Xmas lunch Bangkok

A friend of mine whats going to Bangkok soon asked me where gay guys go to have traditional lunch on Xmas Day aroud Silom. I laughed and told him I go to Bangkok to avoid Xmas. However there must be somewhere that done rip people off at 3000 baht a head - the only price he found at some hotel or other. Any suggestions for Xmas lunch around Silom????

[RonanTheBarbarian]

I remember Stickman doing a thing on the Christmas lunch options a few years ago, from the high-end hotels with fancy buffets to the cheaper options in the pubs.
From what i remember, basically every English or Irish themed pub in Bangkok seemed to have a Christmas lunch buffet /carvery, so i am sure if your friend calls in to, say, the Molly Malone on Silom there will be a reasonably priced Christmas lunch offering can book a seat for.
I cannot remember what place Stickman recommended in the end, if any, but i am sure that if it involved recommending a English-style pub, he recommended the Londoner as he seems to give them a plug almost every second week

Not familiar with the location of the Londoner in Silom Ronan Google can only find one on Suckandspit

[francois]

This is the first of have heard of an Xmas lunch; is this a British tradition and what does the lunch consist of?

[Patanawet]

According to their newsletter, BalconyPub in Silom Soi 4 has 3 gastronomic events over the Christmas period.
Cheese and wine on the 18th, Dinner on the 24th and a Barbeque on the 29th.
Dinner is 295 Baht for members or 500 for guests.
They say that they are doing a special combination ticket for all 3 events.
You could look at their newsletter for detailed information or it is probably on their website at www.balconypub.com (http://www.balconypub.com)

[Patanawet]

This is the first of have heard of an Xmas lunch; is this a British tradition and what does the lunch consist of?
Christmas lunch is the main meal on Christmas day.
It is taken early afternoon, timed to finish before 3 0/clock when we all watch the Queen address the nation and Commonwealth on television.

We all then collapse in front of the T.V. to watch very old movies or comedy repeats until the evening when we feast on the leftovers from lunch/dinner stuffed into sandwiches. The 'leftover' sandwiches can last for several days.

This is the one time when the afternoon meal may be termed 'dinner'.

We all then collapse in front of the T.V. to watch very old movies or comedy repeats until the evening"Carry On Up The Khyber Pass" is a favorite for gays everywhere.

[francois]

Christmas lunch is the main meal on Christmas day..

Is there a traditional type of meal served? I only know that Mr. Scrooge gave Mrs. Crachett a goose for Christmas.
But I am being serious.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

@BrisbaneGuy: Yes, you are right that the Londoner is on Suckinspit, (as i will henceforth always spell it), I momentarily forgot your friend was only interested in Silom places.

@francois, yes, there are strong traditions about what you eat for the lunch on Christmas day. In Britain and Ireland, the midday meal on the 25th is the big occasionon, not like the continent where the meal on the evening of 24th is often just as big.

There are a few foods which one always must have on Christmas day in Britain and Ireland, mainly:
- turkey, or sometimes goose(goose was the traditional Christmas day food until the 19th century , when turkey began to supercede it)
- brussels sprouts (loads of people who would never eat them all year would have them on that day)
- various types of bread stuffing (and in Ireland where i am from, a potato stuffing as well)
- a roast ham (traditionally in Ireland, not sure about Britain, it was always the tradition to have both a roast ham AND turkey on the day, one gets a few slices of each on the plate)
- roast potatoes
- boiled potatoes (yes, even with the roast potatoes and the potato stuffing, my family would always have a few boiled potatoes as well....)
various other veg, often particularly roast parsnips (parsnips is another thing, like brussels sprouts, that Irish people feel duty bound to eat on Xmas day, even if they would shun them otherwise).
cranberry sauce (having this with Xmas turkey is an American import of the later 20th century to Ireland I think, but pretty well established now)

Then there is the traditional desert - Christmas pudding. So associated with Christmas that is is never really eaten at any other time - perhaps partly because few people really like it!

in Ireland a sherry trifle is the main alternative desert offered at Christmas for people who cannot face "the pudd". In honour of the holy day, my mother would usually lug in about twice as much sherry as she would for a summer sherry trifle.

And then, after that, people eat leftover turkey and ham for at least three or four days after the 25th, as the tradition tends to be to to roast a humongous turkey and ham on the day, at least three times more than the expected company can eat. I suppose that tradition arose to give the womenfolk a few days off after the effort of the day!

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Other traditions of Christmas (at least in my family):

Cutting the Christmas cake on Christmas Eve, after supper. In my family,and most Irish ones, Christmas Eve was always a pretty normal day, foodwise, so the cutting of the cake (perhaps with a glass of mulled wine) always symbolised the beginning of the Christmas eating in my mind.

Covering the ham with cloves and brown sugar before roasting.

One of the elders in the family, after we had begun the meal on Xmas day and complemented the tenderness of the turkey, ham, etc, was bound to say "Ya know, on the Continent they often eat FISH on Christmas day, i believe". A brief period of horrified silence around the table usually followed, as we contemplated the perversity of "furriners".

Discussing when to eat the remaining Christmas puddings. In my youth, my grandmother always made the Christmas puddings on some day in September/October, and they were left to "season" until Christmas. She always made two or three at a time (you would never make them more than once a year, it was big palaver that took most of the day) and there was often a discussion on Christmas Day as to when to eat the remaining ones. Either New Years day or St. Patrick's Day (17th March) were the preferred days to get this honour, from what i remember.
Usually there was so much whiskey in them there was little fear of them going off.

[francois]

Other traditions of Christmas (at least in my family):

One of the elders in the family, after we had begun the meal on Xmas day and complemented the tenderness of the turkey, ham, etc, was bound to say "Ya know, on the Continent they often eat FISH on Christmas day, i believe". A brief period of horrified silence around the table usually followed, as we contemplated the perversity of "furriners".

Thanks Ronan for your description; my mouth was watering as I read your words except maybe for the Christmas pudding.

My tradition is Christmas Eve when I often serve Bouillabaisse (fish stew) to friends. It takes a lot of preparation so offered a Turkey dinner instead but my friends were not partial to that so now it will be Coq Au Vin and beaucoup wine and champagne.