Can you tell us about the rebirth of your magazine?
POPpaganda.net is basically an online version of Pop Magazine, which, as it turns out, works out a lot better than the real magazine did. It’s more accessible and the content is constantly updated. We focus on today’s pop culture, from music and fashion to art and technology. It’s a place where you can read about what’s hot both locally and internationally.

How did the party come about?
Paris, one of the website’s writers, and I decided to throw a fun party once every one or two months. The first party we organized was in August when we celebrated Madonna’s 50th birthday. The turnout was fantastic and it was very successful. It was great to get to share the fun with people who are into the same kind of music. That’s why we decided to do another this month.

Why one-hit wonders?
Actually it’s a spin-off of this column on the website called One Hit Wonderful. I personally love to listen to one-hit wonders—there’s some really decent stuff. If I was an artist, I’d definitely choose to have a one-hit wonder rather than a whole album of non-hits.

Are you planning to go monthly like Club Soma or Trasher?
Unlikely. The thing is, I don’t want it to become fixed and routine. I’ll only throw a party when I have a great, fun theme for it. I try to avoid doing the same things as everybody else. It’s our goal to be different and most importantly of all, fun!

Head down to One Hit Wonderful Party for a serving of one-hit wonders.

What’s Manorah and Best Friends of the Snake about?
It’s a short film based on a folk tale about an eternal love between an imaginary maiden and an ordinary man. The film has been made in such a way that it can be integrated with other artistic elements like paintings, photos and objects. The core message of the story is the co-existence of location and time, human beings and idealism as well as reality and fantasy.

What are the thoughts behind it?
In my opinion, Thai society needs to reflect on itself in order to understand itself. I think this particular folk tale can work well for this. The purpose of this is to remind Thai people the importance of mutual respect as well as using knowledge and wisdom before jumping to any conclusion. The reasons for the ongoing social and political discordance are mainly because we lack those qualities.

Can you tell us about your project “Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud and one sees the stars”?
I set this up to help me create work and structure my own thoughts. Manorah and Best Friends of the Snake is the project’s debut exhibition.

Your last exhibition also used mixed-media, would you say that’s your artistic discipline?
It depends on the thoughts behind each work. I usually go with my instinct first, then technique and medium would come second. I choose whatever works best in conveying my message. I don’t like to limit myself to just one discipline, otherwise there will be no further learning and self-improvement as an artist.

Catch Manorah and Best Friends of the Snake at 100 Tonson.

DJs Wayne

As a child: I spent far too long in record stores and way too much money. It got so bad that I ended up taking a weekend job in a record shop aged 14 just to feed my addiction.
First job: Stacking up bottles of fizzy drinks and beers in a shop aged 12.
Rule for life: Never do to someone, what you wouldn’t want done to you. I totally believe in karma. Be kind, gentle and warm to others and you will receive the same back.
Path to inner peace: Being comfortable with yourself, the way you look, the way you are, showing compassion for others and taking the time out to help anyone who needs help.
Can’t leave home without: My iPod.
Listening to: The new Eminem album and all the new dance music I had delivered while on the Atlantis Cruises.
Reading: Augusten Burroughs’ You Had Better Not Cry and Belinda Carlisle’s memoirs Lips Unsealed.
Stupidest trend: Snorting vodka back in the 90s. Do not try this at home.
Most annoying thing you have to encounter everyday: The gym. I have a love/hate relationship with the place.
Hum this tune in the shower: Erasure’s “O Lamour,” Alexis Jordan’s “Happiness” and Darren Hayes’ “Random Blinking Light.”
Favorite websites: www.masterbeat.com, among others.
Best gig you’ve ever been to: Sydney Harbour Party in 2002 and Heaven in London for the 25th birthday in 2004.
Most inspirational person: David “Swarmite” Parker. Facebook him, he’s a therapist to celebrities and nut cases like myself.
Last lie: “I didn’t take that much.”

