Sawatdee ka,
It is hot,hot, hot. I have to refresh myself with all kind of drinks. One of my favourite drinks is น้ำเก๊กฮวย [náam gék huai] ‘ Chrysanthemum Drink’. It can be found easily everywhere in Thailand. It is actually my childhood drink. After school, I always stopped by at a pharmacy where they had this drink served in a small glass for 5 Baht. (unbelievably cheap, yeah?) These days it is available in a bottle for 20 Baht.
Chrysanthemum drink is made by brewing dried chrysanthemum flowers in hot water for several minutes. Some people add sugar or honey for a little sweetness, but I think it’s just as good without a sweetner. You can drink it hot, but in Thailand it is much more refreshing as a cold drink.
Chrysanthemum is known for clearing internal heat, cooling, relaxing and relieving headache dizziness due to liver inflammation. That’s why chrysanthemum drink is good to have not just when it’s warm outside, but also when you’re eating spicy foods :))
คุณเคยลองดื่มน้ำเก๊กฮวยไหมคะ
Have you ever tried Chrysanthemum drink?
🙂
Mod
My favorite herbal drink (so far) is another one made from flowers: น้ําอัญชัน
มดไม่เคยลองกินน้ำอัญชันค่ะ มดคิดว่าหาค่อนข้างยากค่ะ แต่ตอนนี้คุณคีธน่าจะไปนอนได้แล้วนะคะ อิอิอิ
Hi gharicote, I heard a story about an an ambassador to Thailand who listened to Thai lakorns to improve his Thai and ran across a Thai woman who watched American TV to improve her English. It apparently worked well for him, and when she spoke English she sounded just like a young woman from California in the U.S.
But, I think this is a method more suited for advanced learners to refine their knowledge and improve their pronunciation than for someone just starting to learn Thai. For a new to intermediate learner of the Thai language, I think there is no alternative to finding a Thai teacher.
That said, you might try to look for some videos by วู้ดดี้เกิดมาคุย ( Woody was born to talk ). His diction is clear.
Kop chai mak. Will do.
Herbal drinks are better than sugary artificial drinks. Less dehydration.
P.S. Mod, what do you think of watching lakorns with English subtitles to learn Thai? Trouble is, the conversations are too fast and difficult to follow. Do you know of more basic Thai “story videos” that beginners could watch?
I have tried it and find it quite refreshing. There are so many lovely drinks here, I really love the tea flavored with lemongrass.