InDepth No.14, December 2015
A JOURNEY TO INSPIRE YIN MYO SU
MORE ART MORE FASHION MORE TRAVEL MORE LIFESTYLE
oyster perpetual yaCHt-master 40
rolex service centre. no. 72, corner of u wisara road and chindwin street, kamaryut township, yangon, myanmar. tel: +95 (1) 538163 fax: +95 (1) 539397 watch featured subject to stock availability
CONTENTS
TEAM MANAGING DIRECTOR Andreas Sigurdsson andreas@myanmore.com
EDITOR Bob Percival editor@myanmore.com
CONTRIBUTORS
San Lin Tun Tet Ka Tho Soe Moe Naing Manny Maung Mimi Wu Bob Percival Chit Chan Cho Tom Vater Cliff Lonsdale Robert Berg Catherine Smith Hazel Zan
COVER PHOTO Taken by Gerhard Jörén www.gerhardjoren.com
PHOTOGRAPHY & ARTWORK Gerhard Jörén Hong Sar Salai Suanpi Aung Soe Min Bob Percival Hans Kemp
ART & PRODUCTION Kyaw Kyaw Tun
PUBLISHER U Myo Aung (Permanent No.00315) InDepth MYANMORE Magazine 1st Floor, Annex Building, Strand Hotel, 92 Strand Road, Yangon
PRINTER Shwe Naing Ngan Press Permit No: 05745 No.90(C), Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd., Bahan Tsp., Yangon.
SALES sales@myanmore.com 01 375 680. Contact us on indepth@myanmore.com
DISCLAIMER No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the Managing Director. All details are deemed correct at the time of print, the editor, employees and contributors can not be held responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions that might occur.
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STREETS OF YANGON
TRAVEL
FASHION
22nd Street – the heart of Chinatown, a laughing and dancing Lucky Uncle, and an old Chinese newspaper
Photo-essay: Burmese Light, a new book exploring Myanmar's cultural diversity
Details Make the Man – Hugo Boss
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TRANSLATION
Aung Soe Min explores the history of comics in Myanmar
An orginal San Shar story – The Burmese Sherlock Holmes – The Scorpion's Traitor
ART
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Mimi Wu talks to U Ye Htut Win, aka Sharky, about his love for locally-made produce
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THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Chit Chan Cho looks at the Smooth Operators
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COVER STORY Misuu (Yin Myo Su) sits down with Manny Maung to talk about what can be achieved in Myanmar in the fields of hospitality and heritage
LIFESTYLE A short history of Shan Martial Arts – Thaing Byaung Byan
ABOUT MYANMORE MYANMORE® is a registered brand, produced by Lychee Ventures (Myanmar) Limited and the leading lifestyle platform in Yangon. In addition to InDepth®, MYANMORE® provides www. myanmore.com, city maps, a privilege card, the Weekly Guide, EnjoyIt® and KnowIt®. The mission is to create great content and experiences for visitors and residents of Yangon.
Shiki Tei Japanese Restaurant, Mahlzeit, Sunday Roast @ Union Bar & Grill
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IN FOCUS
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BISTRONOMY
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BISTRONOMY
Carlsberg – Local beers at an international standard
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HOROSCOPE In Myanmar astrology, star signs are determined by which day you were born. Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing predicts your fortune for December
DISTRIBUTION Find InDepth at Jasper House, Manhattan Fish Market, Chatime, Yoogane (Pearl Condo), Yangon Bakehouse, Summit Parkview Hotel, Pun Hlaing Golf Estate, Harley´s and many more places in Yangon and hotels around Myanmar. Have it distributed to your doorstep for only 3,000ks. Six months subscription for 18,000ks and a full year for 33,000ks.
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 5
WHAT'S ON EVENTS
11 - 13 DECEMBER Yangon ICT Fair 2015 | Exhibition
lours of Myeik" from 11th to 14th December. The participating artists include Moe Kyaw Thant, Khin Maung Zaw, Nay Hlaing Win, Kyaw Htet Naing, Maung Aw, Win Zin and Mg Thein Win. The exhibit will feature over 40 paintings of the latest artworks of these 7 Artists.
Yangon ICT Fair in December 2015. At this ICT Fair, various shops will offer you some discounts on electronic items and mobile gadgets. If you are looking for the latest IT accessories this is the exhibition you will not want to miss!