DJs Hector

As a child: Was obsessed with my mom’s record collection and Club MTV.
First job: I was the ice cream guy at the local store.
Rule for life: Try everything once, but never overdo it and never let anyone tell you if you should do it.
Path to inner peace: Living your life freely as long as it doesn’t harm you or anyone else.
Can’t leave home without: My iPhone and mobile music studio.
Listening to: Katy Perry, Kelis and Macy Gray.
Reading: In New York, “reading” means “making fun of,” so not “reading” anyone at the moment.
Stupidest trend: Overuse of the words “legend” and “werk.”
Most annoying thing you have to encounter every day: Cranky babies on airplanes and long transfer walks in airports.
Hum this tune in the shower: “Peacock” by Katy Perry.
Favorite website: www.hectorfonseca.com and www.kayak.com.
One word that best describes your sound: International.
Best you’ve even been to: Fantasia.
Most inspirational person: Anyone who stands up to a bully.
Last lie: I love being famous.
In 20 years: Hopefully I will be volunteering my services to raise money to get the new Aids and cancer cures to the less fortunate globally.

Voted best international DJ/producer by Edge Magazine, house DJ Hector Fonseca spares us a minute before taking to the decks at Sahara (Sep 18), part of the two-day themed party Fantasia 2010: We Love Bangkok.

BK: How did you start this job?
Pensri: I used to work somewhere else as a salesperson, but I didn’t get a very good income. Then, my cousin who also worked for Yakult encouraged me to apply for the job.

BK: How long have you been a Yakult lady?
Pensri: I started in 1980. I was very young back then.

BK: Did you have to pass any training?
Pensri: Yes, all salespeople have to pass a three-week training before going out on the field. That’s how we learn about the product, how to sell, and how to dress like Yakult ladies.

BK: What do you like most about the job?
Pensri: Although I have been selling Yakult for 30 years, it’s still fun. I get to talk to happy customers everyday. I laugh a lot and nothing seems to be boring for me. Another thing I like is that the company rewards us with prizes for those who work hard and have high sales.

BK: Have you ever received a reward?
Pensri: Yes! I got to go to Japan for one week, and Phuket for three days. Everything was free during the trips, too!

BK: Have you ever heard the famous slogan “If you want to know anything, ask the Yakult lady”?
Pensri: Of course. But usually the customers only ask me jokey questions. We laugh about it.

BK: Do all of the salespeople ride bicycles?
Pensri: It used to be like that. But now it’s different. Some can’t bike such long distances. I’m lucky because I don’t live too far away from my route.

BK: What’s your day like?
Pensri: I wake up at 4am and then ride my bicycle to the Yakult distribution center in Silom to get the products. Then, I go to my usual parking spot near the Thaniya Building. From there, I distribute Yakults to my list of customers.

BK: Where do all the orders come from?
Pensri: We used to have to ride around and find our own potential customers. But now the market already knows the product well, so we have lots of direct orders.

BK: Who are your main customers?
Pensri: Most are office people around Silom so I spend most of the time going up and down building elevators.

BK: What do you do if you have products left over?
Pensri: They’re always all sold out, and sometimes there aren’t enough to meet demand.

BK: Don’t you get tired riding the bicycle to work?
Pensri: Sometimes. But I understand that it’s what I need to do in order to survive. Bangkok is very dangerous for cyclists, so we have to be cautious. Car drivers don’t care much about the traffic rules. However, I think Bangkok has improved a lot. Back in the day, the floods were terrible. I felt like I was riding in a sea. Now it’s so much better.

I was born into a happy family. My grandfather was a boxer and owned a boxing camp. That was our family business. I couldn’t have been happier back then.

Then my father passed away when I was ten. That was when we realized that the family had B18 million worth of debt.

Other than my father, no one else in our family knew how to run the business. We sold everything, even our house.

It’s hard when you’ve seen your mother in fancy clothes and diamond rings, and then one day, all that is gone, and she’s left with nothing. I was too young and unable to help. It was already enough accepting the truth that my father was dead.

It made me want to work hard. Having seen her dealing with all those debts I didn’t want to give my mother any more trouble.

If I was weak, I wouldn’t have survived so I pushed myself to fight. The most important thing was the comfort that our family gave to each other. Luckily, we had great relatives who never abandoned us.

