Cost of living...

[dtaai-maai]

'Everything's so cheap in Thailand, you don't know how lucky you are.'

I get this all the time from friends and relatives who've either never been here at all, or only for a few weeks holiday.

I've just replaced a lightbulb for about the 12th time in 6 months. I bought a shovel that lasted 3 days before it buckled (and that was digging sand). I had a DVD player that lasted 6 weeks, and its replacement all-singing, all-dancing DVD-hifi-radio-CD-MP3 player managed an astonishing 18 months before it gave up the ghost. I gave up on my 2-year-old (infrequently used) printer after having it repaired twice. Every time I use a fork on anything tougher than rice it does a Uri Geller on me. UBC/True gets worse by the week, and my internet service from TT&T is as variable as the weather in the UK. (Not that either of those are cheap by any standards...)

By and large, you get what you pay for.

And don't give me all that "If you don't like it, naff off back to Europe" crap - I love it, warts and all.

Just needed a rant, and where better to do it?

[Vital Spark]

Rant away DM, it's OK.

I have a theory because, like you, I've had the same experience with electrical things. It's the power supply. It goes up and down like a yo-yo. Sometimes its trickling through - hardly enough to light a bulb. If you have anything electrical plugged in they're really going to suffer. In the West they cut off the supply if it's below a certain level - here it's on full whack or maybe half-whack, or trickle whack. It can burn out motors in fans and fridges and really mess up other stuff.

The other little tell-tale sign that will signify if what you buy will outlast the warranty is the 'Made in...' bit. Try to avoid anything made in the Land of Mai Pen Rai.

VS

[lindosfan1]

Makes you wonder what planet politicians are on when you read the following. Remember falling house prices fuel costs soaring and inflation rising out of line with pay rises

Tom Harris is under fire for berating voters for being "so bloody miserable" in the face in the economic downturn.

Tom Harris, a Transport Minister and MP for Glasgow South, said that despite the recent credit squeeze, people in Britain had never been so wealthy.

But, writing in his blog on his website, he complained that people seemed to be afflicted by "crippling levels of cynicism and pessimism".

"High-def TVs fly off the shelves at Tesco quicker than they can be imported. Whatever the latest technological innovation, most people can treat themselves to it," he said.

"Eating out - a rare treat when I was a child in the '70s - is as commonplace as going shopping. And when we do go shopping, whether for groceries or for clothes, we spend money in quantities that would have made our parents gasp.

"There are more two-car homes in Britain today than there are homes without a car at all.

"We live longer, eat healthier (if we choose), have better access to forms of entertainment never imagined a generation ago (satellite TV, DVD, computer games), the majority of us have fast access to the worldwide web, which we use to enable even more spending and for entertainment."So why is everyone so bloody miserable?"

His comments, coming hard on the heels of the Bank of England Governor Mervyn King's bleakest assessment yet of the economic outlook, were denounced by shadow treasury chief secretary Philip Hammond.

"Like his boss, Gordon Brown, he clearly lives on a different planet from ordinary hard-working families - who are struggling with soaring living costs, stagnant earnings and falling house prices," he told a newspaper.

[dtaai-maai]

Meanwhile, and back to topic (such as it is, but who in God's name is Tom Harris, and what's he got to do with the price/quality of goodies in Thailand?) - where can I get a can opener that opens cans? I have two, neither of them do what they're supposed to, and I'm terrified that my little Font of Wisdom is going to lose a finger whacking a sharp object into the top with her pok pok pestle.

[DawnHRD]

Cans? Cans???


Isn't this the land of buy it all fresh at the market at daybreak & make it into a fabulous meal by sundown, dtaii-mai?

Or, failing that, the land of 'aaah, well, we'll buy it at the 20bt street hawker'?

Who (apart from saddo farangs) buys cans here?

[dtaai-maai]

Cans? Cans???

Who (apart from saddo farangs) buys cans here?

Well, I've tried chilli on toast, but somehow it didn't quite hit the spot...

[moja]

Meanwhile, and back to topic (such as it is, but who in God's name is Tom Harris, and what's he got to do with the price/quality of goodies in Thailand?) - where can I get a can opener that opens cans? I have two, neither of them do what they're supposed to, and I'm terrified that my little Font of Wisdom is going to lose a finger whacking a sharp object into the top with her pok pok pestle.