Gallery 65 - 65 Yaw Min Gyi Rd (Behind Parkroyal Hotel) | 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tatmadaw Hall - U Wisara Rd (Next to Minder Ground), Dagon Tsp 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The First Jam vol 4 2015 | Activities
11 DECEMBER The Sky Party | Nightlife Up above Yangon’s roofline, an impressive, panoramic scene, a sprawling city sunset runs into the jungle horizon. Enjoy partying on top of it all on the highest bar in Myanmar where the music is pulsing, the dancing is unhinged and the conversations flow into the early hours as the moon shines. The Sky Party will bring together swelling beats from House Music to Gypsy, Breaks to Hip Hop and Electro, for a nostalgic Yangon night out. 15,000 Ks per person.
12 DECEMBER
This year is 4th year anniversary, The First Jam presented by Myanmar Street Dance. This time they will bring up with all overseas judges seats. And they have put the prize rate to double last year. Please SMS or contact +95-9420097588 for more details. Hledan Centre - Corner of Hledan St and Pyay Rd, Kamaryut Tsp | 11:00 AM - 8:30 PM
BRAND’S Concert | Art & Stage
Old Skool Rules | Nightlife
BRAND’S Concert (The power of music The power of brain). Brought to you by Frenzo Production Entertainment together with famous singers Sai Sai Kham Leng, Ki Ki Kyaw Zaw, Snare, Soe Gyi, Bunny Phyoe, Lil.Z, G-Fatt, Nge Nge, Mi Sandi and NiNi Khin Zaw. Tickets available at Nobody Shops, OMG, Genius Fashion Shop, TBY Jean Shop, Man Thiri, Kandawgyi Mhyaw Sin Island. 6500 Ks per ticket.
Bring it to the ONLY 80s night in Yangon. On 11th December. Free Entry. Radical.
Kandawgyi Myaw Sin Island - Nat Mauk Rd (Inside Kandawgyi Park) | 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Andaman 2 - Intersection of Yankin and Yanshin Rd, Yankin Tsp | FROM 8:00 PM
Japan Pwel Taw 2015 | Art & Stage
Yangon Yangon Rooftop Bar Rooftop, Sakura Tower, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Kyauktada Tsp | FROM 5:00 PM
11 - 14 DECEMBER Seven Colours of Myeik 2nd Art Exhibition | Art Gallery 65 presents its second last exhibition of the year "Seven Co-
Japan Pwel Taw 2015 (Japanese Festival) is organised primarily by the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar, Former Japanese Students Association and Yangon Japanese Society. On the same day, an outdoor stage with martial arts of performance and dance, Japanese songs karaoke contest will be held indoor, and various Japanese traditional culture experi-
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ence corners such as origami, calligraphy, tea ceremony, etc will be included. At the finale, all visitors will be entertained with the Japanese traditional dance called Bon Odori Dance. Mya Yeik Nyo Royal Hotel - Pearl Rd (Opposite to Pearl Condo) | 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM
R.A.T Race (Run Against Trafficking) | Sports The R.A.T. Race MMR (Run Against Trafficking) team is a group of committed volunteers raising awareness of this problem and promoting education, prevention and rescue. R.A.T. Race MMR will be the first run for a cause. Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, J-ME, Ye Naung, Triggy Trigg aka Trigger, Nat Kyaw, Y.A. K., Geta Lu Nge and Killah Ca$h are coming to perform at the concert to support this R.A.T. Race! Ticket prices: Locals: 8,000 Ks , Foreign: US$25 (ASEAN Passports get local price, Kids under 12 yrs are free). Tickets available at YES English School @ Hledan and Balance Fitness 2.
PROMOTIONS
12 DECEMBER Patio Party Please join Parami Pizza on their TERRACE for amazing food and 50% discounts on House wines and draft beers. Parami Pizza - 11/8, Corner of Malikha Rd and Parami Rd, 7th Qtr, Mayangone Tsp | FROM 5:30 PM
24 - 27 DECEMBER Merry Christmas Union Bar is hosting a holiday open house! They have prepared Special Sunday roast Menu with Turkey Dinner and "Open Table" for people who don't have family here , so you can enjoy real Xmas.