I’m not saying I’m a great son. I didn’t pay so much attention in class. I spent my life doing what I liked.

I have always been the naughty one, but at least I was naughty in a way that didn’t cause my family any trouble.

I enjoy working. I have done lots of different jobs like dishwashing, toilet cleaning, and handing out brochures. But I liked playing live music in nightclubs most.

I once went to Germany for a few months, as my aunt is a German citizen. I had only planned to travel. Then I saw an opportunity to make some money, so I ended up working as a dishwasher and toilet cleaner during my stay.

I spent that money on mobile phone top-up vending machines when I got back to Thailand. It was my first business.

My mom told me to enter The Star. I had planned to go back to Germany, but once she knew about the jobs I did there, she refused to let me go and told me to enter the contest.

I thought the entertainment industry would be full of insincere people, but when I actually became part of it, I discovered that the industry is actually just full of hard-working people.

Some fans found out about my business, after The Star. So when they wanted to say something to me, they’d write or stick something on the top-up machines.

I’m not good at controlling what comes out of my mouth, so sometimes it might be hard for me to keep quiet about certain things when talking to the press, or anyone. Also, sometimes people are frightened by my facial expressions.

I see myself married and having children in ten years. I don’t want anything more than an ordinary, happy life with a family that I love.

I wasn’t due to get the part in Hong-Nuer-Mungkorn, but then I don’t know what happened; they changed their mind.

The character I play, (Ti Lek), feels like he has never been loved by his father. That makes him act out, have a hot temper and cause trouble. Ti Lek and I are similar in that we are both sensitive. But we act out in different ways.

I don’t feel pressured just because the part has been played by more experienced actors in the past. Everyone has a different perception, and thus, everyone can express and present the same character differently.

I like both acting and singing because they are forms of art that have to come from fresh feelings at a specific moment. A song can be sung with different emotions even though the notes might be the same. Similarly with a play, the script could be the same, but the mood comes out differently in every production.

Work is an inevitable responsibility for some people. They force themselves to sit at their desks and wait for payday. I think we should do what we love, so we don’t feel exhausted doing it. I’m pretty happy with what I’m doing.

I feel stressed around lots of people because I have to watch myself. If I want to scratch my nose or my hair, it’s not the right time. It’s not really a big deal, though. I only have one face and I’m not trying to hide anything.

I don’t care if I last in this industry, as long as I’m happy with what I do.

French restaurant Bonjour (1217/2 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-714-2112) insists that even its water be imported from France. And yet, when their veteran French chef left them earlier this year, Bonjour simply promoted its 27-year-old sous-chef, Siwametr Boonyarittiwong, to replace him. As he rolls out an ambitious new foie gras menu (foie gras soup, anyone?), we ask Siwametr if customers choked on their baguette when the fresh-faced Thai took the kitchen’s helm.

How did people deal with you replacing a seasoned French chef?
They mostly noticed because I changed the menu. Besides, it’s the owner’s job to do the explaining. I think clients were happy with the food but surprised. Some were even a bit reticent.

Do you think this could have been possible a few years ago?
Well, this generation of Thai chefs is new. I’m from the first class of the Vatel Institute. The Cordon Bleu is pretty recent, too. So everyone in my kitchen is 26 or 27, like me, and they’ve been trained at these schools and the Silpakorn Hotel School and we get along really well. It’s great.

Why are you doing this foie gras menu?
I’ve been cooking professionally for four years, and it’s one the first products I worked with. Everyone eats it pan-fried here, so I wanted to show you can do more with foie gras. It can be used like butter, like cream, you can change its texture from a foam to a mousse, and you don’t need to add gelatin. So if you mix it with chocolate, for example, it’s great, you don’t need to add anything else.

Did you develop these recipes yourself?
Sure. I read a lot, I watch a lot of videos. But these recipes are mine. Like with the foie gras soup, I was trying to make a sauce, and it ended up being too liquid. So I said, let’s do a soup. And I added oysters because everyone always expects sweet stuff with foie gras, but the salt actually cuts through the fattiness.

What makes a good foie?
You want smaller ones, with a nice eggshell color and very few veins inside. A good foie won’t lose its fat when you pan-fry it. It should be sweet, but not too sweet. We use Rougie Grande Cuisine, which is the best there is—only three places in town use it.

