ScandAsia South East Asia - October 2014

OCT 2014

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Motherhood, Muscles, and Motorbikes ScandAsia.dk

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Coming Events

A Taste of Norway Date: 10 October 2014 Venue: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, KL. Tickets for the Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2014 in Kuala Lumpur were once again sold out within a few days after the invitation was sent out to the members this autumn. Hosted by The Norwegian Embassy in Malaysia, the main focus of the evening is the spectacular seafood buffet provided by renowned chef Frank Naesheim and his team of professionals whose seafood dinners have become an annual highlight for the Norwegian business community in Kuala Lumpur.

During the evening, the Malaysian Norwegian Business Council (MNBC) will present this year’s winner of the MNBC Innovation Award.

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and Singapore.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Thana Poopat thana@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

“Progressive” SWEA Dinner in KL Date: 1 November 2014 SWEA in KL invites members for an unusual dinner with as format known in Sweden as “progressive dinner” on Saturday 1 November 2014.

It goes like this: Each guest will only be told where to show up for the first course of the four course dinner.

After that, they will be given four closed envelope to be opened one by one as the evening progresses. Each envelope will direct them to the next location where they will be having the next course. Eventually, all will meet up at a public night entertainment venue for a drink and a dance.

Logistics is a challenge, but the evening is bound to be a great experience.

ScanGolf at The Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club Scandinavian Golf Club Philippines invites members for a tournament on 18 October 2014 at The Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club.

The Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club is at the forefront of the golf club industry in the Phil-

ippines. The Club’s two golf courses, The Legends and The Masters, are the first ever golf courses in the Philippines designed by Jack Nicklaus. The sprawling 140-hectares that make up Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club is located in Carmona, Cavite approximately 30 kms. south of Makati, Metro Manila.

The focal point of the clubs facilities is the Main Clubhouse that is perched over the 18th green, the 10th hole and the 9th island green of the Masters Course. The Club has a Verandah dining area, an air-conditioned bar, a fine dining area, men’s and ladies locker rooms complete with jacuzzi’s, saunas and bar. In addition, the club also has a ballroom and other function rooms for the use of its members.

October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 3

News Brief

Address for the new Danish Embassy in Manila is found

A

location for the new Danish Embassy in the Philippines has been found, and the address will be easy to remember.

An architect and an engineer from Denmark have arrived in Manila to help with the opening of the new embassy, according to a post ambassador Jan Top Christensen made on Facebook Monday the 15th.

“Meetings with local contractor today. If all goes well we will move into our new premises in Bonafacio Global City, 11 Avenue, no. 11, 11th floor right before X-mas. Inshaallah!” Jan Top Christensen wrote.

Yesterday staff from the embassy visited the new locations for the first time to discuss technical issues, take measurements and check installations.

More photos can be found at the ambassador’s facebook profile.

1,900 Filipinas applied to work as au pair in Norway in 2013

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total of 54 500 persons with non-Nordic citizenship immigrated to Norway to work in 2013.This is a decrease of 2 200 persons compared with the record year of 2012. Labour immigration showed the highest decrease, but was nevertheless still high.

Labour was the reason for immigration for 43 per cent of immigrants in 2013, and one third came because of family. Thirteen and ten per cent came because of refugee situations and studies respectively.

One third with education permit came from Philippines A total of 5 900 persons immigrated in 2013 due to education or cultural exchange. This was a slight increased compared with the previous year. There were many immigrants from the Philippines in this group; 1 900 persons, or 33 per cent. The number of registered persons for the Philippines is so high because the au pair permit is also considered to be a type of education permit.

Volvo: A passion for customers and cars

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large group of MASBA members recently took the time off and made a very informative afternoon visit to Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd with factory in Shah Alam.The company was founded in 1966 and the Volvo 144 installed the year after at this very first car manufacturer in Malaysia. Volvo still maintains a strong commitment to Malaysia and the region.

Mr. Mark Hallum, Managing Director, elegantly guided the group through the assembly plant and enthusiastically informed about the history and heritage of the car manufacturer.

