool season. During the hot summer, they fly back north to Siberia to escape the tropical heat. Each year, they settle down just outside of Bangkok at an area called Bang Pu.

Bang Pu Recreation Center is a small coastal resort area operated by the Royal Thai Army and open to the public. The area opened in the 50s, and was especially popular as a daytrip with Bangkokians in the 50s and 60s. Today, it's just a short taxi ride from the end of the Skytrain line and only about an hour from the city center (though it feels like you are far away from Bangkok).

While the area is most famous for the seagulls, there is also a very nice and very popular seafood restaurant built out at the end of the pier.

I was especially excited for the super fresh and super cheap seafood that the army restaurant serves! It's always a highlight of a daytrip to Bang Pu. (As a side note, it was Chinese New Year, so everyone including the staff were wearing red!)

When you go out to eat seafood with your Thai fiancée, you must remember to come with an empty stomach! Pinky ordered in Thai, and I was a little bit shocked as food just kept coming to our table.

We had:

crab fried rice

deep fried softshell crab (my favorite!)

a sweet coconut crab dip for vegetables

some spicy seafood soup

and way too many steamed mussels (half of which we had to bag up and bring home with us)

After lunch, we walked out on the pier to see the seagulls. They were calmly bobbing in the water, but as soon as anyone approached with food, they went crazy!

Bang Pu is a protected natural area, and you can buy food to feed the seagulls.

You can buy a little packet of food for just 20 baht, and the birds will fly right up to you to eat out of your hand or swoop down to catch any pieces that you throw up into the air. They are really amazing!

It was nice to get out of the city for the first time in several months (even if we just took the Skytrain to get there). The weather is still pleasant, and the air is dry. There's a wonderful breeze at the seaside, and it was just perfect! 

It is going to start getting super hot soon, I know, so I'm trying to enjoy being outdoors as much as possible while I can!

Pinky brought her good camera, and we were able to take some nice photos of the birds swooping down to take the food from our hands. I also brought my action camera and shot another vlog to share with you!  I'm trying to film one video every week to bring my blog's readers along on my adventures in Thailand.

Video: Feeding Seagulls at Bang Pu

Lion Dance at the Mall: The Year of the Golden Ox

Happy Spring Festival!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Today is the Spring Festival, better known as the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year! This year is called the "Year of the Golden Ox", and I hope that it will be a luckier one than the Year of the Golden Rat was.

The day leading up to the festival (New Year's Eve, I suppose) was a remembrance day, when Thai-Chinese families set out offerings for their ancestors at their spirit houses.

Everywhere you look, everyone is wearing Chinese red for good luck, and every shop and mall is decorated for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

I had wanted to go to Chinatown for the festivities. Even after seven years in Thailand, I've never gotten around to doing that. It will have to be next year, though. Due to COVID-19 the celebrations this year are much more subdued than usual, and I think it's still best to avoid any sort of crowds.

I have enjoyed seeing the decorations up at various shopping malls around the city, however.

Today, which is actually the first day of the 15-day Spring Festival (New Year's Day), I happened to be at Central Department Store at my local shopping mall, when I heard the loud and excited sounds of a Lion Dance!

The Lion Dance is a traditional Chinese performance that is said to attract good luck and fortune. It is most often performed at Chinese New Year and at other Chinese cultural festivals.

Accompanied by the sounds of cymbals and drums, two lions in red and gold danced and wove their way throughout the department store in an exuberant parade. 

These are the sorts of things that still make living in Bangkok so exciting, even after so many years. It's just never a boring city! Who would expect a Chinese parade right in the middle of an upscale department store?

Happy Chinese New Year!

This isn't one of my new vlogs, but it is a short clip that I shot at the mall. This is the traditional Chinese Lion Dance that I saw in the department store.