Is it hard to work with foie gras?
The slightest change in temperature can completely change the consistency so we have to use devices like the Thermomix to mix the foie at precisely controlled temperatures. Then I even run it through a chinois (a fine mesh strainer) for even greater homogeneity.

Tell us more about the name Russian Circles.

There's not much to tell; it’s the name of one of the band's earliest songs. Mike (Sullivan, guitarist) and Dave (Turncrantz, drummer) decided to run with it as our moniker.

How would you describe your style of music?
I tell people who aren't into our subculture of music that we're an instrumental rock band. If I'm talking to someone with a better frame of reference for underground music, I tell them we're a punk/progressive band. The post-rock/post-metal tag is used a lot by journalists and fans, but I feel like it’s kind of an empty buzzword.

How do instrumentals, particularly in the genres of rock and metal, capture an audience?
Popular music is vocal based, and that bleeds over into underground music. A lot of heavy music and even indie rock is very instrument-driven. The vocals in those realms of music are often the last piece in the puzzle; as if they're really only there out of an obligation to keep up with convention.

What are some of the things you can do that bands with a vocalist can’t?

Vocals occupy a weird sonic territory. It's far easier to dial in the sound at a concert without trying to fit vocals into the mix. To put vocals at the front of the mix, guitars have to be turned down so that mid-range frequencies aren't battling with the singer. It's infinitely easier not having to worry about that. Not having vocals also means we don't have a microphone on our stage. We don't have to bother with between-song banter; we just set up and play.



What was Russian Circles’ most hardcore on-stage moment?
At a show in Chicago before I joined the band, some guy in the front row was so drunk that he kept falling on the bass player's effects pedals, which was f*cking up his playing. Dave spit on the guy from behind the drum kit and threw a drum stick at him, but the guy kept f*cking up the bass player's gear. Dave got up from behind the kit and started choking the guy, then pushed him out of the front row so the band could continue playing.


What can your fans in Singapore expect?

I'm not sure what our Singaporean fans can expect; we don't even know what to expect. Hopefully it will be loud, dark, and dynamic.

Rock hard to Russian Circles on Sep 18, 8pm at Zouk, 17 Jiak Kim St., 6738-2988. $55 from Hell’s Labyrinth, Praise and www.kittywurecords.com or $65 at the door.

Tell us more about the name Russian Circles.
There's not much to tell; it’s the name of one of the band's earliest songs. Mike (Sullivan, guitarist) and Dave (Turncrantz, drummer) decided to run with it as our moniker.

How would you describe your style of music?
I tell people who aren't into our subculture of music that we're an instrumental rock band. If I'm talking to someone with a better frame of reference for underground music, I tell them we're a punk/progressive band. The post-rock/post-metal tag is used a lot by journalists and fans, but I feel like it’s kind of an empty buzzword.

How do instrumentals, particularly in the genres of rock and metal, capture an audience?
Popular music is vocal based, and that bleeds over into underground music. A lot of heavy music and even indie rock is very instrument-driven. The vocals in those realms of music are often the last piece in the puzzle; as if they're really only there out of an obligation to keep up with convention.

What are some of the things you can do that bands with a vocalist can’t?
Vocals occupy a weird sonic territory. It's far easier to dial in the sound at a concert without trying to fit vocals into the mix. To put vocals at the front of the mix, guitars have to be turned down so that mid-range frequencies aren't battling with the singer. It's infinitely easier not having to worry about that. Not having vocals also means we don't have a microphone on our stage. We don't have to bother with between-song banter; we just set up and play.

What was Russian Circles’ most hardcore on-stage moment?
At a show in Chicago before I joined the band, some guy in the front row was so drunk that he kept falling on the bass player's effects pedals, which was f*cking up his playing. Dave spit on the guy from behind the drum kit and threw a drum stick at him, but the guy kept f*cking up the bass player's gear. Dave got up from behind the kit and started choking the guy, then pushed him out of the front row so the band could continue playing.