The members were all impressed by the manually operated assembly halls, and learned that the company is presently in a very interesting transition and improvement phase.

Traditional Swedish values like safety, quality assurance and respect for the approximately 500 employees (among which 10% are women), remain key issues for Volvo.

MASBA extends a big THANK YOU to Mr. Mark Hallum and his staff for their efforts to make sure that Volvo continuous to be known for its excellence and purpose to make the lives better and less complicated for people.

4 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

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19/09/14 13.28 October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 5

News Brief

UNDP, Finland support Myanmar’s democratic governance

Norway pledges support to Vietnam’s green growth

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orway has committed to supporting Vietnam to develop green growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal with the challenges of climate change.

The commitment was declared during talks between the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and the Vietnamese National Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee in Hanoi on September 15.

The Vietnamese side wished to continue working together with Norway in bomb and mine clearance, education and training, maritime, energy and the shipbuilding industry.

Both sides stressed the need for the two countries to be more active in sharing their experience in legislative matters to reinforce bilateral ties.

These contents were later briefed to National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan by Anniken Huitfeldt, Chairwoman of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence the same day.

T

he UN Development Program (UNDP), in partnership with Finland, will support Myanmar’s democratic governance, according to the UN organization here on September 14.

Under an agreement signed between the two parties, Finland will contribute 2 million euros (2.6 million US dollars) towards the work of the UNDP in strengthening the democratic governance in Myanmar. UNDP is working with the Myanmar government, parliament, judiciary and civil society to promote democratic governance, the rule of law and advancement of human rights in order to support the country’s reform and strengthen foundation for inclusive growth and sustainable development in Myanmar.

Danish-Filipino family seeks refuge in Sweden from Danish extradition

D

anish immigration authorities throws out Filipina mother and three of her children from Denmark - but allows her 16 month old son to stay in Denmark. The decision by the Danish immigration authorities would effectively split the 16 month old boy from his mother. Now the family has fled to Sweden to stay together.

The Danish daily “Ekstra Bladet” questions in an article by David Andersen the decision.

“I am not accusing the Immigration Office for breaking the law, because I do not believe that they have,” Jackie Kroer, the 46 year old Danish father of the 16 month old boy tells the journalist.

“But how can you be so cold to give us the choice of whether to remove our smallest son from her mother and siblings or move abroad all together?” he asks.

6 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

Jackie Kroer met 34 year old Jennifer Estebal and her three children after the typhoon Haiyan had devastated her home in Tacloban City in the Philippines. Since then, the couple have lived together in Denmark, where they because of Jackie Kroers revenue is financially selfsufficient, and therefore does not cost the Danish state a penny in support, according to the article.

Ekstra Bladet asked the Immigration authorities about the case and was told the case could be reviewed.

The problem was that the couple were only living together, not legally married.

“Let me emphasize that our decision is not definitive, since final decision rests ewith the appeals office of the Immigration Office,” writes Lone Zeuner of the Danish immigration office in a mail to Ekstra Bladet.

News Brief

Carlsberg ready to hit the shelves in Myanmar

by December

D

anish brewer Carlsberg will begin production at its Myanmar factory next month as the company looks to become the first foreign producer approved by President U Thein Sein’s government to tap the country’s promising beer market.

Brewing is slated to begin the first week of October and the company will hold an opening ceremony with executives a month later, on December 5. Carlsberg will be brewing three beers at its factory in Bago, including Yoma, a new beer specifically crafted for the Myanmar market. The group’s flagship Carlsberg beer and Tuborg brand will also be produced at the site.

Yoma, which means “mountain range” in Myanmar language, will compete with Myanmar Beer in the mid-range category. The military-backed beer currently dominates the domestic market with a 64 percent share, according to research firm Euromonitor International.

H&M, other brands support Cambodian workers’ wage hike

E

ight major clothing brands, including Swedish H&M and Spanish Inditex, which owns Zara, British New Look, and Irish Primark, have sent a letter to the Cambodian deputy prime minister saying they will pay more for goods sourced there in order to help raise pay for the country’s garment workers.

