ScandAsia Thailand - February 2015

FEB 2015
Deliciously
Scandinavian
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Coming Events
Viking Wheelers:
Around Bangphra
Reservoir
21 February 2015
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Swedish DJ star
headlines new
music festival
in Bangkok
By Joakim Persson
Stece Angello, a Swedish DJ-star, is now bound
for Bangkok following his recent performance
at the sell-out ZoukOut Festival 2014 in
December in Singapore. The artist/DJ/remixer will
headline the first ‘Maya Music Festival’ on 7 March
2015. Steve Angello is in particular known as a
member of the former trio Swedish House Mafia.
The event will take place in Northern Bangkok
and is described as a world-class festival of Thai arts
and electronic music. It is organised by Thailandbased
FEEL Corporation with the support from the
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
‘Maya Music Festival: A Miracle of Art, Magical
of Sound’ brings a combination of the miracle of
Eastern arts and the magical of Western electronic
music to the world’s first Naga-theme stage,
featuring a state-of-the-art production and the
legendary Steve Angello. In total four internationally
renowned and four local DJs will perform including
The Viking Wheelers will on 21 February
repeat one of its classic rides which goes
around the Bangphra Reservoir near Si
Racha organized by Finn Soerensen.
The Vikings plan to split into two
groups, one riding a little faster and a little
longer than the not so fast guys. The plan
is to meet somewhere near Bangphra/Si
Racha at about 9 am, do the cycling and
return to the meeting place followed by
lunch.
Contact Finn Sorensen (finn@caretex.
dk) for details if you wish to join.
Markuz Schulz, Paullie and Ono.
Set to showcase the distinct characteristic of
the Thai people and the nation’s cultural assets or
“Thainess”, the festival is in line with TAT’s new
campaign. The elaborately designed Naga-theme
stage will play a part in presenting the unique Thai
fine arts to the global scene. The story of the King
of Naga under the majestic Chao Phraya River will
be told on a 20-metre height stage designed by
one of Thailand’s top architects. The Maya Music
Festival will also be held in Shanghai, Sydney and
New York in 2015.
The first Maya Music Festival takes place at the
11th Infantry Regiment, King’s Guard (Rab 11) in
Bangkhen, Bangkok. The event venue is designed to
hold 1,500 seats in the VIP zone and up to 25,000
people in the regular zone.
For more info: www.mayamusicfestival.com

February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5

News Brief
Marimekko opens stores
in Bangkok, Singapore
Photo: Marimekko
Danish Ambassador to Thailand Mikael H Winther (fourth from left) is among
guests who attend the grand opening of Bang & Olufsen flagship store at
Gaysorn Plaza. Photo courtesy of Bang & Olufsen Thailand.
Bang & Olufsen opens flagship
store at Gaysorn Plaza
Danish owned HW Trading
Co., Ltd., Thailand’s new
exclusive distributor of
Denmark’s iconic audiovisual
electronic brand, Bang & Olufsen,
unveiled its flagship store at Gaysorn
Plaza at a grand opening in the
evening of January 22. The party
was attended by Who’s Who on
Bangkok’s A-listers and enthusiastic
fans of B&O products, the
embodiment of ultra luxury lifestyle.
On hand to welcome guests
were Kenneth Hovmoller and Peter
Waagensen, who are determined
to relaunch this top-tier Danish
brand with distinctive aesthetics,
cutting-edge technologies and
• internationally recognized
• gives admission to universities
all over the world
• taught in English
You can stay at Nyborg Gymnasium’s
boarding school.
Contact us for more information about
the programme and the boarding school.
Deadline for applications:
15th of March
uncompromising quality, to reach out
to well-established customer base as
well as to the younger generations of
sophisticated consumers.
The B&O store in Thailand is the
third in the world - after Shanghai
and New York City - to feature
Beoplay lifestyle products as part of
the concept store, alongside B&O
main line of home entertainment
systems.
Beoplay products are positioned
at lower- to mid-market as an entry
point for new generations of younger
people to familiarize themselves with
quality lifestyle products that are as
well-designed as they are pleasing
to look at.
International Baccalaureate
- an alternative to the Danish
‘Studentereksamen’
Opportunities afforded by
the growing consumer
markets of Asia play an
important role in Marimekko’s
internationalisation. Over the past
three years, new markets have been
opened up in China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan, and the Marimekko stores in
Asia have doubled in number.
Marimekko is continuing its
expansion in Asia. Retailer-owned
Marimekko stores will be opened
in the major Southeast Asian
metropolises of Singapore and
Bangkok in spring 2015. The intention
is to open more stores in the next
few years. The forthcoming store
in Singapore will be in an excellent
business location in the new
Capitol Piazza mall. A Marimekko
shop-in-shop was already opened
in November 2014 at the famous
Nyborg Gymnasium & Kostskole
Skolebakken 13, DK-5800 Nyborg, tlf +45 65 31 02 17
post@nyborg-gym.dk, www.nyborg-gym.dk
Tangs department store, whose
international peers include, for
example, Bloomingdale’s of New
York and London’s Selfridges. The
Bangkok store will be opened in
one of the city’s biggest and busiest
shopping centres, Central World,
which attracts as many as 150,000
customers a day.
“In our expansion in the
international marketplace, we have
focused first and foremost on
regions with high growth potential.
The Asia-Pacific region is our
second-largest market area, and we
already have a fairly strong foothold
in East Asia. We are now aiming
for two new markets in Southeast
Asia as Marimekko stores are
opened in Singapore and Bangkok
in the spring,” says Mika Ihamuotila,
President and CEO.
“Singapore is a modern
metropolis and very attractive to
us, as it is considered one of the
region’s top shopping destinations
for tourists. As an aviation gateway
it also serves as an access point to
many Asian countries, and the city
receives an enormous number of
travellers. The capital city of Thailand,
Bangkok, is in an interesting stage
of development from the retail
viewpoint. A number of high-class
malls have been opened in the
city recently, and it is rising to be a
noteworthy rival to Singapore and
Hong Kong,” Ihamuotila continues.
Half of the new Marimekko
stores opened in 2014 were in the
Asia-Pacific region: two in Hong
Kong, one in Chengdu in mainland
China, two in Seoul in South Korea,
and two in Japan. In Australia,
Marimekko opened a companyowned
store in Melbourne. Two
further shop-in-shops were opened,
one in New Zealand and another in
Singapore.
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7