What can your fans in Singapore expect?
I'm not sure what our Singaporean fans can expect; we don't even know what to expect. Hopefully it will be loud, dark, and dynamic.

Rock hard to Russian Circles on Sep 18, 8pm at Zouk, 17 Jiak Kim St., 6738-2988. $55 from Hell’s Labyrinth, Praise and www.kittywurecords.com or $65 at the door.
 

A major phenomenon in Europe and the United States, the local food movement (LFM) is perhaps the most significant current food trend of all—yes, more than six-course wine dinners and guest visits by Michelin-star chefs. A direct response to the over-industrialization of food and the damage to farmland and farmers by big business, single-crop farming, the LFM is a revival of sourcing seasonal food from nearby small farms, not from countries far, far away.

At present, Bangkok’s diners still seem obsessed with fancy, foreign foods: French foie gras, New Zealand mussels, USDA beef, Australian lamb, Alaskan king crab and more. Thai produce and meat is still strictly for home use and street stalls, not five star hotels and fancy restaurants. Except that even here a rumble of counter-culture is taking place, spearheaded by a handful of inventive Thai and foreign chefs who, risking a break with money-making trends, are re-introducing us to food products made in our green Kingdom. Their hope is reduced carbon emissions, stronger local economies and, believe it or not, exciting and delicious food.

Why Local?

We spoke to four such chefs from four different restaurants (See Meet the Chefs below) and each had their own reason for going local. For Nate Sarakossas, owner/chef of the new French bistro, Triplets, LFM is closely aligned with the anti-global warming movement. “LFM reduces carbon emissions caused by packaging, refrigeration and long-haul transportation of food,” she says, and she’s not alone. That temple of cool, Bed Supperclub, is getting in on the act as well with their once-a-month locavore menu, where executive chef Cameron Stuart serves up a five-course set menu showcasing the possibilities of Thai-made ingredients. It’s actually part of a larger, environmental commitment by the venue, namely the 10/10 initiative where businesses pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 10% in 10 years.

Still even if you aren’t worried about saving the planet, there are more patriotic reasons to consider. This is the case for Tee Kachorklin, former sous chef at the Michelin-star Roussillon in London, and now the owner of a charming and affordable bistro, La Table de Tee. “It’s not just about going to another country, working at Michelin-star places and then coming back to work at a five-star hotel. In using Thai products, I am trying to help the Thai economy, linking food with Thai farmers, not just the cook.”

But at the end of the day, the real value of the LFM comes down to the quality of the food and in turn the taste of the dishes. “It’s fresh,” says Paul Quarchioni, former sous chef of Le Normandie and now owner of La Café Siam. “We can get in live fish and live prawns, as opposed to imported fish. If it’s caught overseas on Monday, I can only get it on Friday.” Stuart also prefers the quality and convenience of ordering locally. “With import orders you get produce that’s coming in about once a week, so fruits and vegetables end up in your cool room for a long time. But local things, I can have delivered daily.”

Eggplants With Personality

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and hippie rainbows. If it were that easy then maybe more chefs in town would be emboldened to do the same thing. For starters, Thailand still suffers from a lack of sustainable farming and agricultural infrastructure. Stuart says, “We seem to have trouble with guarantees. We do a monthly menu, so I’ll say, ‘Will this product be available for the whole month?’ Then despite getting a yes, a week into the menu, I find it doesn’t exist anymore!”

Nate agrees there are issues with sticking to local. “The demand for local products is low, so prices are still high and quality development is still struggling. We all need to use more of the local products, so the price and the quality of the local products can be better.”

Quarchioni looks on the bright side: “In Europe, if you buy fifty eggplants they are all the same shape and size, the same shade of green. You know they’ve been genetically modified, or sprayed or grown in a greenhouse. But here things are pretty much grown on farms. I can buy a kilo of eggplants and I’ll get one this size and one that size. But that’s not that important if it’s fresh.”

The Chef’s Chops

Nate admits that she does face limitations trying to cook the French-way with all-Thai ingredients. “Not only do we have to go looking for ingredients in different places,” she says, “adapting to a particular cuisine is another issue. When we try to present a certain cuisine, we must obtain the essence of that cuisine. We have to adjust a lot.”