“Workers in all production countries have the right to a fair living wage,” the letter states. “As responsible Business’ [sic] our purchasing practices will enable the payment of a fair living wage.” The letter also calls on the government to establish a monitoring and policing system to ensure workers actually get any higher minimum wage to “create a competitive advantage for the factories that comply with the new minimum wage” and the installation of a yearly collective bargaining process for the workers.

The corporate support comes after at least 1,000 garment workers staged rallies in the capital last week to reinvigorate the movement for a higher minimum wage. They are calling for a raise to $177 a month from the current $100 monthly minimum wage. The demonstrations came without strikes - they were held on lunch breaks - and reportedly without violence, despite the deployment of armed troops.

The country’s garment sector is home to as many as half a million jobs and generates a third of the country’s GDP.

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October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 7

Motherhood, O Muscles, and Motorbikes

By Bjarne Wildau

ut and about in town, people call her a fitness fanatic. At home, her three children call her Mama.

And her husband refers to her as “Maria my love” and his fantastic motorbike partner. Her bike is a Yamaha R1. His bike is nondescript. A public bus takes six hours from Phnom Phen to Sihanoukville. Maria and her husband make it in 1 hour 45 minutes.

So there you got it. A quick run-through of 44-year-old Maria Ahlberg’s life. But there is more to it than that.

A long-married couple with children who have grown enough to become restless. Something’s got to give. Divorce or more togetherness.

Maria and Frederic picked the latter.

The perfect match Both Maria and Frederic have pumped iron for many years as part of self-cultivation. Now they are doing it professionally at the five-star Hotel InterContinental’s Fitness Centre to the rave admiration of clients and and dedicated staff.

The couple started out managing the place together, but Maria soon took over. So from here on the story will be about Maria Ahlberg and her fantastic life as the manager of InterContinental Fitness Centre.

When Maria arrived in Phnom Penh she had many years of experience with nutrition, fitness, how to stay motivated, how to overcome mental blocks to achieve one’s personal goals.

How did she get to become who she is doing what she does? It all started with cycling.

By bye to the Olympic Games From when Maria was 10, she was a cycling racer.

When she was 12, she was enrolled at a sports school. Life went by. A trainer with big ambition but not enough knowledge of exercise physiology to match, pushed Maria too far, just three months before she was supposed to compete in the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Overtraining took its tolls. Months spent at the best hospitals. Rehabilitation, and bye bye to cycling at competitive level.

But she missed to use her young body. And started to work out at a gym. Her muscles grow faster than normal. The dream of competitive sports gave way and Maria has since focused her attention to becoming a fitness instructor to help others.

There is a lot to be said about shaping up and staying in good shape. Being the kind of young woman that attracts men’s attention. The sense of wellbeing of people in fantastic shape moving among fantastic people.

“The feel-good factor is by far the most important. I can feel that I have more energy than the average person. Looking good I take as a bonus.

If I am training too little, and eat too much of the bad stuff, I feel tired”.

“The diet accounts for 70% of what you can achieve out of your fitness regime. The hard workout chips in at only around 30%.”

8 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

Losing kilos make you smile but...

Let’s now turn our attention to who Maria’s clients are. Why do they seek her out and keep showing up with cash or a credit card in hand?

Many of them want to feel good about themselves or may be to get rid of excess fat.

“Most of our clients are over-30s. The men get the fat on their belly whereas most woman put on weight during their pregnancy,” explains Maria.

So it’s quite clear that first thing most of them want is to look better. And if the client succeed in losing kilos, then they also feel better.

In the fitness business, the success of clients reflects positively on the fitness instructor. It comes as little surprise that Maria has got what it takes improve the rate of success of her clients.

At the Fitness Centre, you have all the fancy machines just like any other place. You do your workouts on them one after another and get all sweaty and exhausted.

But according to Maria Ahlberg, that’s not where a higher level of fitness starts. According to her, it all starts with what you put in your mouth as food or as fuel.

“The diet accounts for 70% of what you can achieve out of your fitness regime. The hard workout chips in at only around 30%.”

“Think about what you eat. I have no idea what is in a sausage. So I would never eat one.