People’s Park & People’s Square Pyay Rd (same compound with Happy World Amusement Center) | 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Union Bar - 42 Strand Rd | FROM 7:00 PM
DJ Radieux - Deep and Dynamic Vol.3 | Nightlife
31 DECEMBER New Year’s Eve Gekko presents New Year’s Eve with a 2 course sharing Menu including 1 bottle of Sparkling Sake at US$40. DJ all night and special Nye Sake Cocktails. More details at: 0943190232. Gekko - 535 Merchant St, Kyauktada Tsp | 6:00 PM
New Year Party
Dj Radieux is back in town and he is ready to put some Magical December Spell on you. It is known that when he is playing people can not stop to Dance. Union Bar has prepared a special promotion for you: Delicious 72-hour smoked short ribs
Union Bar has prepared 4 Course Sharing Menu + Free Flow Beverage Package + A Bottle of Champagne per person for US$100. DJ will play the Music all night long and make sure that everyone is on the dance floor. Union Bar - 42 Strand Rd | FROM 7:00 PM
WHAT'S ON and two cold pints for US$18. Union Bar - 42 Strand Rd (Same building as Red Cross by Strand Road) | FROM 7:00 PM
12 - 15 DECEMBER Royal Maylikha Condo Launch Event | Business Royal Maylikha Boutique Condo by Sustain Co.Ltd has successfully been completed! Join for the sales event of their remaining units and the celebration of the launch of Royal Maylikha. Royal Maylikha Condominium 2(A) Parami Rd, Mayangone Tsp | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
13 DECEMBER The First Jam Workshop | Activities The First Jam Workshop includes Locking Workshop by Bird (UFO), Breaking Workshop by Bboy Spize (99Flava), Hip Hop Workshop by Sammy Blank (Freekzy Nutz), Breaking Workshop by Bboy 3T (S.I.N.E) and Popping Workshop by Popping Timothy (Family of Funk). Register by sending SMS your Name, Class and Phone Number to Jimmy at 09975982964. Limited space. Fitness Xpress - Junction Mawtin, Lanmadaw Tsp | 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
German Frühschoppen | Dining Welcome to German Frühschoppen! White sausages, sweet mustard, pretzels, potato salad, cabbage salad, free flow of German beer - all you can drink and eat for 32,500 Ks. Bavarian music and cosiness all inclusive! Book your table: reservation@mahlzeit-myanmar.com Mahlzeit - 84 Pann Hlaing St, Sanchaung Tsp | 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
18 - 19 DECEMBER Hatrick Sports Bar Grand Opening | Activities Grand opening of Hatrick Inya Sports Bar party will be on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th. Australian DJ Champion will be performing. Hatrick Inya Sports Bar - 37 Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd, Inya Lake Hotel compound, Mayangone Tsp | FROM 6:00 PM
New Salsa Weekend | Nightlife Are you ready for the new Salsa weekend at Union Bar & Grill? DJ Teef and Ricardo from Bangkok Latinos are coming to Yangon to check your Salsa learning experience. For beginners they are here on Friday 18th December to teach you how to dance Salsa and to show you how to move your hips in the right direction. On 19th December, they are going a little over the limit and there will be a Tropical atmosphere in the Union. Limbo dance and Watermelon Vodka cocktails will be ready for you. Union Bar - 42 Strand Rd (same building as Red Cross by Strand Road) | FROM 7:00 PM
19 DECEMBER 7th Myanmar Cosplay & Otaku Festival | Art & Stage 7th Myanmar Cosplay and Otaku Festival Event is mainly sponsored by MMOtaku Data Library where you can get animes, movies and TV Series for an awesomely cheap price! Games & Activities for everyone! They have arranged Game (electronic) tournaments for gamers with many gifts, Fun Games(non-electronic) for everyone where you can win t-shirts, mugs, key chains and wallpaper for free, plus regular Bingo game and quiz where you can win big awards, and many Otaku shops with amazing discount programs, and finally the Great and Grand Cosplay Competition. Pre-tickets (limited) are now on sale at the following locations with 5000 Ks! MMOtaku Center – No.36, 19th St, Latha Tsp.
Sein Lann Soe Pyay Garden - Inya Rd (Next to Yangon Yacht Club) | 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
CINEMA
Together Festival Yangon 2015 | Nightlife
While searching for animal body parts at a London circus, radical scientist Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) meets gifted surgeon Igor Strausman (Daniel Radcliffe). Not only does the brilliant doctor offer Strausman his friendship, but also a chance to work with him on groundbreaking research that could change the world forever.
