First of all, I would like to take the opportunity to say a good continuation. I hope you all have had a merry Christmas and are now getting ready to start the new year 2025.
As mentioned in my December column, I would like to give you a short update about what happened in late December.
On the 14th the Swedish School Organization had its last getting together. Parents and kids enjoyed saffron buns and coffee, what we in Sweden call FIKA. As every language is a gift, it’s important for children from mixed marriages to keep up with their Swedish language, even if almost everybody in Sweden is familiar with English today, but to talk to grandparents in Swedish is an extra plus.
The same day, SWECHAM hosted a well visited Christmas lunch at Hotel Westin. The ball room was nicely decorated to give a Christmas feeling, Santa Claus was present for the young guests, well, even for us adults. He greeted the kids with a typical “ho, ho, ho” and gave the young ones a little gift, while happy parents enjoyed the delicious buffet with all Christmas specialties swelled down with cold beers, snaps and wine. A lottery with great sponsors was not missing and a jazz/blues singer entertained.
Many Swedes are very fond of SNUS. In fact, the so-called “White Snus” has become more popular and more frequently used in Sweden nowadays. A Swedish producer was very generous, donating many SNUS boxes, containing different flavors of snus, to happy users. A thank you to the company “www.haypee.com” on behalf of the snus lovers. How is the outlook for Thailand, can snus become as popular here as it is in the Scandinavian countries? Let’s see, it might take some time for the Thai people to get used to it. It’s good for us non-smokers, who don’t like the smell of cigarettes, as snus is odorless.
With this lunch, SWECHAM also came to the end of a busy, successful year.
On the 17th, the probably most prestigious Thai vineyard Gran Monte in Khao Yai hosted an event at a completely unknown place – at least to me – called The Electric Sheep, to celebrate several awards the family had earned from Austria and Hong Kong for their wines. Father, mother and two daughters, all involved in the production and everything else belonging to wine making and distribution. It’s a real family business.
In 2021 the family was a recipient of the Thailand Tourism Award. The estate is located in a valley 350 meters above sea level and has a wine grape planting area of 100 rai (40 acres).
Asoke Valley Winery is Gran Monte’s winery, which began its operation in late January 2009. The winery has a maximum capacity to produce 300.000 bottles of wine per year. They use imported wine-making equipment from France, Germany, Italy and Australia. The daughter Nikki Lohitnavy, is the in-house oenologist and winemaker.
If you are visiting Khao Yai, why not pay a visit to “Granmonte Wine Cottage”? This seven-room accommodation offers a stunning view of the vineyard and the valley’s tropical jungle. The restaurant VinCotto is the name of the family restaurant and here you can order the award-winning wines paired with dishes made after old family recipes. During December, the temperature is around 15 degrees in the mornings, nice for a change. Well worth visiting and as I had the pleasure to try several of their prestigious wines, I can promise you that they are exquisite wines and they will not disappoint you.
There have been some great concerts e.g., the Frenchman Frank Herrgott, had a Piano solo recital at the Yamaha Music Hall at Siam Pathumwan House on the 6th of December, as well as on Sunday the 15th at the Goethe Institute, with some special guests. I’m sure we will see and hear more of Frank in 2025.
Walking around town shortly before Christmas is a delight. You will see the most outstanding Christmas decorations, the only thing missing is the snow. I know that all the visiting Scandinavians probably prefer to feel the sand among their toes, instead of cold snow that gives them icy feet.
On the 24th of December (Julafton) the Nordic countries, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, held a service together at the beautiful, old Christ Church on Covent Road. (The Norwegian priest held a service at Pattaya.) This is a very longstanding tradition and after the service, Nordic Thai Association offers the poarticipoants a glass of Glögg (mulled wine) and ‘aebleskiver’.
The Christ Church is an Anglican church in Thailand. It has both English and Thai language congregations. The church was built in 1905 in a Neo-Norman style. The church can seat 450 persons. If you haven’t been visiting this old, beautiful church, you should do so. You will find the church on Convent Road, close to BNH (Bangkok Nursing Home.)
Most of us Scandinavians probably go back home after church and prepare for the traditional Christmas table. I did and I wondered why the Christmas ham is mostly seen as the most important dish on the table.
Already more than a thousand years ago, an annual winter festival was arranged in Sweden, sometime around the darkest day of the year. The Asa gods Frej and Odin, were central to the festival that was called JOLNIR and from Jolnir the name Juul became the name of the Vikings’ Christmas. For Christmas you got to feast on fresh brewed beer, baked bread, fresh fish and meat. Archeological finds show that the pig was the dominant type of meat. From the 17th century, there is evidence that ham was eaten at Christmas in Sweden, but not until the 19th century it was served rimmed.
Mostly the ham was both rimmed and smoked and in the 20th century, because many people served the nitrite, red rimmed variant with mustard grilling, it became dominant.
Towards the end of the century, the demand for organic hams began to increase. Today the Christmas table has become a bit more vegetarian in many households. Some families prefer a complete change of food and go for oysters and Champagne instead of the quite heavy, traditional food.
If I had been a fan of oysters, I would probably have done the same. I could easily go for an Osetra or Beluga caviar served with Champagne, but my wallet doesn’t agree unfortunately.
While writing this, we still have a couple of days until 2024 is over. It has been a rough year in my opinion and let us hope that 2025 will be a bit smoother.
Stay healthy and happy, that’s the most important. GOTT NYTT ÅR! Godt Nytår! Hyvää uutta vuotta! Godt Nytt År! A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sah-wah-dee pee mai!