Same with bacon. I know what it is, but it is one of the first things I drop off a client’s food list.

White bread, croissants, food stuffed with sugar, fat, and oil”.

Unhealthy Saturdays But depriving oneself can only increase uncontrollable cravings. So Maria admits that even she makes exception to her own rules every Saturday.

On Saturday outings with the family, Maria allows herself to eat Cambodia’s most unhealthy food.

Fitness is just one part of Maria’s life. The fitness executive is also an avid biker and the only female member of the Cambodian Bikers Club.

“It tough. The bike is huge and heavy, and we ride fast. I can easily lose 2000 calories on a road trip.”

That brings us to the last and a rather obscure bit of Maria’s otherwise highly public personna. It is her “little secret”. Maria plays the erotic cat woman’s big bike show. The same Maria, the mother of three, does not appear to be comfortable discussing about that in detail but...

“All you need to know is I get up on the stage

with my big bike, the Yamaha R1. I wear tight black clothes and a mask. And then I do the dancing, with or without my bike. My eyes are blue, my hair is blonde, and then people get to see most if not all my muscles”.

“All that makes me stand out and popular here,” says Maria Ahlberg.

Two birds with one bullet

S

ince the Swedish fitness fanatic arrived in Phom Phnem she has almost on a daily basis “killed two birds with one bullet”. Her main task and business is to support her clients with the struggle to clean up their diet plan, improve their physical fitness.

“The other “bird” is about the recruitment of local fitness instructors.

If they enrol in to the programme at The International Gym in Phnom Penh, where she is the manager since 2008, they will have access to a better lifestyle, they will become fitter, and on top of that, they will get an education as a professional fitness trainer, a job that brings a salary that is beyond what 70% or 80% of Cambodians could ever make.

But if you are a Cambodian who want to improve you life and at the same time help others to put smiles on their faces at “InterContinental Fitness Centre”, you have to pass the test prepared by Maria herself.

Working as a professional fitness trainer is not just another job. It’s part of enjoyable lifestyle.

“A professional fitness trainer has to have a passion for the job”, Maria says.

A deep interest in training and commitment in helping others achieve their personal best, physically and mentally.

“Trainers will also need to read and keep up to date with new knowledge and fitness trends.

It’s good to work out in a gym. But that’s not enough. What good does it make if twenty minutes after a strenous workout you stuff yourself with unhealthy food that will totally negate hard work at the gym.

Many Cambodians, and expats too, eat a lot of rice, and drink too much alcohol after a workout. “None of that helps people who want to get rid of body fat and build muscles http://fitnesslifecambodia@hotmail.com http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/mariaahlberg62h/

October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 9

A brighter future

for immigrant children in Sabah plantations In 1991 Torben Venning and a group of Danish teachers launched a modest project to provide basic education for 70 children of immigrant plantation workers in Sabah, Malaysia. Since then the number of children enrolled in their schools has risen to 13000.

By Kristian Krüger Lauritzen

I

n the eastern par t of Malaysia, in Sabah, Borneo, oil palm plantations covers a massive swathes of land in the region, and these companies are the biggest employers. Most of the plantation workers are immigrants, and under strict Malaysian laws, no immigrant workers are allowed to have a family or bring up children while being employed in the country.

Such unrealistic and unenforceable restriction results in a lot of immigrant children being born on Malaysian soil without official documentation regarding their nationality. Only children born to Malaysian citizens can be enrolled in state schools, leaving a huge number of children without access to education.

Since 1991 the NGO, Humana Child Aid Society, has been providing basic education for a growing number of immigrant children, the majority of which are from Indonesia. Starting out with seed funds from a Dutch NGO, Humana has grown by leaps and bounds. Today the organization has become more or less self-financed.

51-year-old Dane, Torben Venning, Executive Director of Humana Child Aid Society, was one of founders of the school projects back in 1991.

“We were a small group of Danes, most of us teachers by profession, who came out here.