Christ Church was once again
filled with Scandinavian residents
in Thailand in the afternoon of
Christmas Eve on 24 December
2014. The special service during
which the gospel is read in your own tongue - with
other parts being read in other Nordic languages
- is a very old arrangement at first initiated by
Scandinavian Society Siam with the vicar of Christ
Church holding the sermon. It may date as far
back as to the second World War during which
the Danish community were caretakers of the
British institutions in Bangkok while the British had
either managed to escape or - if they had been
too self confident - were laying down railway
tracks in Kanchanaburi or “comforting” Japanese
officers at hotels in Bangkok.
Today, Scandinavian Society Siam is still part of
the event, but since the establishment of a Church
of Sweden in Bangkok, the association has taken a
step back and only provides for a Merry Christmas
glass of wine in the Church yard after the service.
This year, the service was conducted by vicar
Lars Ryderstad. The gospel was ready by Danish
Consul Birgit Sarah Kondrup-Palmqvist Carlstedt,
Norwegian Einar Davis, Swedish Per-Anders
Andersson and - instead of Palli Steinarsson -
Icelandic Consul Poul Weber.
The psalms were accompanied by organist
Mabel Bandgren who also accompanied solo
singer Trudi Carleson who entertained three
times during the service and was rewarded with
a big applause after her last performance.
Claus Gundersen, Scandinavian Society Siam’s
treasurer, was host at the get-together outside
the Church.
After the service a Finnish service was held.
Traditional Christmas
Service in Bangkok
by
Gregers Moller
Photos Disraporn Yatprom
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

Scandinavian
Christmas Bazaar 2014
raised funds for 101 surgeries
By Saana Haataja
For the second year in a row Scandinavian
Ladies, their international friends and
ISB High School ‘Kids Action for Kids’
Club organized a Scandinavian themed
Christmas Bazaar to raise funds for
surgeries to Thai children born with a cleft palate,
a cleft lip and other facial deformities. This special
fundraiser event took place in Nichada on a sunny
Saturday, just before the first advent.
The long-waited day finally arrived with
excitement for two reasons: firstly, will all the
hard work from the past months pay-off and
secondly,… will the Santa Claus find his way to
Nichada? The preparations had started already
in May, following up with product testing, several
crafts workshops for children and adults, raffle
tickets selling and a lot of baking among other
things. The working team really wanted to make
sure this year’s bazaar would be even bigger
and better than last year. But really, no matter a
person’s age, the possibility of seeing Santa Claus
face-to-face was probably again the most thrilling
of all.
The bazaar did, in fact, look amazing by
spreading to several stalls upstairs of Nichada
Plaza mall. Just the crafts stalls with flowerpots,
lanterns, julegubbar, ornaments, reindeer families,
wooden Christmas trees, Christmas prints and so
on took several tables. During the whole day the
Café hardly had one table free as cakes, cookies,
Norwegian style hot dogs disappeared to mouths
of visitors, of whom some spent several hours
at the bazaar being entertained by the different
activities.
In the end of the day the Bazaar Leader Anne
Gry Ranchill could not have had a bigger smile on
her face: “The idea was to create some Nordic
Christmas spirit to Bangkok and have many
people share this unique experience with us.
Now I can tell, this year we had a record number
of small and bigger visitors joining us for playful
games, creative workshops, Christmas treats,
and for bringing season’s greetings to others
with gifts and decorations. What came to Santa
Claus, he did find his way to us on time despite
all traffic congestion in the Bangkok air space. It
seemed the Santa Claus had waited for seeing
the children as much the children had waited for
him - Santa’s corner was constantly filled with shy
smiles, heartening hugs and secretive whispers to
the Santa’s ear”.
The bazaar team sends its warmest thanks
to all generous people and companies for
their incredible contributions. The Scandinavian
Christmas Bazaar and Raffle were able to raise
a net result of THB 1.265.821, which with Dtac’s
match will be enough to give to 101 children born
with a cleft lip and/or a cleft palate the muchneeded
surgeries. This result is very significant
to Kids Action for Kids’ work in helping the lessprivileged
children whose healthcare system does
not support them, and whose families cannot
afford the corrective surgery.
A very warm THANK YOU to all of you and
Happy holiday season!
Watch a short-film of the four brave families
who let Kids Action for Kids share their stories
with you. Please meet Lak, Ou, Google, Rin and
Ohm:
http://youtu.be/uXNCMHFDdt8
Follow Kids Action for Kids’ current projects:
www.kidsactionforkids.org and Facebook
www.facebook.com/kidsactionforkids
FACT BOX
One out of every 700 babies in Thailand
is born with cleft lip or cleft palate.
These kids are often unable to eat,
speak, socialize and smile, and their families can
often not afford to pay for an operation. Kids
Action for Kids (KAFK) organization works
in close cooperation with Operation Smile
Thailand (OST), which takes care of the medical
part, and Dtac, which matches every Thai baht
it raises. Since founded in 2009, KAFK has
conducted more than 500 surgeries in Thailand.
Currently KAFK is in process of completing
120 surgeries at Maharat Nakorn Ratchasima
Hospital in Korat Province. In 2015 KAFK’s
goal is to raise funds to double the number
of surgeries. KAFK will continue with 120 new
surgeries in Thailand, and enter Myanmar and
target 120 surgeries there, too.
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9