Blue Mountain presents Together Festival Yangon 2015. ASIA’s Premier Electronic Dance Music Festiva is officially coming to Yangon. Headliner: DVBBS. International Artists: GTA and WolfPack. Supporting Artists: Ninegod. Local Artists: Dj Icez, M Invaders, Visionary (Double U & AR-T). Tickets available at 1876, Balance Fitness, Ice Cream Bar, Juize Muzic, M2M, Rangoon Grill & Chill, Roof Alchemy, Seinn Lann So Pyay Garden, The Bar BurDubai – Inya Rd and The Salon. Ticket prices are 100,000 Ks (VIP) and 40,000 Ks (Regular). Shwe Htut Tin Stadium East Horse Course Road, Tamwe Tsp (in front of Kyaikkasan Ground) | 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM
20 DECEMBER The 2nd Gathering for Poodle Lovers | Social Poodle Lover has created the 2nd Gathering for lovely poodles. Other small breeds (poms, chihuahua & the small ones) are welcome to the event too. They prohibit large breeds, unvaccinated puppies and this event is not for selling dogs! Kandawgyi Nature Park - Nat Mauk Rd, Tamwe Tsp | 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Victor Frankenstein
Director: Paul McGuigan Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Mark Gatiss
Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his army of Stormtroopers. Director: J.J. Abrams Story by: George Lucas Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley
The Good Dinosaur
31 DECEMBER Happy New Year Countdown Party | Nightlife B2O Bar is throwing a party with the music rocking and bubbly flowing. Ticket - (Pre sale) 7000 Ks (included Free Flow Beer) and (On Door) 10,000 Ks (included Free Flow Beer). Details at 09 515 8797. B2O Bar and Bistro - No. (98) , 20th St (upper), Latha Tsp | 10:30 PM - 12:30 AM
Luckily for young Arlo, his parents (Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand) and his two siblings. When a rainstorm washes poor Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) downriver, he ends up bruised, battered and miles away from home. Then he meets Spot (Jack Bright), a Neanderthal boy who offers his help and friendship. Together, the unlikely duo embark on an epic adventure to reunite Arlo with his beloved family. Director: Peter Sohn Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 7
STREETS OF YANGON
Photos by Bob Percival & Hong Sar
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STREETS OF YANGON
22ND STREET Bob Percival walks downtown, discovering the heart of Chinatown, the singing and dancing Lucky Uncle, and the home of the former Ren Min Bao – People’s Newspaper.
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t’s a cool breeze that tries to blow off the Yangon River in early December. The narrow streets of downtown draw in the cool air. They are the lungs of the city. Once, they were tree lined and pedestrian thoroughfares. This has changed to a streetscape of cars and hard concrete. 22nd Street is another one of those Chinatown streets that is disappearing fast. On the lower block it is a mixture of eight-storey apartments and old two and three-storey Chinese style residences from the early 1900s. On the corner of Strand (Kanna) Road is a typical Myanmar food buffet – street style. You have to be prepared copious amounts of oil, but delicacies such as large fish heads of salavia and tiny fingerlings of nga-kone-ma are worth tasting. Either side of the street is dominated by the wooden shuttered Chinese residences that are so much under threat. Check out No. 15, which is more ornate than most, with high ceilings, intricate fascia boards, designed tiles above the windows, and carved wooden doors. There is even a struggling garden outside. The family has been living here for over sixty years. At No. 19 there is a rare, very early 1900s two-storey residence with star wood-framed windows and even an original wood picket fence. Very rare these days, all in bad repair of course. There is little money and incentive to keep these places going. At the moment residents and building owners are being offered large amounts of money to move out so that new high rise apartments can be built. But once they have the money, these residents will be forced to move further and further to the outskirts of
Yangon where rents are affordable. At No. 81 B we meet U Tun Lin, a resident of his century old building for the last thirty years. He runs a small gold repair shop [Ba Dane], working bracelets and bangles. On the back wall is a vey noticeable shrine with a large male figure dressed in traditional costume. U Tun Lin tells us this was a gift given to his father and comes from Taiwan. More amazingly the figure dances and sings. We stand in awe as he brings the Lucky Uncle to life with the flick of a switch. We cross over Mahabandoola Road o the upper block. On the corner they are selling fresh fruit, of oranges, grapes, longan and mandarin. More impressive is the stand opposite where some first rate street food of kout mote is being prepared. Basically it is dosa sprinkled with light oil, freshly grated coconut, some bean and an egg to add if you wish (220-400 Ks). Perfect for a morning snack. Further up the street at No. 125 is the Po Su Tong Buddhist Temple. There is a sign stuck on the front door. Marilyn translates: “Do not stick poster here – it’s a temple!” Across the street at No. 126, there is an impressive three-storey 1920s building occupied by a very friendly Chinese couple. They tell us that the before WWII there a was a very famous Chinese newspaper Ren Min Bao [People’s Newspaper] printed here, and that it was closed down by the military in the early 60s. Now they live here and do some occasional printing. They welcome us back any time to chat and find about the old history of the area. This is downtown Yangon. These are the people of downtown Yangon. Enjoy!