We soon found out that all those children running around were not going to school. It seemed obvious to us what needed to be done. But with an estimated 50000 immigrant children outside 10 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

We were a small group of Danes, most of us teachers by profession, who came out here. We soon found out that all those children running around were not going to school. It seemed obvious to us what needed to be done.

the Malaysian school system, it was fair to say that there were a lot to be done,” he recalled. Torben Venning has a BA in anthropology from Denmark, and had taught for many years at independent schools.

When Humana Child Aid Society star ted out almost twenty five years ago with local NGO counterparts in Lahad Datu in the eastern part of Sabah, they were able to enroll some 70 immigrant children to their network of schools. Today there are more than 13000 receiving education in 135 learning centres in Sabah.

“We began teaching the children without any formal permission. After some time, Malaysia’s Ministry of Education heard about our activities, and an official delegation came for inspection.

That turned out well, they recognized the benefits, and we got the green light to carry on with our school network offering a full curriculum, “ Torben Venning said.

Strict immigrant labour rules From a Scandinavian perspective, it would seem obvious that every child, regardless of nationality, should have access to schooling. In Malaysia, it is a different story. In a multicultural country such as this, there are millions of illegal and legal immigrants, particularly from poorer neighbouring countries, like Indonesia and the Philippines. In an effort to keep the number of immigrants at manageable level, the government issued strict rules on non-Malaysians.

“When you are an immigrant plantation worker in Malaysia, the official rules forbid you to marry and/or have children. Of course the reality is that these people are getting married and are having children - which is basically what people do, “ Torben Venning stressed.

The plantation workers typically lives in longhouses located inside the oil palm plantations in village settings, with the majority from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Without access to school the children are likely to become child labourers at an early age. The Malaysian government officially acknowledges the need for school under the principle “Education for All”, but leaves it solely to NGO’s to provide schooling for non-Malaysians.

Humana Child Aid Society presently have more than 300 teachers employed in addition to 109 teachers sent by the Indonesian Government.

In-house training and learning by doing, are essential part of the teaching staff recruitment and skill development. Teachers don’t really need to have a degree in education,Torben Venning stressed.

“It is important that the ones we hire, have their heart in the right place. Usually they are people who lives in the rural areas, struggling to find work. So we hire some of them, provide them with training, and often they end up becoming very dedicated and great teachers.”

Social responsibility From 1991 to 1999 the schools was funded by Dutch NGO, Humana People to People. That organisation closed down in 1999, so the Sabah school project adopted the name Humana. At that time an essential donation came through a request to the Danish Embassy in Malaysia.

“We had asked them, if there were any possibility for financial support from DANIDA(Danish International Development Agency) or anything similar, but the average income in Malaysia is too high to qualify as international aid recipient. Luckily the Danish Ambassador forwarded our funding request to the Finnish Embassy, which had available budget allocated for a project like ours, “ Torben Venning said.

The Finnish Embassy were the main donors for the following nine years. In 2012 Humana Child Aid Society received from the EU a donation of 600000 euros to be spent over three years. Humana also receives financial support from Danish businesses such as ØK(East Asiatic Company) and Maersk. Also UNICEF has provided important support and cooperation. In 2013 the Finnish Embassy ceased funding. As of today it is mostly the plantation companies that pay for the day-to-day running of the schools. At long last, they have realised the need for corporate social responsibility.

“Good plantation workers are sought after.

And as is turns out, the ones that are reliable are also the ones with a family. They are not going anywhere because employment gives them the

financial security they need. So the plantation companies have learned that the schools are not only about charity, but basically is part of good management.”

Eager to learn Torben Venning sees it as quite an exceptional situation, that a private foreign organization gets the opportunity to implement school project in Malaysia.

“Our project played an important role in putting a spotlight on the problem that these children exist. Now there is a general understanding that they also deserve education,” he stressed.

Since 2011 Humana Child Aid Society has opened up 32 new learning centres for more than 3000 immigrant students and continues to expand. For the immigrant children, the schools, the time they spent in classes provide them with a structure in their lives, and a better future when they grow up. Torben Venning recounted with a smile how visiting teacher-groups from Denmark told him that they were very envious, when they saw how dedicated the children are at the learning centres.