Arla establishes
new business region in Asia
Arla chose Kuala Lumpur as location
for new regional Head Quarters
serving China and all of South
East Asia
Arla Foods is integrating its
markets in China and South East Asia in a new
regional market called Business Unit Asia. The
regional office will be placed in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, as of March 1st 2015.
Asia is vital to Arla’s ambitions to grow
and to increase earnings for its cooperative
farmer-owners in Europe. As the world’s fastest
growing economic region with a raw milk deficit
and a total population of 2.3 billion people,
Asia holds great potential for dairy export, in
particular for family nutrition products.
China is a strategic growth market for Arla,
while South East Asia (SEA) has been identified
as a region, which could potentially become a
new strategic growth market. The expectation
is that revenue for the region will exceed 1
billion Euro within the next five years. The
consumer needs in China and SEA have many
similarities and therefore possible synergies
within brand and product portfolio, marketing
and innovation.
“In close cooperation with our partner
Mengniu, we have developed our market in
China. We have gained important experience
and insight, which will be levers to accelerate
our expansion in Asia. We have strengthened
our presence in several SEA countries and
it’s time to move the senior management
and main leadership functions to the region,”
says Executive Vice President Finn Hansen,
head of Arla Foods’ business group, Consumer
International.
The new Business Unit Asia management
will be based in a regional office in Kuala Lumpur
and will be setting the strategy for all retail and
food service activities in Asia. The unit will cover
the Chinese retail sales through the partnership
with Mengniu Dairy China as well as the SEA
market. During 2014, Arla has established or
strengthened the country management in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Philippines,
and these as well as the management in Japan
and South Korea and distributor sales in SEA
will all report to the regional office.
New head of Asia
To head Arla’s new Business Unit Asia Jesper
Colding is appointed as Senior Vice President
as of March 1st. Jesper is currently holding
a position in the executive management of
Mengniu Dairy China as Vice President for
Marketing. From 2009 to 2012, Jesper Colding
was Senior Vice President in Global Categories
in Arla with responsibility for cheese and the
BSM category. Earlier in his career, he was based
in Malaysia as associate director in P&G with
sales and marketing responsibility for Malaysia
and Singapore.
“Jesper has a broad strategic and commercial
Jesper Colding is appointed head of Arla’s new
Business Unit Asia.
experience and an in-depth knowledge of
the consumers in both China and South East
Asia. I am confident that he is the right profile
to continue the development of China even
further and to lead both the new regional team
and country managers to a successful delivery
of growth in Asia,” says Finn Hansen.
Jesper Colding is excited to relocate to
Kuala Lumpur to take up a new challenge for
Arla:
“Asia holds so much potential. There is a
growing affluence among people and they are
becoming increasingly aware of the importance
of good health and choice of nutrition. We
will build on the great foundation that has
been created to refine our approach to the
market in order to accelerate delivery of the
strategic ambition. I am fortunate to have the
opportunity to lead the next phase of Arla’s
journey in a region I have lost my heart to.”
Current head of Arla’s Business Unit
China, Frede Juulsen, will take up a new role
in Arla, which includes responsibility for TPM
(Third Party Manufacturing), Global Infant Milk
Formula and the Supply Chain in Consumer
International.
The market for one of Arla’s key products, cheese, is expanding rapidly in all the countries in Asia. It started
with mozarella for pizza’s but today the taste has become much more sophisticated.
Photo: Chris Buecheler.
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

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February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11

Erika to teach
Malays how to
“Fika”
With a Masters Degree in
International Relations and an
ambition to start an NGO in
Malaysia, opening a Swedish “fika”
café in Georgetown might not
seem like the obvious choice for
Erika Teng, none the less Erika has
chosen this, as a way to inspire
people in Malaysia and as her first
step on the road to start an NGO.
By Lasse Henriksen
When Erika’s cafe “Fika” opened on the 17th of January, this counter was full
of semla, cinnamon buns and other Swedish pastry.
In a narrow lane of moldy looking colonial shop houses in the UNESCO
heritage neighborhood of Georgetown there is a house with a fresh
painted facade. At first glance this looks like any other of the few newly
painted houses on the street, but if you study the small painted frieze
on the building you will see an elk and what appears to be blackberries.
Here in an anglo-oriental atmosphere from the 19th century the 32 year old
Swede Erika Teng is opening a Swedish themed café.
“I don’t want a trendy or hyped café. I want a café with a relaxed
atmosphere, a café that welcomes everyone as they are. I want to make sure
local people can afford to go to, so the prices won’t be too high,” Erica says.
This approach is in contrast to a lot of the cafés in photogenic
Georgetown, where you will find cafes as the #SelfieCoffee, where baristas
paint pictures and logos on the coffee foam. This is a city where a lot of newly
opened cafés seem to focus on interior design and where the cakes tend to
look better than they taste.
But Erica has another mission, even though the café is quite stylish with a
row of retro window shutters decorating a wall, simplistic white surfaces and
pinewood details, she wants people to come for the social experience rather
than the visual. She wants people to come for the so called “fika” experience.
“Fika is usually one of the first words you learn when you come
to Sweden, it means sitting down having a break together with friends,
colleagues or family, having a cup of coffee and a cake, and then talk about
things. It can be just ordinary things or political, and I really feel that in Sweden
the coffee break, either with your friends or at work, is where things actually
gets decided and evolves,” Erika says.
Pastry of change
The good talks that Erika knows from the Fika-tradition are very important
to her. She wants the café to be more than a café. It should be a source
of inspiration to Malays, by showcasing Swedish culture and values through
posters and small cards with facts about Sweden. A fact like there is free
education in Sweden, the percentage of men that goes on maternity leave
and similar information that might surprise locals and show them that there
are many ways to build a society.
“It’s not about showing that Sweden is the best country in the world,
and that we do it the right way. I think every country should develop its own
way. But it is important that young people feel that they can make a change
or difference,” Erica says.
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

