Els van Wijlen is currently staying with her husband 'de Kuuk' on Koh Phangan. Her son Robin has opened a coffee cafe on the island.
With a deep sigh, I sink into my hammock at home, I burp up my food. Man, man, what a day. Actually, I've been fretting for a few days now.
It started with yellow water from the tap, due to low turbid water in the well. As a result, the filters in the taps slipped and the water pressure dropped. Without sufficient water pressure, there is also no hot water. The ass tube broke, it didn't go out anymore and sprayed merrily. These problems have now been resolved, but then the following problem occurred:
The toilet of our other bungalow no longer drains, or worse, it almost overflows. Very annoying, especially for my new residents.
The cause is probably an overfilled septic tank buried somewhere deep under a hump of soil. No one wants to dig up a septic tank in the scorching heat. And if it wasn't bad enough, today I also had to learn to tell the time during Thai lessons, and that was quite disappointing.
In short, tough times.
Fortunately, a bite to eat with Robin later.
He's also having a rough day, one employee with inflamed wisdom teeth, another recovering from surgery in Myanmar. A bulk delivery of avocados while it is now really low season and vague police who walk around the site without explanation.
It's high time to go out for a nice dinner at the new Portuguese on the island. We deserved that.
I'll take the specialty of the day. Moela, a chicken stew. Well my mouth is watering just thinking about it, I love stews and I'm starving. Robin takes a ham cheese board. We share what comes to the table.
The chicken is served and I immediately start to sniff, nice!! Stress makes you hungry for sure. Robin sees me attacking enthusiastically and grabs a few bites. Nice!!
Then I'll have a good taste. But it doesn't taste like chicken at all…. what does it actually taste like? Pig? No, it's really a chicken stew that I ordered. The gobbling has subsided to thoughtful chewing and I try to determine which part of the chicken I'm eating. It won't…
A few days ago I spoke to a friend who was frying chicken livers and I was horrified at the idea of having to eat chicken liver. I swallow my bite with difficulty.
I ask Robin what he thinks. "Yes Nice. I thought I had an olive, but that's the meat. very strange".
He pulls the fork out of the stew and pushes “his” cheese board a little closer to him.
Then the owner of the restaurant comes and I ask him what I eat. Well chicken stew he says. Yes, but what part of the chicken is in that stew? Do you like it, he asks? Yes, sir, it's nice, but I'd like to know what kind of chicken this is, because it doesn't taste like chicken.
He says that's because you eat the stomach of the chicken…a specialty in Portuguese cuisine.
Sometimes, just sometimes you don't want to know everything.
And then…..I really try. My fork with the chicken stomach triumphant in the middle, suddenly feels leaden and slowly moves towards my mouth. I don't look and think of something tasty.
My mouth won't open, it won't work. The fork with the stomach clatters on my plate.
It was, as I said, a tough day.
Nicely written story. Reminisced on one of my many visits to Ireland where I was treated to Haggis. A sheep's stomach filled with the animal's heart, lungs and liver is a delicacy for the Scots and Irish. Despite the encouragement of the bagpipers, I could barely eat a bite. I also remember all too well that I offered a new herring to a Korean at a herring cart. The man literally went over his neck. So you see the country wise,
the country's honour.
Septic tanks must be emptied at least once a year, with normal use. To this end, there should also be a 1-10 cm wide closable pipe at the top, into which the boldot truck can insert its suction hose. If you still use a large hole in the porous soil with an attitude of after me the deluge, you are, to put it mildly, not very environmentally conscious either.
That of the chicken. My wife always had a fondness for all internal organs of duck, chicken and fish. I always went for the breast meat, and later the leg meat.
By now I'm completely turned around. After careful and lengthy stewing, nothing compares to the deep flavor you taste when using stomachs, kidneys, hearts, etc. of the duck and/or chicken. It is also healthier and more nutritious.
I can be brief about eating the fish entrails. That is, as the English say, an “acquired taste”. Maybe in another 10 years!
Dear Jasper,
you almost never have to empty a septic tank. If you have to do this every year, it simply means that the septic tank is not working properly or is too small. The main reason for this is that many people make the mistake of letting ALL their waste water, bathroom, kitchen… flow into this tank. Only the toilet water may enter a septic tank, at least if you want this tank to work, otherwise nothing, not even the excess rainwater. Such a tank works on bacteria and they hate detergents because that kills them with the result that the tank does not work. The use of cleaning agents and products to have beautiful blue toilet flush water is also out of the question. Make sure that there is also good ventilation, not to dissipate the smell, but to get enough air with oxygen into the tank. A septic tank that stinks DOES NOT WORK.
I do not agree with Jasper that vacuuming it empty at least once a year. I've had a nice house with 1 tanks for almost 20 years now and I think they've all been drained a maximum of 4 times in all those years and we live here with 3 to 4 people all year round.
Kind regards, Ben Korat
jaspers
I agree with Ben Korat; a good septic tank only needs to be emptied once every 1-3 years. The bacteria do the work there, so if you flush too much chlorine or other chemicals down the sink or toilet, the bugs will die and it will take a few months for everything to get going again.
At HomePro you can buy bottles of Bactocel (with English text) to occasionally flush through the sink, washbasin and toilet. It contains special bacteria that make everything liquid, toilet paper, but also rice, etc. so that everything continues to work properly and the tank does not fill with solid parts, which eventually overflows. Bactocel also removes the smell. (I have no shares in the brand)
Yes, sometimes you have those days. I always decide to go to bed early. Then the day will pass faster. Also no sex that night because although my wife is sterilized, you never know on such days.
Well Els, you have described your misfortunes and trials in beautiful scents and colors again. That's how I see it.
Keep writing!