There are still immigrant children who are still deprived of schooling in Sabah. Humana Child Aid Society are striving to reach out to as many of them as possible, to make the noble concept of “Education for All” a reality.

October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 11

Visit Laos...

By Morten Krogsholm

before it’s too late

Everything closes at midnight. A sense of calmness settles around you. Gastronomic experiences awaits you and commercialization is on the verge of happening. Welcome to Vientiane, Laos.

T

o many it is known as one of the most chilled-out places on earth. It has a undescribable vibe to it that is so far removed from the hectic everyday life. If you wish to experience this along with its unique selection of cuisines from all over the world, it might be time to pack your suitcase and get to Laos before big businesses move in and change the scenery.

Simply cosy It is all about the vibe. Everything in Vientiane seems to run on a different set of tracks than in the rest of the world - smooth, calm and easygoing. On arriving from the hustle and bustle of the city life, you be struck by the down-tempo vibe that embraces you and you might end up dwelling in it. The Laotian people are friendly and seem to have a lot less mercenary attitude than in some other Asian countries where everything turns into haggling over prices. And surprisingly enough, a lot of people in Vientiane speak English or at least understand what you are trying to communicate. Walking down the streets, it is common to see TukTuk drivers enjoying a bit of relaxation in a hammock that they put up in the back of their vehicles and you instinctively settle in and adopt their laid-back way of life.

If you can withstand the heat, it is possible to get anywhere in Vientiane on foot due to its modest size of approximately four square kilometers and a population of just around 800.000. But the compactness of the place also means that there are limited opportunities for

sightseeing and activities, relatively speaking.

Because Vientiane offers both rich cultural experience and creature comforts, with street vendors keen on catering to your every needs for every budget.

If you are a big fan of architecture, Laos can offer that as well, such as Pha That Luang, the most impor tant Laotian Buddhist monument, which was originally built in 1566 and restored in the 1930. You will also stumble upon different official government buildings, which always feature big name plates in gold letters both in French and Laotian.

The streets are narrow and you will find yourself walking as much on the road as on the pavement as street vendors display and sell their ware right on the pavement, forcing pedestrians on to the road surface. On top of that, it is worth mentioning that traffic is not as bad in Vientiane as in many other Asian cities, so you do not have to fear for your life at all times. And making your way around the narrow streets on foot also

12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

offers added advantage as might actually lead you to some treasured items that may not be available anywhere else in the world. Like in the bookstores, which are a good place to go bargainhunting if you are looking for that special present for yourself or a bookworm friend. First or second editions of some famous books, which would be a complete nightmare to find elsewhere - not to mention the exorbitant price tags to match.These things might just be hidden around the corner somewhere in Vientiane.

All of this might be a result of Laos being one the poorest countries and therefore it is in many ways underdeveloped. But you could easily misread the relaxed atmosphere as absence of development, which is not the case.

Under development Vientiane will not turn into Times Square any time soon and probably never will, so you still have time to experience the calm and uniqueness of Vientiane. But you should hurry up. Though being underdeveloped, there are new developments in Laos and the capital Vientiane, that are transforming them into a more modern, westernized look and perhaps also the rhythm of life.

For a long period of time, both the capital city and the country have been free of international brands and their franchises, with only Beer Lao being the sole key player as the nation pride, and every shop owner dreaming of having the signature yellow and green Beer Lao logo to be associated with their business. The lack of international franchises has left Laos in the company of few Asian countries without McDonald, KFC and Burger King, among others - which is not altogether a bad thing. But times are changing.

Globalization and commercialization have now established a beachhead with chains, such as Swensen ice-cream parlor, The Pizza Company and Dairy Queen, popping up around the city and standing out because of its strict guidelines in regards to the decoration of these modern fastfood outlets. A quick look at McDonald website

also indicates that they are monitoring the market closely with the intention to penetrate the market in the near future.