Q&A
Reader profile of the month
People starting to discuss gender issues or
social inequality in Malaysia, rather than taking
selfies, is not going to happen by itself. The main
tool to secure this is to disconnect the Wi-Fi and
have chat with people that are surprised that they
can’t get online.
Erika knows that she, in many ways, are more
privileged than the average Malay, but she hopes
that a good talk can show locals that it is possible
to do things in new ways and inspire them to
become active players in the society rather than
spectators.
Let’s talk cake
Well, coffee is coffee, and even though Erika plans
to sell a European rosted fair trade version, the
main focus is on the pastry.
Even though the menu will be constantly
changing and the recipes adjusted a bit to suit
the Malay taste, some things will stay the same.
There will always be sugarfree options baked
with natural sweeteners, some of the pastry will
be baked using whole grain flour and of course
classics like Semla or the Swedish cinnamon bun
will stay on the menu throughout the year.
In addition to cakes, the café will serve
traditional Swedish breakfast with homemade
müesli youghurt, bread with cheeses, shrimp
sandwich and possibly also a cold salmon sandwich.
The light interior is inspired by the simplicity
of modern Scandinavian design, but Erika have
learned that with Malaysia’s bright sun, it can be
blinding if every surface is painted white. When
the cafe opens, there will be cards with facts about
Swedish society on the tables.
The family gets it
Erika is married to Malay man with Chinese
ancestry, and she has used his family to test what
pastry they like and to see if the family approved
of the “fika” concept. The family turned out to be
a valuable source of feedback. Even though she felt
they were being a little harsh in the beginning, her
husband explained to her, that the criticism was
actually a positive thing.
“The more they talk about it, the more they
like it. Because then they think it can actually be
improved to be really good. So they just want to
hint you in the right direction. If it is hopeless they
won’t say anything,” Erika says.
The family has also embraced the talking and
togetherness of the traditional fika. Gathering the
family is not a new thing, but traditionally they
have done it over dinner and not a cup of coffee.
Erika opened her café named Fika on January
the 17th and she hopes that this will just be the
first step of a larger journey. It is located in Lorong
Toh Aka number 20.
“When I moved here my main purpose was
to do something for the society. I thought how do I
start up a NGO in Malaysia from scratch, I need to
know more about the place and to get in contact
with people, and so I got the idea of opening up a
café to start with and then it can evolve to more
than just being a café,” Erika says.
Jan
Jørgensen
Jan Jørgensen is a 48 years Dane. He
is the Managing Director of Atlas
Pearls & Perfumes and moved to
Indonesia in 1994 because of a job
opportunity in the pearling industry.
As a child in Nykøbing Falster he was
fascinated watching and reading about
pearl divers sinking into the deep
blue. Jan studied Aquaculture in Perth,
Western Australia, and started his
pearling career in Kupang, West Timor.
Now 20 years into his Indonesian
adventure he lives on Bali with his wife
and their two boys.
Working in Indonesia has taught me...
infinite patience and religious tolerance, to
the degree where I can’t see how otherwise I
would ever have developed such tolerance. A
major part of our operations is to develop relationships
and ultimately agreements with local
communities surrounding our remote pearl
farms and this is very much the most crucial
aspect of operating here in Indonesia.
The best thing about doing business in
Indonesia is...
the process of developing trust, once you have
trust then you are friends and partners for life,
very loyal and hardworking people.
In Indonesia I could do without..
the pollution there is so much more we can
do to help steer this in a better direction.
My best advice to a newcomer in
Indonesia...
is to first observe and never to think that
business can be done by taking shortcuts and
without permits. Work within the rules and
regulations and always calculate in benefits to
the traditional stakeholders.
Since 1994 Indonesia has...
changed in unbelievable ways, I relied mainly
on ferries to get around the various islands but
occasionally used airplanes which back then
had open policy in terms of allowing smoking
inside the cabin(not something I ever want
to re live). These days flying around Indonesia
have become a much smoother experience.
To have seen the Indonesian middle class
gather pace so quickly, ownership of cars, motorbikes
and houses and having expendable
income is an incredible achievement.
Living outside of Scandinavia has made
me realize...
that it takes all races, religions and beliefs to
make this world go around, regardless of who
we are we all have very similar needs and concerns
in regards to profession, family and life
in general.
Since I became an expat Danish traditions
have...
become somewhat limited but we do maintain
traditional meals for Christmas and Bali being
so packed with variety I am able to sneak in
some marzipan and nougat on occasion! I have
known many Scandinavians during my time in
Indonesia, there have been some real characters
living in very remote parts of the country
and it is amazing to see how they always tend
to keep a slice of their home traditions and
values with them wherever they go.
In Indonesia I have picked up the habit...
of drinking “mud coffee”, this is what I call it
anyway using a table spoon of “kopi kapal api”
and letting it settle in a large glass of boiling
water and of course having a good selection
of Batik Shirts when meeting representatives
from the government.
I go home to Scandinavia..
hardly ever, the last time I was home I was
invited by my Grandfather to stay at his home,
even though this was in June I gave in after the
first night and asked if I could move a mattress
into his sauna, once set at 25 degrees I was
able to finally sleep without freezing. I doubt
I will be able to return to Denmarks climate
after my time in Indonesia.
Eventually I want to leave for Australia...
because my Parents are based in Perth and
our 2 boys are very close to their Grandparents,
Perth is where we had a home for over
10 years and have returned for holidays to
visit family and friends so definitely Perth is on
our radar.
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13

Agneta’s
World
“Once upon a Milkshake”
This sounds more or less like the
beginning of a fairytale and in one way,
it could be. What is so special about
milkshakes you might ask and I asked
the same, when I met the owner of
the milkshake bar “Once upon a Milkshake”. This
relatively new Milkshake bar is located in Siam
Paragon on the G level in the food court. You can
hardly miss it, the purple color of the bar really
sticks out.
As I am allergic to diary products and only can
taste small amounts of diary products, I have never
really been into Milkshakes. When I see people
drinking them, I’ve always wanted to try as they
are colorful and stimulating, but until a few days
ago, I’ve never tried one.
Milkshakes have just recently become popular
in Thailand. The Thai people have avoided diary
products as many just don’t feel well eating them
and are not used to it. Since Swensen’s , Starbucks
and Cold stones entered the Thai market, more
and more Thais have become familiar with
milkshakes and it has become a popular snack
among young people.
“Once upon a Milkshake” is a Singaporean
brand that makes “real milkshakes”.
“What does that mean”? I asked the owner.
He explained, “most milkshakes contain ice,
but this brand use only soft ice cream. It’s in fact,
more correct to call the drinks containing ice
Frappe instead of milkshake”.
Now we know.
At “Once upon a Milkshake”, you can order
among many different tastes and they are all
named after fairy tale characters. Daniel and
I enjoyed the bubblegum shake topped with
colorful candies and with a rich taste.
I also asked the owner how many milkshakes
he approximately sells during a day and he
answered, “around 50 cups/day, but the goal is
150 cups during an average day”.
My advice, when you are shopping at Siam
Paragon, take your time and visit Once upon a
Milkshake, enjoy the richness and flavors of the
different shakes and you will find new and more
energy to shop away…
Daniel Herron
Agneta de Bekassy
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