Index sells can openers similar to the ones we have in UK

[margaretcarnes]

Bless you Dtaai-Maai for keeping the humble bean on toast alive and well in LOS - and for getting someone else to open the cans for you! But Oooooh yes - light bulbs and forks. Never a week went by without a trip to the lekky shop for bulbs for the bar. I agree with VS there on the Electric supply theory. Shocking! And forks - IMO Uri Geller gets at them first. But you see they are largely redundant in Thai cuisine, and don't need to safely spear a lump of meat.
As for Tom Harris' comments quoted by Lindosfan (Labour Transport Minister BTW) Ok, its nothing to do with Thai electrical products, but I do think he made a fair point. Maybe over- generalised, but I certainly know folks who eat out regularly (and not at fast food places) and who run quite unecessary second cars, buy new cameras at the drop of a hat, have 3 foreign holidays a year etc. Even one (pensioner on benefits) who is addicted to buying on the jewellery Shopping Channels on TV. Scary.

[chelsea]

I will check all the light globes that I buy here in Australia from now on because I have exactly the same problem here with them blowing every couple of months.
Also with tin openers, buy a decent one, because I used to buy the cheap metal ones here and they were no good after very small amount of use, so I paid about $20 (600baht) for a decent one with large handles on it and have had no further problems.
DM by the sound of it an electric can opener would not do the trick

[Vital Spark]

DM: Ayam baked beans (you can buy them in most supermarkets here). 28 Baht for a big tin/20 baht for a little one. They come from Malaysia and (I'm really particular about my baked beans) they're on par, if not better, than Heinz. What's more they have a ring pull thingy, so you don't need a tin opener!

We lashed out and bought an expensive wall mounted opener when we were in the UK. It lasted about a year or so... Buy the cheapy ones - life expectancy about a year, throw it away, buy another one.

As for the fork thing; you've just gotta spend the dosh. Most of the cutlery you buy here is a spoon and fork combo (it's actually more difficult to find decent knives). From what I've observed the spoon is used to 'cut' larger pieces of meat - the fork is just used to push things onto/into the spoon. Central do some really nice cutlery. Bought ours about ten years ago and it'll probably outlast us.

VS

[redzonerocker]

(but who in God's name is Tom Harris, and what's he got to do with the price/quality of goodies in Thailand?)

he's a uk politician, here was his point

A LABOUR MP sparked uproar last night after telling hard-hit families to stop being “so bloody miserable” about rocketing bills.

Transport Minister Tom Harris claimed the credit crunch was over-hyped and Brits had never been so well off. In his online blog, Mr Harris wrote: “We live longer, eat healthier, crime is down. The majority of us have access to the world wide web to enable even more spending — so why is everybody so bloody miserable?”

He moaned people were too cynical and pessimistic.

Shadow Treasury chief secretary Philip Hammond accused Mr Harris of insulting ordinary people. He added: “The arrogance of this government has reached new heights.”

Meanwhile fears of a hike in interest rates rose last night as the Office of National Statistics showed high street retail sales went up 3.5 per cent in May — the fastest monthly growth since figures began in 1986.

Economists warned the Bank of England could raise rates in August. The news came as hopes of a fall in oil prices were lifted after China announced moves to curb its use.

he doesn't mention he earns £90,000 a year, has £150,000 plus in expenses & with his wifes earnings takes his annual income to over £300,000

sorry to stray further off topic d/m but thought it was a little bit relevant?

on the subject of can openers & poor quality goods in general, it seems v/spark has the right idea. buy cheap & throw away & replace it when it falters
they don't make things to last these days, everything is massed produced with no quality control.
goods imported to the uk are of similar quality, mostly from the asian countries so it's the same situation here

[dtaai-maai]

he's a uk politician....?

No, no; Tom Harris is either the executive director of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project and a global warming skeptic, a Chevrolet/Cadillac dealer in Canada, a pool cue manufacturer, or a botanist (at least, I think that's what it said...)

Anyway, problem solved - I bought a 65 baht can opener with strong metal handles at Macro this afternoon. I have every confidence that it will last a lot longer than any of the Mr Harrises. I haven't actually checked whether it opens cans yet...

[johnnyk]

he's a uk politician....?

No, no; Tom Harris is either the executive director of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project and a global warming skeptic, a Chevrolet/Cadillac dealer in Canada, a pool cue manufacturer, or a botanist (at least, I think that's what it said...)

...

He does cellphones, too!

[dtaai-maai]

It must really piss him off when he googles himself and all he can find is "a little known British politician" - no wonder he's trying to make the headlines!

[Randy Cornhole]

most people deem the cost of living as calculated in terms of monetary items, but as we all know (or should do by now) living here has enriched our lives in so many other ways, hopefully extending it a few years...