Even the signature morning market, Talat Sao, has had its commercial makeover, going from being a traditional open street market to having a modern shopping mall in one corner and enclosing a part of the traditional market. That resulted in a clash of cultures and some would say an eyesore as the shops inside the extension, which looks very like modern, western architecture, seem not to have fully adapted to its new environment. It looks like the developer simply transplanted traditional street shops inside the new extension as none of the shops seem to have put any effort into decoration of their businesses to fit the modern decors. That why the new center has no shopping mall feel to it. This ongoing modernization in Vientiane and Laos in general suggests that the country is fast becoming a hotspot for foreign investment and it is said that Chinese entrepreneurs are the main driving force, backed by availability of cash and cheap loans.

Treat your tastebuds As a small land-locked country, Laos has to import many things, from groceries to meat used for cooking - but the Laotians obviously know how to cook. The country was a French protectorate in the late 19th Century and it seems as if the proud French food culture and tradition has rubbed off on the Laotian people who accepted it whole-heartedly.

The small capital of Vientiane offers a humon-

gous selection of cuisines from all over the world and in contradiction to experience you might have of western food in Southeast Asia the food prepared in Laos is nothing less than excellent rendition, which does justice to the original.

Culinary adventure is definitely a must-do if you visit Vientiane as you get a surreal experience of finding yourself in a mini version of Europe.

Another upside is that the food, to a cer tain extent, is affordable, though food is actually more expensive in Laos than in most other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand. This goes for street food as well. One thing that is very cheap

and very good is their sandwiches. Fresh veggies and French baguettes are used and it will only cost you around 20.000 Lation Kip, which is just around 2 Euros.

If you have money to spend, you should immerse yourself in one of the many gastronomic experiences the capital serves up. You will be greeted by a wide selection of pizzas made in real wood-fired pizza ovens and though pizza is Italian and many of the pizza places around town are French or Italian, one of the more popular ones is a Swedish pizza bakery, which serves a pizza with banana as topping.

At 20 Euros you can get a tasty and tender buffalo steak with a creamy mushroom sauce and pommes. And should you opt for even more lavish feast, you may try out some french delicacies - a tenderloin steak with foie gras and truffle sauce can be had just around the corner.

The local Laotians dishes are also wor th tasting as they bear slight resemblance to the food found in other Asian kitchens. They neither ver y spicy nor salty, Laotian cuisine is more influenced by herbs than spices, and there is, of course, the sticky rice. Some Laotians even refer to themselves as the descendants of sticky rice - Luk Khao Niaow.

So to sum it all up; If you feel like you could need a break and chill out, while getting A+ food without breaking your bank account and experience a country that has not yet been overrun by modern western chain stores and franchises - a trip to Laos might be a perfect fit for your wellearned vacation

October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 13

Scandinavian

Bakery

By Morten Krogsholm

A retiring baker, a homecoming son and his Swedish Pizza... the Wissmars are not expanding but not for want of trying.

Circumstances have changed so much during the last decade that he no longer sees it as a viable project.

“You need funds to set up new outlets in other countries. We don’t have the means to do that on our own, so we would need to lend from a bank. Unfortunately there are others who can do this at much lower interest rates, such as the Chinese who can borrow money for investment in a foreign country at a 0 percent interest rate,” Sune said by way of explaining why he had to let go of the dreams of expansion.

No sooner than the dreams has been dashed, Wismars Bakery, located right next to the fountain, Nam Phou, is also downsizing.

“We’ve sold part of the property to a local bank, and I’m actually quite satisfied with that.

Nam Phou used to be a great location for business, but somehow someone got the fountain renovated in a way, that in my opinion, destroyed its beauty and the attractive surroundings completely,” said Sune, showing me an old postcard of how it used to look.

tiane to ask if he could come back to Laos and help him out.

“Daniel went to school here when we moved here and Daniel fell in love with the country and the people. His knowledge of the local language is of course also a huge advantage in terms of living and working here. He is a very valuable asset to our company,” Sune said, adding that his twin brothers were doing just fine in Sweden.