Dusit Thani’s
new top floor restaurant Photos Daniel Herron
Nick Ramirez, new chef at 22 Kitchen & Bar.
The other day, Daniel and I walked
into Hotel Dusit Thani and wanted to
take a look at the newly decorated
restaurant 22 Kitchen & Bar. This
restaurant offers a great view
overlooking the Lumpini Park. It’s a light and cool
restaurant with sofas in the color turquoise, light
wooden tables and a big bar.
Here we met with the interesting and good
looking chef, Mr. Nick Ramirez, who has only been
in Bangkok a few months.
Nick tells us that he was born on Maui, Hawaii,
father Latin American, quite obvious when you
see his olive skin and dark brown eyes.
This young man is only 27 years old, but has
already collected a good amount of experience.
He has worked as Sous Chef on the opening
team of the Wine Cask in California, USA. There
he developed a passion for food integrity and
a sharp eye for details. He was also joining the
team as Chef de Cuisine at El Encanto by Orient
Express, located on Santa Barbara’s Riviera and
helped opening the restaurant Blue Tavern, before
he decided to go back to Wine Cask.
“I am in fact a restaurant guy, which should
not be compared with Chef de Cuisine,” Nick
says modestly.
Today Nick is serving and introducing Pacific
coastal cuisine to his guests. He prefers to cook
seafood, but when asked which dish he likes most,
he answers that “all my dishes on the menu are
good!” It’s kind of Hawaiian style. Hawaiian food
is a unique history of influence from China, Japan,
Korea and Portugal.
We also get to know that he is a dedicated
soccer player and he has played for a Rumanian
team. He had no idea about Asia before he came
here, but he is impressed by the friendly Thai
people and he likes the culture a lot. I had to ask
if he also likes the Thai food and he answers quick,
“Yes, I think Thai food has great flavors”.
Nick is still a bachelor, but I wonder for how
long????
Why not having dinner at 22 Kitchen & Bar?
I’m sure you will not be disappointed. The 22
Kitchen & Bar is well worth a visit.
Ice cream for desert
After every good meal, you might fancy a dessert.
If you are close to Central Embassy, I would
recommend you to go for an ice cream at
NITROGENIE, a magic Ice Cream store. This is the
first place in Bangkok that makes ice cream with
nitrogen and the concept comes from Australia.
You will see this little store from far away, as it
comes like clouds of smoke from the shop.
These ice creams have a heavenly taste, so
delightful and it almost feels like they have no
calories, but that is, of course, not true. When you
inject nitrogen, the ice cream freezes instantly and
is not allowing any crystals to form. That is what
makes the texture so smooth and creamy.
There are many different flavors to try and I
went for a Nutella scoop and it tasted like more.
Give it a try!
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15

Agneta’s
World
From shakes
to cocktails at
Wolff’s Jazz Bar!
Photos Daniel Herron
A
while ago I found out, that one of my
neighbors just opened up a small bar
at Sukhumvit Soi 11. As most of you
know, soi 11 is crowded with bars
and restaurants and my first thought
was, help, not another bar…….
This bar is called Wolff’s and doesn’t only offer
the obligatory beverages; it also provides you with
international top jazz musicians.
When Daniel and I paid a visit one late evening,
two well known musicians, the Dane saxophonist
Jakob Dinesen and the guitarist, US born Daniel
Phillips were entertaining the guests. The guitarist
Daniel and I already met when he and a band
performed at the Swiss embassy last year. I am not a
big fan of modern jazz, but I have to admit that these
guys are real professionals and know how to play. I
think that this kind of jazz you have to understand
and get familiar with before you really can enjoy it.
On that same evening, the owner of the bar
Mr. Harlan Wolff and his wife were present and
Mr. Wolff had just introduced his second book,
“Bangkok rules” to the visitors. This author has lived
in Thailand since 1977 and his grandfather was a
Swedish children’s book author. The books Mr.
Wolff writes are as far as possible from a children’s
story. With a background as a private investigator
in Thailand, his books tell us about the red districts,
crimes, sex, drugs, alcohol, you just name it…he also
admits that he once upon a time was one of those
“wild and crazy guys.”
Today he has calmed down and is a dedicated
family father with young children. I can certify that
as I on and off see him playing around with the
kids. If you want to find out about his” interesting”
former life, you can order his books at Amazon’s,
buy them at Asia Bookstores or just stop by the bar.
You can also email him if you would like a signed
copy, harlanwolff@hush.com
Daniel and I were given a signed book each
when we met Harlan and I have just started to
read it and I promise you, it’s a crazy, gritty and real
account of a Bangkok based PI’s milieu….to use
Harlan’s own words.
Drop by the bar, enjoy a drink or two, have
supper (the bar also have a restaurant) and then go
back home and start to read BANGKOK RULES!
My suggestions for this month.
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015

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February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17

Sweden’s Ambassador to Malaysia:
“Malaysia is a bit forg
By Joakim Persson
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015
When Ambassador Bengt G.
Carlsson arrived to Malaysia
for his first head of mission
posting, he had a re-start as
beginning: the re-opening of
the embassy following on a Swedish government
decision to first close it down and then reopen
it again.
“We arrived here in early September 2012
when just over a year had passed by since the
closure of the previous embassy,” begins the
Ambassador.
The new embassy is situated in an office
building at walking distance from KL City Center -
with a slightly slimmed organisation compared to
the old embassy. A new residence has also been
acquired.
The Ambassador’s new deputy, Counsellor
Louise Bonbeck arrived in 2014 from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in Sweden. A Stockholm-based
Defence Attaché also comes and goes, depending
on events and activities.
“Defence trade with Malaysia goes back all
the way to the 1960’s,” says Bengt G. Carlsson.
“And there are several deals on the cards and at
various stages. So that’s no secret.”
Promoting the military defence systems from
the SAAB Group, with the JAS Gripen fighter as
an element, is naturally part of it.
“And to assist the promotion, we have a
trade promoter; Jenn Lew, re-recruited from the
previous embassy team.”
“This is first and foremost a trade and business
promoting embassy – we should be concentrating
on offensive tasks, such as supporting business
activities, and of course we have a consular
service.”
As for regular passport service for Swedes
normally the mission in Singapore handles this
these days.
“Sweden now has a policy to concentrate
passport service around the world. There are
other embassies in the region that can offer full
service, and Singapore is not really far away,”
explains the Ambassador.
“We can issue emergency passports but to
Swedes living here we also recommend them to
renew their passports when they visit Sweden – it
is much cheaper and easier.”
Malaysia forgotten
Bengt G. Carlsson also compares to the much
larger Swedish embassy in Thailand, where he has
also worked previously in his diplomatic career –
and draws a connection: there is this big difference
in visitors from Sweden, where Malaysia enjoys
significantly fewer arrivals.