That might not be a bad thing, considering the opportunity for innovation it affords chefs. Our city, with its lust for expensive, old-school European food, seems to struggle to hold on to young talent. Jesse Barnes of Grossi and Nicholas Joanny of Le Vendome come to mind. At many high-end hotel restaurants, we barely know the name of the chef. Perhaps the dining scene is just too restrictive. What’s a young artiste to do when the moneyed clientele wants nothing more than pizza and pasta alla carbonara or authentic foie gras, coq au vin and Cotes du Rhone?

On the other hand, the beginnings of Bangok’s LFM movement are already producing restaurants where the chef’s sensibility is the driving force behind food. Despite his French technique, Tee does not think of La Table de Tee as a French restaurant. “It’s not about French or Thai,” he says. “It’s about me, the chef. I’m saying to the customer, ‘Look, I would like you to try my personal ideas.’”

Over at Le Café Siam, the emphasis on locally-sourced products forces Quarchioni to stretch his knowledge and skills with the menu, which changes every two days. “I don’t have a menu that I have to buy food for; I buy food and then write the menu.” Far from finding it daunting, he is invigorated by the challenge. “It does keep me on my toes. Otherwise it gets boring.”

In the case of Triplets, Nate’s talent led her to defy the widely-held belief among foodies that Thai-raised livestock is just no good. “I experimented with cuts and came up with a lamb shank stew with fresh apple juice, and a marinated beef tenderloin mushroom steak, which surprised customers. They couldn’t believe the meat was from local producers.”

Hopefully, despite the long way to go, the LFM is here to stay, leading to more happy famers, inspired chefs and adventurous, but satisfied customers.

Meet the Chefs

Nate Sarakossas
chef/owner, Triplets Bistro
After receiving her chef’s training in Chicago, Nate returned to Bangkok with a strong local-sourcing ethos. Her French-style bistro, Triplets, serves only locally-sourced food.
• 6/F Parnjit Tower, Soi Thong Lor, Sukhumvit 55,
02-712-8066. Open Wed-Sun 6-10pm

Chatree “Tee” KachorKlin,
chef/owner, La Table de Tee
After a stint at Michelin-starred French restaurant
Roussillon in London, Tee has returned to Thailand with
a desire to share his knowledge and flair for innovation
and to support Thai farmers and meat suppliers.
• 69/5 Soi Sala Daeng, 02-636-3220. Open Tue-Sun 6:30-10:30pm

Cameron Stuart
executive chef, Bed Supperclub
The new chef at Bed Supperclub, Cameron juggles the standard menu, the monthly menu, the weekend surprise menu, as well as an all-local “Locavore” set-menu that is available once a month and employs both Western and
Thai influences.
• 26 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-651-3537. Open Sun-Thu 7:30-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 9pm sharp for the set menu

Paul Quarchioni
chef/owner, Le Café Siam
Formerly the sous chef at the Mandarin Oriental’s French restaurant, Le Normandie, Paul has opened his own restaurant with a special emphasis on locally-made products and a menu that changes every two days.
• 4 Soi Sri Aksorn, Chuan Phloeng Rd., 02-671-0030.
Open daily 6:30-11pm

Coconut dumplings at Bed Supperclub
• Local ingredients: shredded coconut, palm sugar,
rice flour, coconut cream, pandanus, jasmine flowers,
rose petal
• Imported ingredients: none

Grilled Snapper at Triplets Bistro
• Local ingredients: lotus root, fennel, snapper fish, potato, mushroom, tomatoes, jalapeno, hibiscus reduction
• Imported ingredient: olive oil

Rosemary-crusted duck at Le Cafe Siam
• Local ingredients: duck, rosemary, potatoes, snap peas
• Imported ingredients: olive oil, vanilla bean

Where Else to Get Local Produce

Or tor kor market
The prices here may be higher than most other markets and supermarkets in Bangkok, but that’s because Or Tor Kor has a reputation for carefully selected meats and produce, including custom-grown cold-weather veggies. We’ve spoken to many chefs, including Bo and Dylan of Bo.Lan, who say they do the bulk of their shopping here. Parking can be a drag, so we suggest taking the MRT and going home in a cab.
• Kamphaengpet Road. Open daily 6am-8pm