“Daniel came here and started helping out in the bakery. Even since he was back, he was always on the lookout for a good pizza, but he couldn’t find any that satisfied his tastebuds. So he decided that he would open a bakery that serves pizzas with a Sweden slant,” he told me. Before my interview with Sune Wissmar I had walked by one of Daniel’s pizza outlets in Vientiane and I was quite intrigued as the sign that reads “Swedish Pizza & Baking”. Never before had I heard of “Swedish Pizza”, so I simply had to ask Sune what a Swedish pizza is and what makes it unique.

He explained to me how many Italians had travelled to Sweden in the 70’s to work and many of them had set up pizzerias in Sweden. Their proud tradition of making pizzas had rubbed off on the Swedes, who then proceeded to modify it to suit their taste.

“Today in Stockholm I would estimate that there are probably around 10.000 pizzerias. Only 500 of those make bad pizzas. The rest of them are churning out quality pizzas that meet high standards,” he said.

But the Swedish variety of pizza have also been modified to fit the tastebuds of the people of Laos.

“Our pizzas are less salty than what you would have in Sweden, Laotians do not like their food as salty as we from the western part of the world do,” Daniel Wissmar said.

To begin with, the pizzas are mainly sold to backpackers and expats and as time went by and rumours began to spread about the good pizza, the Laotians joined the crowd and now make up a big share of the clientele.The pizzerias also bake specialities, like the Selma that Swedes eats during Shrovetide, which is also Daniel’s favorite.

The growing popularity of the pizza-places have also earned its entry in The Lonely Planet.

Swedish pizza

A new generation

D

reams of expansion are put away and the Scandinavian Bakery is downsizing. Swedish Pizzas and a homecoming son will now determine the future of the Wissmar family’s business in Laos and Southeast Asia.

When ScandAsia last talked with Sune Wismar, nearly a decade ago, plans for expanding the Scandinavian Baker y to other par ts of Southeast Asia were so meticulously laid out as if they were just about to come true.Those dreams have now been shelved and new ones have been conjured up.

Different circumstances

Daniel, one of his children, nearly completed a business degree when he phoned Sune in Vien-

Throughout my talk with Sune Wissmar, he kept reminding me that the company is now being

14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2014

run by Daniel. It’s the son and his pizzas that represent the future of this family business. Sune Wissmar described himself as being semi-retired though he hasn’t left Vientiane. Sune continues to take 12-hour trips to and from Bangkok to bring in the ingredients for the family’s bakeries while dropping by the office every now and then. But he promised to go back to Sweden and retire there with his wife, but said that that will happen the day Daniel kicks him out on to the curb.

It is not hard to understand why it is difficult to let go of something that has been the labor of love and a passion of one’s life for over thirty years.

“I’ve been here for so long that I’m one of the grand oldtimers. It seems like yesterday people came to me for advice about setting up businesses here and what to and what not to do.

But those times are over,” Sune said. He described how his role had changed and how his son has grown to become a full partner and is now taking the lead. Sune Wissmar has complete faith in his son’s ability to bring the family business to the next level, but at the moment he is quite satisfied with sticking around.

“We’ve grown to employ over 100 employees and with that the burden to hold regular staff meetings and the responsibility to keep your employees satisfied. On top of that, we also have to compete for competent staff members, which are not easy to find these days,” Sune said, glancing at the office where Daniel was poring over accounting tasks.

Whether the Swedish Pizza will remain an obscure specialty only to be found in Laos or whether it will travel across the borders to conquer other Southeast Asian markets, only time will tell. One thing is for certain - Daniel is now fully in charge while Sune is counting down towards a happy retirement back in Sweden.

Smoked Bacon with Apples and Onions

By Anders Holm Nielsen

This traditional recipe from Denmark makes a hearty lunch or a tasty Sunday evening dinner.

Ingredients (Serves 4) • 4 tablespoons butter • 1 pound sliced back bacon • 2 large onions •3 medium apples cut in wedges • Black pepper • Preparation Melt 2 tablespoons butter.

Add bacon and fry until lightly browned.

Remove bacon and drain on paper towel.

Add remaining butter and fry onions until soft and transparent.

Add apples; cover pan and simmer 7 to 10 minutes.

When apples are cooked, put bacon back in and simmer about 5 minutes.

Grind pepper over top.

October 2014 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 15

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