otten in Sweden”
“Since I know both places – and without
saying anything negative about Thailand; it’s a great
tourist destination – I find this a bit remarkable.
Here we also have so many things to experience!
I think Malaysia is a bit forgotten in Sweden; flying
under the radar.”
After two years in Malaysia the Ambassador
himself feels that he now should travel more and
explore the many things he has yet to discover in
the Southeast-Asian nation.
“I would like to see more interest in various
ways. Everyone knows Thailand and Singapore,
but less the country in-between… and which
is a bit of a mix as well. A lot here, such as the
infrastructure, is also more modern and advanced
than in Thailand, and it’s half the population.”
“I am happy to make the case for Malaysia’s
variety and would welcome more Swedish
tourism – and vice versa.”
The embassy promotes tourism to Sweden,
as much as it can, and partake when there are
opportunities to do so.
Innovation as umbrella
Sweden has new recently elected government is
drawing up its policies and strategies. From the
Swedish Embassy we can still get a broader sense
what we can expect ahead.
Innovation is a matter of the heart that the
Ambassador wants to continue exploring as
theme.
“The previous embassy started a broad
and strategic innovation initiative in 2011. And
it’s something where Malaysia now has a large
interest in and where we [Sweden] have a lot
to offer. The government here is very clear with
that, in order for the country to achieve its grand
2020 vision of becoming a high-income nation
– now they are in the middle-income trap and
treading water but working hard to reach there.
Then they must become more innovative. And
the government here is emphasizing this a lot and
we collaborate with authorities, universities and
investment agencies.”
“And by matching the different needs and
talents we believe we have found a good umbrella
– being innovation – to work with. And within
this you can include a wide variety of things, and
various sub-branches. We try to support those
Swedish companies already present here. That
incorporates for instance transportation where
we have world-class companies established
with assembly plants. Then you per default get
matters of interest concerning road safety, urban
transportation and planning etc. There are also
“opportunities for SMEs, consultancy services etc.
of interest within this,” highlights the Ambassador.
I would like to see more
interest in various
ways. Everyone knows
Thailand and Singapore,
but less the country inbetween…
and which
is a bit of a mix as
well. A lot here, such
as the infrastructure,
is also more modern
and advanced than in
Thailand, and it’s half
the population.
Within official Malaysia as counterpart the
embassy collaborates first and foremost with
the Ministry of International Trade and Industry
(MITI.)
“This is a very important ministry here and
they continue to be interested in Sweden. By
nature this is the ministry to collaborate mostly
with and focus on. There is also an innovation
authority under Prime Minister’s Office that we
have teamed up with together with Business
Sweden and our companies.“
“We are, among other things, working on
doing a roundtable discussion on innovation, trying
to bring that up on a high level, including ministries
and corporate leaders on various sides – for
instance within productivity. We have Swedish
companies such as SKF, Volvo, Scania, Mölnlycke
etc. that could have a lot to contribute when it
comes to increasing productivity in Malaysia.”
Team Sweden
Bengt G. Carlsson says he has been around and
done promotion work in several countries and
the talk of potential is always there. But on this
front he thinks that this is something that Malaysia
really has.
“I think we underperform here. Swedish
companies, in particular SMEs, ought to be able to
have much more success here! So the challenge
is to make Malaysia more visible to companies in
Sweden.”
“We, in the region, have discussed having
more joint promotion activities, and we are
considering doing a smaller road show in Sweden
in the spring, to meet the market so to speak. I
think it would have larger impact if many countries
do this together rather than just one.”
“We like to view ourselves as a part in
‘Team Sweden’, where there are other legs here.
Business Sweden is one and then we have the
companies that we are here to support. All of us
should be involved in this, and different companies
depending on the activity what we are doing at
the moment,” suggests the Ambassador.
“Then, whether it should be purely innovationbased
or in a more specific sector such as health
care or clean tech, I think it’s important that we
work like this but stand united.”
“We do various activities and it’s of course
important to have the Swedish companies along.
That has worked well. And it’s also important to
involve also the academic world in this, to share
research and ideas and as expertise.”
On the Swedish side the new government
must find its way and decide which countries to
visit in the near future.
“Malaysia is probably not on top of the
government’s travel agenda; they are likely to
start closer to home. But we’re hoping the
new government will be interested in Asia and
Malaysia; we’ve had very few ministerial visits here.
Again, I think that has to do with this country
being quite unknown. But this is my job to bring
this to a higher level and making the country
more visible back home. And not just praise and
embellishment; rather giving an informed and
nuanced view. However this is after all a country
with many advantages, among the top in the
world as far as the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ index
is concerned, and a very pleasant and nice country
to live in or visit, one cannot deny that!”
“In our yearly planning we submit promotion
plans and present what we would like to do, and
then we can apply for funding for example to do
these innovation efforts and to attract attention
in media and elsewhere. For us working actively
with promotion and events out here, it is definitely
very important to have access to these resources
so we can combine them with funding and cofinancing
from other stakeholders, such as our
companies here. Successful promotion events are
normally very costly, there is a lot of competition
from other countries as well.”
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19

Cinnamon rolls key to success
for Bali-based Swedish family
The Lassesson-family from Stockholm, Sweden, dreamed of a different life.
An internet ad opened the opportunity to move to the paradise island of Bali.
Nine years later they have built their dream life - and it was grandma’s recipe
for cinnamon rolls that led the way.
Text & Photos: Michael Töpffer
On Tamblingan, the main street in
the Sanur-area of paradise-island
Bali, two towering blond figures
are sitting comfortably in the
shade of a lush tree at a café,
drinking freshly squeezed orange juice.
The name of the café is solid Swedish: Café
Smörgås, or Café Sandwich. Guests entering here
will see large photo-prints hanging on the walls,
showing beautiful and well selected images from
well known locations in Sweden, like Stockholm
old town and the archipelago.
Café Smörgås is a Swedish oasis in the middle
of a tropical paradise.
The two Swedes drinking juice in the shadow
of the tree are Johan and Lotta Lassesson. Café
Smörgås is their brainchild.
It’s somewhat hectic at the café, customers are
coming in a steady stream to find a seat and place
their orders. The staff are busy serving coffee and
juice, sandwiches with Swedish specialities like
meatballs and salmon, and also one-plate meals,
like pasta and, of course, fika - the Swedish term
for a cake or a bun with coffee.
Bestsellers are Swedish cinnamon rolls and
Swedish style apple-pie.
Johan and Lotta look relaxed and have a
healthy appearance. While Johan is wearing
paradise-suitable shorts and a t-shirt, Lotta is
20 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015
wearing her trainer outfit. She will soon be off to
her yoga-course.
“Our café is now almost fully operated by our
staff. We mostly take care of bookkeeping and
payroll,” Johan Lassesson, 50, explains.
“We have a lot of family-time together, both
for our hobbies and for each other. We are truly
living a lifestyle we just a few years ago only could
dream, says Lotta Lassesson, 48, and continues:
“To take that step and to try to realize our
dreams is the best thing we ever did,” she says.
Ten years ago, they were living a very different
kind of life.
The family was living in the suburb of
Bromma, just outside Stockholm. Johan had his
own company in construction-business, with 16
staff. Lotta was an administrator working at state
owned company, Svenska Spel.
Both of them were busy with their careers,
and especially Johan was suffering from constantly
being under pressure as an employer. Time was
always in short supply and daily life felt very
predictable.
“Both of us had for long been thinking of
making a change in our lives, but we didn’t know
how, Johan explains.
They had been thinking of moving to a
different area, or maybe selling the company to
move abroad, maybe to Croatia or Mallorca for
six months, mostly for the fun and the adventure
and to get a rest and to recharge.
“I always dreamed of moving abroad”, says
Johan.
But somehow, their dreams never materialized.
Their first daughter, Siri, was born around
that time. A comment from Lotta’s sister really hit
them in the stomach.
“My older sister told me that ‘remember
that children very easily get sick during their first
years at kindergarten and need a lot of attention
and to stay at home’. Then I felt I did not want
to go through that period and having a stressful
job. I really started to think that it was time to do
something else,” says Lotta.
That moment came in 2005. Johan was
looking at some Internet ads.
“Suddenly there was Swedish man selling s
small hotel in Bali. It sounded too good to be
true,” he says.
The price was the equivalent of USD226,000.
Both him and Lotta had visited Bali as tourists
before, and loved the island. Johan got on the
phone and called Lotta.
“I just told him: ‘Let’s buy it’,” says Lotta.
Then everything went ahead very quickly.
In the summer of 2005, they travelled to
Bali to see the hotel. They made up their mind
and wrote a contract. The transfer date was set

