So on this Earth Day, remember that Big Grass offers many creative ways to live green – every day of the year!  

John and Duang Hanesworth

Or, you could just use them for birds.

 In the northwest, however, you can still visit remote hill tribes that define the local culture. A mix of Karen, Lisu, Tai, Hmong, and even displaced KMT Chinese, more recent arrivals on the historical timeline, these ethnic groups have made the mountainous Northwest region of Thailand their home. Before our modern borders, many of these people wandered and migrated with their fortunes and the seasons, from Tibet, northwest China and NE Burma, Lao, and even Northern Vietnam. Border conflicts and geopolitics of the 20th century enforced migratory restrictions that still chafe.

 This jumble of cultures does provide opportunities for the foodie, though.

Bugs and blood sausages, guts and poop shoots I leave for Andrew Zimmern. My personal quest is for the best regional beer snack, and I enjoyed it yesterday in a Lisu village, high above Pai. Wanting only for a dry place to sit out the nationwide  Songkran water festival/ battle on the local roads, we parked our motorcycles at an open air pavilion that showed promise of a view, perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pai valley below. In Thailand, my go-to companion for a cold beer is a snack called Moo daodiew, which is, counter-intuitively, sun dried pork tossed with fried kaffir lime leaves. Less common, but often available is nuah daodiew, or dried beef, also tasty and beer friendly.

When asked about the availability of either of these classics, our sincerely and traditionally dressed hostess demurred, and said regretfully that they offered only, goat daodiew. My Thai wife Duang did not recognize the local word for goat, so suggested I should not order “it.” There was polite conversation between Duang and her sister that “it” might possibly be “dog”. “It” arrived soon after, and I was immediately charmed by what was the most interesting, architecturally curious dish I have ever ordered. (see photo). The very thin, stringy nature of the meat suggested that it was from a smallish animal, so dog was still a possibility. Or fruit bat, which has  similar muscle mass as a Chihuahua or Yorkie. Cat and rat could also not be eliminated. The meat strips were only about 1/4 inch wide, and a couple of inches long, cleverly strung together with extremely thin bamboo strips wrapped, rattan style, around a round void, that we learned later was previously occupied by a bamboo twig that had been removed after drying. Except for the work of untying and unwrapping the bamboo strings, this was one of the most satisfying beer companions ever! A little gamey, but not over.

On the way down the mountain,  I did see a goat. One of the few I had ever seen in Thailand. This unwanted evidence conflicted with the mystery I preferred.

John Hanesworth 

Throughout Asia and Latin America, bamboo is the “go to” material for scaffolding and construction. At Big Grass, we carry a wide range of lengths and diameters in several varieties of bamboo for your most ambitious projects. And when a project calls for girth over length, remember that we stock bamboo measuring up to 6 inches in diameter. Stronger by weight than steel, and greener for sure , bamboo is an attractive alternative to ubiquitous 4 x 4 posts or dull ’60′s paneling.

Come see us for a project consultation. We love to visualize!

In rural Thailand it is not an uncommon sight to see elephants and their mahout handlers walking the roads, returning from a day’s work. An integral part of the history and development of Thailand, these huge, beautiful creatures are more often seen carrying a burden of sunburned tourists. Many of these elephants were rescued from Burma, where the ruling military leaders are still involved in the internationally scorned practice of cutting endangered teak trees from the jungles. Treated with kindness and respect, they are now a symbol of  wildlife protection programs in the region.

mmmmm! Fresh Ong jars in the morning!

 We arrived early this morning, far out in the Thai countryside,  to find our Ong producers hard at work making jars for our recent order. You have to get an early start in Thailand to witness a process that begins at sunrise, first mixing concrete to the perfect consistency, and then arduously forming it by hand to create these beautiful vessels.

These jars will arrive at Big Grass in mid-May. A few are still available to collect precious rain for the hot summer ahead. Reserve yours today!

 Jet lag is real. It literally blows your mind. Humans did not evolve with any physical or mental ability to deal with the modern phenomenon of jet travel. Nothing in our primitive past could naturally select any of us for the rapid relocation that is possible now.

 Rational thought can provide an adult with understanding and an excuse for the weird things that jet lag does to our body and sleep cycles. But for 2-year-olds? Nada. For my normally serene daughter Irene, a veteran of long distance travel, being upside down sleep-wise is the perfect prescription for cranky. For me, as an adult, the effects manifest themselves differently: falling asleep during dinner sitting bolt-upright, indifference to a glass of wine, and waking up at 3 a.m. and choosing to start a load of trip laundry or check e-mail, instead of sliding back to sleep. Unusually cranky is included too.

Heading westward on the return home is actually worse. You cram over 30 mind-numbing hours of coach seating and airport waiting into only 14 hours of elapsed time, as far as the clock is concerned. You depart and arrive on the same day, watching a bizarrely short four-hour night from your window, if you are lucky enough to have a window. Once home, you wish there were a way to make the next few days productive. It’s bad form to return phone calls at 4 am, and it’s difficult to accomplish any overdue yard work in the dark. Television at that hour sucks, and it seems like a better strategy to save a good book for when you want to have the excuse to put off sleep, not instead of it.

Maybe the only way to cope with jet-lag is to embrace its effects like my Buddhist wife Duang and sleep through it. Accept it as the price to pay for experiencing the far reaches of the world. I get that too, but there has to be a way… .  Recently I dug a bit deeper into the air fares posted on online sites. So, if you depart Centraltimeville USA, flying eastward, connecting to Thailand through Moscow or Dubai, does that help?  And is the airport food any better?

John Hanesworth

One of the coolest concept stores in San Antonio, Big Grass, 637 W. Hildebrand Ave., offers beautifully made products, primarily from Thailand but also from other areas of Asia, created by artisans who can stay in their home villages and sustain their way of life without having to move to cities for a job.

While it offers fun bags, indigenous shirts for men and women, some jewelry and other knick-knacks, Big Grass’ specialty is its outdoor and indoor furnishings and accessories. $hopGirl fell instantly in love with the big Ong jars, attractive alternatives to rain barrels that can fill completely with just 2 inches of rainfall.

You’ll also find other great items, including sculptures of all sizes, gorgeous pots, inlaid stepping stones, a hammock and more.

Step inside the store and you’ll find great home accessories and furnishings, including sofas and chairs, bamboo bath accessories and even an antique Burmese trunk. It has fab wood benches, kitchen utensils and interesting botanicals that can be purchased by the stem.

Head upstairs to find a variety of brightly colored silk pillows and elegant bedroom furniture, including floor mats, dressers and more. It store also offers design services.

Big Grass doesn’t actually sell grass — just wonderful items to put in or around it.

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