Believe it or not, that’s actually Thai beef—a ribeye for about 5 bucks. 330 grams. Plenty substantial. Some might think I overcooked it, but I like ribeye more medium, fat melted. I see no virtue in unmelted marbling. I also finish it in a pat of butter for even more fat juice.

So this is a happy day, I’ll tell you why.

If you are in tourist places like Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, or Phuket, all the Macro markets stock imported Angus beef from Australia. Decent prices given transportation costs, too. (Makro is the Dutch company Costco copied. If you went in one, only the signage is different.)

Anyway, they stopped stocking the one up here in rural NE with Aussie angus. Thai beef only. Damn. Ok, I’ll try various cuts from Thai vendors. First try was a couple of tenderloins. Nope, not even close. 2nd attempt was a different vendor. That ribeye above. It was delicious. Perfect tenderness, texture, and flavor. Yeah!

Let’s have another look.

Let’s move on to the next topic. I’m back in Pattaya!

When I traveled up to the NE, Mukdahan province, over three weeks ago, I took my motorbike.

Then I hung around for 3 weeks and did 2 nights in the hospital for severe electrolyte depletion.

Far had already been up there for a few weeks by the time I arrived. We had a great time building the homestead compound. Then a couple of nights ago we left on the first of two complete trips in order to wrap up Pattaya. A relative of Far’s, who’s a professional big-rig truck driver, plus his wife, plus Far’s son came along. We departed at 9:45 pm, arriving in Pattaya at 9:00 am. A bit over 11 hours. Brutal.

While the driver caught badly needed rest, Far organized and packed her sidewalk kitchen, which will be reestablished up in Mukdahan. She also grabbed her 150cc motorbike.

So here’s my short take on it from the balcony where I get to enjoy the view for a final 3 weeks. They’ll be back down on the 19th of May, and on the morning of the 20th, that’s it.

Let me pass on the best salmon fillet cooking method I’ve adopted. I’ve cooked salmon fillets for decades, many ways. Heretofore, my favorite was to pan-sauté skin side down on medium-high for about 5 min, then a few minutes of flesh under the high broiler, until golden brown.

But what if you just have a charcoal fire in a clay pot

Ok, let me give you the best salmon fillet cooking method. It will push out all other ways, though pan-sautéed and then flesh under the broiler is next best.

1. Get more square filets rather than the narrow ones with the long, thin tails.
2. Aim for 1/2″ minimum at the thickest, 3/8″ at the thinner edges.
3. Get a dry pan piping hot.
4. Add cooking oil. I use palm oil here in Thailand, but coconut or even olive or avocado are ok.
5. Swish the oil all around for a while, like 20 seconds, then dump the excess, leaving just a film.
6. Quickly lightly salt the skin and flesh side, put the skin side down in the pan, and wriggle it around to avoid sticking. Medium high to high. I was on charcoal, so it was just high.
7. Don’t touch; let it sit EXACTLY 5 minutes.
8. Flip to the flesh side. Cook EXACTLY 2 minutes. 7 min cook time total.
9. Plate skin side down, rub it with a small amount of unsalted butter (like 1/2 pat). Drip on lemon or lime to preference. Let it rest for 1 minute.

Best salmon fillet ever.

My favorite pairing is pan-sautéed baby asparagus, rice, or both.

So now to the final subject, recovering from my electrolyte crash (plus sleep deprivation and auditory hallucinations). Here’s a link again to the story.

Recovery was initially maddeningly slow. I began to wonder whether I had done permanent damage. Principally, motor control was seriously compromised, and I had to hold onto something. It’s like being half drunk.

It’s been about 2 weeks since the incident began. Once out of the hospital, it was about four days until significant improvement in motor control, and then improvement was rapid, and now I’m essentially back to normal.

As I mentioned in the initial story post, big contributing factors were extreme heat with no relief except fans, too much whiskey (way too much), and essentially, malnutrition (way too little food). Toss sleep deprivation onto that, which is what brought on the auditory hallucinations.

I found another one. I happen to like baking soda because it settles my stomach, and especially when I drink. I get heartburn a lot. Nuclear variety. Nothing kills it faster than a tsp of sodium bicarbonate stirred in a glass of water. Well, the amount I was drinking, I was downing a lot of baking soda. A lot of teaspoons every day for days.

What happens is the sodium bicarbonate is 2x just regular salt. I was getting a whopping amount. And what happens? The sodium/potassium balance gets disturbed, and the high sodium pushes out potassium.

Anyway, I’m now focusing a lot more on potassium. The first thing to go was dropping the booze (not a drop in over 2 weeks) and just eating. I’ve been eating a lot. Making up for lost calories over weeks.

Everyone knows about bananas and potatoes for potassium, and I include them. I also do some electrolyte drink packets that are refreshing and tasty.

I discovered 2 new great sources high in potassium.

The first is dates, of all things. Did you know that only 3 measly dates give you 200 mg? So, three dates in the AM and three more in the PM for 400 mg.

What else? Damn beans. A standard can of baked beans has 1,000 mg. A half can gives you 500 mg. And beans are great. Excellent alternative paring with meats.

Anyway, I’m back, and that’s all for today.