to the coming new year.
Back in Sweden, Johan sold his company, and
Lotta quit her work.
They started to sell their belongings and put
ad out to sell their apartment.
Many of their friends were impressed by their
bold decision to leave the security and safety that
comes with living in Sweden, to give it all up and
throw themselves into the unknown.
By now, they also had a second daughter, Sara,
to take care of.
“Some of our friends said ‘Wow, I wish I could
do the same’,” but I just told them ‘just do it’,”,
says Johan, who also admits that other friends
made efforts to come up with excuses not to do
something similar.
“They could claim they owned a horse or a
dog and that this made it impossible for them to
move abroad,” says Johan.
Even though the Swedish couple was
preparing well, setbacks were inevitable.
In October 2005, Bali was the scene of a
devastating terrorist attack. Some suicide bombers
blew themselves up in the middle of the tourist
area. 26 people died and hundreds were injured.
Suddenly tourists stayed away from Bali. This
was definitely the wrong moment to start a hotel
business. But the deal was sealed and there was
no way out for the Swedes.
“Our worst-case scenario was that we will
soon be bankrupted. But should that happen, we
could always return to Sweden, look for work,
take a new mortage and buy a house,” they
explain.
The next setback was that it turned out it
was almost impossible to sell the apartment in
Sweden. The money was needed to invest in the
hotel, but no one seemed interested in buying
the apartment.
“Only two days before our departure to Bali
we managed to sell it,” Johan says with a smile.
December 22, 2005, they left the cold in
Sweden. With them, they brought three suitcases,
a few CDs, computers, books and toys for the
children.
Clothes they planned to buy when in Bali.
The first year they stayed in their own hotel.
It was practical and cheap and gave them time to
look for a more suitable home to rent. Siri was
enrolled at a kindergarten, and Sara was taken
care of by a nanny. The hotel had a staff of four.
Johan and Lotta were focusing on running
the hotel which only had ten rooms. But they
were happy, and full of excitement for their new
lifestyle.
“When we first arrived, all felt great and
it kept on getting even better and better, but
after six months, reality started to set in. We
got depressed and thought of moving back to
Sweden, but this feeling too evaporated and soon
it started to feel good again. It was probably a
delayed culture-shock,” says Johan.
It also turned out that many of their hotelguests
were longstayers. They could stay at the
hotel for many months. That meant there was
very little work for Johan and Lotta.
“They never checked out so there wasn’t
much for us to do,” says Johan.
Slowly, they started to look at other business
opportunities. How about something that was
missing in Sanur? A Swedish cafe?
They kicked off the project and found a
suitable location in Sanur. They signed a lease and
started on a very small scale. The premises was
tiny and there was hardly a kitchen. Instead, they
prepared cakes and salads at home and had it
delivered by motorbike.
Initially, sales were very slow. But success
came with the Swedish-style cinnamon rolls. They
became very popular in Bali. And later also their
Swedish apple-pie.
“It was my mother Kerstin’s recipes. The
cinnamon rolls should have granulated sugar on
top, while the apple-pie should have a crusty
bottom and a freshness, not like those thick,
american apple-pies with a top crust,” Lotta
explains.
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21