Klong Toei Market
Catering to Bangkok’s many workers from the Northeast, this market is way cheaper than Or Tor Kor, but way crazier, too. Melting ice is dripping, chickens are squawking, butchers are hacking up large animals piece by piece, all before your very eyes. It’s an amazing, if squeamish, reminder that food comes from the ground and from cute, furry animals, not from boxes and plastic wrap.
• Rama IV Road. Open daily 6am-2pm

Lemon Farm
Lemon Farm is all about creating communities of farmers in order to source organic, macrobiotic, and yes, honest-to-god made-in-Thailand food stuff.
• J. Avenue in Chaengwattana, 02-575-2222. Open Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat-Sun 8am-9pm. For other branches, see www.lemonfarm.com

Royal Project Foundation
A local wonderland of hard-to-find produce

Founded by His Majesty the King, The Royal Project Foundation in Chiang Mai has a three-fold mission: eliminating illegal cultivation of opium, promoting reforestation by dissuading hill tribes from slash-and-burn farming methods and strengthening the livelihoods of farmers competing with cheaper produce imported from abroad.

While most locally-minded chefs receive bulk deliveries straight from Chiang Mai, us home cooks can also partake in their fare. The annex store in Bangkok, the Doi Kham Shop next to Talat Or Tor Kor, receives fresh produce a couple of times a week and stocks locally-grown rarities like jalapenos, artichokes, Swiss chard, Japanese pumpkin, radicchio and much more.

• 101 Kamphaengpet Rd., 02-299-1551. MRT Kamphaengpet.
Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 7am-6pm

Local Alternatives
Comparing costs on these ‘luxury’ goodies.

Vegetables
• Artichokes (Australia), B119 for one at Villa Market
• Artichokes (Thailand), B75 for two at the Doi Kham Shop

Wine
• 2007 Terra Maltum Altum Reserve Chardonnay (Chile), B999 at Wine Connection
• 2009 Monson Valley Colombard (Thailand), B600 at Wine Connection

Coffee
• Starbucks Espresso Blend (International), B490 for 250g at any Starbucks
• Doi Tung Espresso Roast (Thailand), B234 for 200g at Villa Market

Herbs
• Fresh sage (USA), B89 for one packet at Villa Market
• Fresh sage (Thailand), B10 for one packet at the Doi Kham Shop

Cheese
• Buffalo mozzarella (Italy) is B135 for 100g, at Villa Market
• Buffalo mozzarella (Thailand), B85 from 125g, at Villa Market

SH: First impressions of Shanghai?

Yoko Ono: This is my first time in China. I had absolutely no expectations. When I arrived at the airport I felt how I imagine Marco Polo must have felt when he first came here. I was in total awe. It was incredible.

SH: Is it difficult being an avant-garde artist and standing apart from the mainstream?

Yoko Ono: I guess it's lonely on this side! But I'm me. I'd rather be myself than copy someone else. Having said that, I'm simultaneously proud and sad about who I am – an artist, and a woman in a modern world.

SH: What do you think of women's position in society these days?

Yoko Ono: It’s very bad. Even in a developed country like the United States, you go to a hospital emergency room and one out of every four women being treated there will have suffered domestic abuse. Society doesn't seem willing to do anything about it, so I feel that I need to stand up for women. 

SH: What inspires your art?

Yoko Ono: I really don't know what inspiration is. My ideas come to me when I don't have any thoughts. I like to keep my mind as empty as possible to let the ideas get through. When I have other things like family stuff in mind, the ideas don't come.

SH: How do you deal with criticism? 

Yoko Ono: It's human nature to fear not being accepted by society. I'm a human being, so I feel that way too. But I believe in my work. Critics are fallible – some of them may not be good at their job. A lot of people hate me for marrying John Lennon, and that hate is huge. However, I have so many fans that I turn all of my attention to being loved.

SH: Do you still hope for world peace?

Yoko Ono: Of course. Peace has always been my major concern. – Raemin Zhang