But even now, running a hotel and a café in
Bali wasn’t easy. Costs were high and revenues
uncertain.
“There were times when we could hardly
afford to fill up our car at the service station,”
says Johan.
Lotta remembers the hard times.
“It was very stressful. We never knew if we
would make it. It took us quite some time before
we knew we could afford the school-fees for our
children,” she says.
But the Swedes kept on working to achieve
their dream.
After three years running Café Smörgås, the
financial situation was so good they felt they can
start to relax a bit.
In the meantime, they had had an offer to sell
the hotel, which they did. That meant they were
able to recoup their investment plus a profit, and
could focus in running the café.
Today, Café Smörgås, is a well-known eatery
and café in Bali. But competition is fierce. Almost
every week, a new café or restaurant opens.
“You need to have a niche, a speciality. Ours
is being Scandinavian, or Swedish, and we try to
keep a high level of quality,” says Johan.
“Recently, we baked and delivered Swedish
Princess-cake and Toast Skagen for a wedding
party here in Bali. It was a Swedish man getting
married to a woman from India. That was great,”
says Johan.
Their business has now also expanded into
school catering and they have a staff of 25.
22 ScandAsia.Thailand • February 2015
Most of the work is now handled by an
Indonesian man who used to live and work as a
chef in Sweden. He speaks Swedish and knows
the Swedish cuisine and tastes.
Johan and Lotta spend a lot of time with their
hobbies. Johan is into scuba diving, and Lotta loves
yoga and Qi-gong.
Both are into outdoor activities.
“Sometimes I take my motorbike and my dog
and drive down to the beach to go jogging. It’s
great to be able to do this,” says Johan
Siri and Sara have now turned 11 and 9, and
both go to an international school nearby.
Apart from a nanny taking care of the children,
there is one worker taking care of the swimming
pool and the garden.
When housework is outsourced, there is a lot
of time being with the family.
“It’s so easy to meet here. You can just make
a few phone calls and people will come over.
In Sweden, you always have to plan many days,
sometimes weeks, in advance, People there are
so busy,” says Johan.
When Scandmedia visits the family in their
nice villa, Johan and Lotta have invited some
friends over for a barbeque.
At the barbeque, there are guests from Spain,
Denmark, Australia and America. Some work in
diving, others run their own businesses, or are
able to work from home for companies located
elsewhere.
Many have brought kids with them, and they
soon join Siri and Sara in front of the TV.
“Our children have friends from all over the
world. They speak English with them, Swedish
with us and Indonesian with the nanny. It’s very
fascinating,” says Johan.
Johan and Lotta have taken great care in giving
their children a Swedish upbringing, with access to
Swedish children’s books and TV. They have also
been back to Sweden many times.
“They think that Sweden is the best country
in the world. They often ask when we are going
to return next time,” says Johan.
During the Lassesson-family’s time in Bali, they
have seen many other Scandinavians coming to
try to settle and starting a business, but most have
failed. Many have the wrong strategy.
“They come here, but keep one foot back in
Sweden. They might have a house or something
that makes them stay connected to Sweden. Then
they don’t focus 100 percent on their project in
Bali and it is much easier for them to give up as
they can always very easily return to Sweden,”
says Johan.
“We never had that option. We had nothing
to return to and were very focused on making it
here in Bali. We were under pressure to succeed,”
Johan and Lotta say.
A few hundred meters away, the waves from
the Ocean are rolling on to the beautiful beach,
where tourists are relaxing in the shades of
umbrellas.
This is exactly the paradise Johan and Lotta
used to dream of. Now it’s their dream come true.

มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
Telling Time
By Klavs Johansen (thai@maprao.dk)
Telling the time of the day in Thai may be slightly confusing for
the new learner of the language. We will this month explain the
system and, hopefully, demystify it a bit. The only prerequisite
is to know the numbers from 1 to 60, the rest you will learn
here. If you need to brush up on the numbers, please have a
look at the September 2014 column Thai When it Counts.
First of all, we are pleased to note that you may get away with using the
24-hours-system, just as in the West. The Thais mainly use this system for
time tables, for instance when announcing departures at the train station,
and in other official contexts, such as reporting on the daily activities of
royals in the evening news on television. The keywords are:
นาฬิกา / na:líka: / ~ a watch, and
นาที / na:thi: / ~ a minute.
You start by stating the hours followed by นาฬิกา / na:líka: /, and then
the minutes followed by นาที / na:thi: /, so for instance 17:30hrs becomes
17 นาฬิกา 30 นาที / sìp jèt na:líka: să:m sìp na:thi /, and 23:55hrs becomes
23 นาฬิกา 55 นาที / yî:sìp să:m na:líka: hâ: sìp hâ: na:thi: /. In cases where
you wish to avoid misunderstandings, we recommend the beginner to use
the 24-hours-system.
The Western alternative to the 24-hours-system is the 12-hourssystem
whereby the day is divided into two halves, AM and PM, so 2:00PM
corresponds to 14:00hrs. The Thais, in contrast, take it a little bit further
and divide the day into quarters, thereby arriving at a 6-hours-system. Let’s
jump right into it:
The six hours after midnight are preceded by the word
ตี / ti: / ~ to strike, so we get
ตีหนึ่ง / ti: nùeng / ~ 1AM, and so on, until
ตีห้า / ti: hâ: / ~ 5AM.
The following six hours until noon are succeeded by the word
โมงเช้า / mo:ng chá:o / ~ morning hours (the word is not used without the
preceding number of the hour), and we get
หกโมงเช้า / hòk mo:ng chá:o / ~ 6AM until
สิบเอ็ดโมงเช้า / sìp èt mo:ng chá:o / ~ 11AM.
The six afternoon hours are slightly irregular. For the first three, we use
บ่าย / bà:i / ~ afternoon, prior to the number of hours (left out when it is
one o’clock) and then followed by
โมง / mo:ng / ~ hours, that is,
บ่ายโมง / bà:i mo:ng / ~ 1PM,
บ่ายสองโมง / bà:i sŏr:ng mo:ng / ~ 2PM, and
บ่ายสามโมง / bà:i să:m mo:ng / ~ 3PM.
The last three afternoon hours are succeeded by
โมงเย็น / mo:ng yen / ~ cool hours (again the word is not used without the
preceding number of the hour), so we get
สี่โมงเย็น / sì: mo:ng yen / ~ 4PM until
หกโมงเย็น / hòk mo:ng yen / ~ 6PM.
Finally, we start counting over again with the six evening hours. They
are succeeded by the word ทุ่ม / thûm /, which we shall just consider as the
word for evening hours, not to be used alone. Thus we get
หนึ่งทุ่ม / nùeng thûm / ~ 7PM (1 hour into the evening) until
ห้าทุ่ม / hâ: thûm / ~ 11PM (5 hours into the evening).
Then you just need
เที่ยง / thîang / ~ noon, and เที่ยงคืน / thîang khue:n / ~ midnight, and you
are able to tell any hour of the day.
That was the tricky part. The minutes are easy. We have
ครึ่ง / khrûeng / ~ half, and we have, for example
เที่ยงครึ่ง / thîang khrûeng / ~ half past twelve.
There is no word for ‘quarter’, so placing the minutes past after the
hour, we simply get
เที่ยงสิบห้านาที / thîang sìp hâ: na:thi: / ~ twelve fifteen.
Combining all the above into another example we get
ห้าโมงเย็นยี่สิบนาที / hâ: mo:ng yen yî:sìp na:thi: / ~ 20 past 5PM.
Left are only minutes to the hour and we have completed the whole
system. The keyword is
อีก / ì:k / ~ in, and, placing the minutes in front of the hour, we get for
example
อีกห้านาทีสิบโมงเช้า / ì:k hâ: na:thi: sìp mo:ng chá:o / ~ 5 to 10AM.
That’s it!
กี่โมงแล้ว / kì: mo:ng láe:o / ~ what’s the time?
February 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 23

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