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 9
ART
EVERYONE LOVE COMICS BY AUNG SOE MIN
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omic books and publications were once very strong in Myanmar. Everyone loved comic books, but not just to read. Often, young boys would want to send love letters to young girls, and the best way to do this would be through comic books. Sending a love letter in a straightforward manner is very risky because of the traditional culture in Myanmar. Often, a girl wouldn’t accept a love letter, but she would surely take a comic book, as comic books were the main entertainment for young people during the 1970s to the late 1980s. If you were one of the first boys to get the new comic books each week after they were published, you had the best chance at sending your love letter to a girl. For most of the population of Burma between 40 and 50 years old, this experience would immediately come to mind when thinking about comic books in our country. The publication of comic books began in Myanmar in 1960. Though they became popular very quickly, the comic book culture in our country does not stretch far into the past. It was around the first decade of the 20th century, when some British officers first introduced the Burmese to comics and cartoons. At that time, early cartoon and comic creators were trying to build support for their craft by engaging with poets. They found that is they paired their drawings with poems, the public was much more likely to take an interest in their work. Burmese cartoonists
and poets were indebted to poets at the start. Cartoons and comics quickly grew, however, and by the 1930s cartoons and comic strips were the main methods by which intellectuals could criticize the social and political ills of the country. One of the earliest, but most well known cartoons of this time depicted British officers unwilling to take off their shoes at Shwedagon Pagoda. In the cartoon, because the British officers were unwilling to comply with local rules and the local population unwilling to change their traditions, the Burmese trustees of Shwedagon Pagoda were forced to carry the British officers on their backs. Another famous cartoon from January 4th, 1948 appeared in a local newspaper, drawn by Ba Gyan, the founding father of Myanmar’s comic culture. In the comic, the government general Saw Hugh Bertrence left the country and is wishing a Burmese family goodbye. He said, “Take care of your children.” But behind the family are the family’s children, representing the damage of the Second World War: debt, reconstruction, and financial crisis. In Burma, this cartoon became very popular because it effectively expressed the situation of the country at the time. Despite their increasing popularity, cartoonists were limited to mag-
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Images courtesy of Aung Soe Min
azines and newspapers as no full comic books were in publication yet. When comic books began to be published, they tended to be in a short form, and still included in periodicals. From 1948-1962 most of the publications focused on political philosophy and criticism. But, in the mid-50s, for the first time the government used the comic as a tool for propaganda against communism. Such comics were written by leader U Nu and drawn by Bagalay. This type of comic became the first stand-alone comic book in Myanmar.
In Burmese, they call comic books ka-toon sa-oaht, or cartoon books and graphic novels as yoat pya saoaht. The difference between these two genres in Burma is that cartoons often have more distorted figures, while graphic novels feature more realistic imagery. When the first comic books were published, they were initially printed in either 40 or 64 page booklets, and cost around 25 kyats. The earliest comic artist, named Bagalay, started a journal after his own name— the Bagalay Journal, which featured many short comics. Around this time, other cartoonists also be-
ART
gan to publish similar journals. People quickly embraced this new form of entertainment. Every day, two or three new books would be published. Even famous writers joined comics and cartoonists and wrote their own cartoons and graphic novels. They quickly created many new characters. The most famous graphic novel character of that time was named Ma Kha Ya Da, and the most famous cartoon character, Na Ta Pya. Later, cartoonists created many other cartoon characters including such as Shan Sah, a cartoon detective, and others like Ayai, Shwe Kaun Pya, Ko Seit Phyu, Maung Ye Aung, and U Seit Dow, and Myauk Myo.
People quickly embraced this new form of entertainment. Every day, two or three new books would be published.
The 1970s and 1980s were the golden age of Myanmar’s comic market. In the 1980s, one of the main forces spurring on comics was the failure of the socialist economic plan. According to the socialist policies, film was a luxury, so movies and films were rare. Since the country could no longer import film, they could not make movies, and cartoons and comics began to take on an even more significant role. This was the time when most of the masterpieces of the Burmese comic industry were published. Comic books also began to include many more pages for each issue, and their
audience expanded beyond children and young people as adults, too, searched for entertainment. Love stories, romance stories, and fiction books were all published as cartoons and graphic novels, and adults began collecting them. At this point, one of the most remarkable shifts in Myanmar’s comic and cartoon history took place. During the socialist era, Myanmar’s economy had slowed to such a pace that average people were unable to buy books. The public’s will to read, however, remained very strong. In addition, the government’s oppression of intellectuals was stronger
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 11
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than ever before. As a result, book rental shops became very popular and opened on almost every corner of every street in Yangon. From evening to morning these shops were crowded with comic books, journals, and magazines— all of which were primarily private efforts as such works were banned from country’s two major, government-published newspapers. Beyond the city streets, on the local trains, comic book rentals would come aboard from every train station, carrying baskets full of books. Readers could rent these comic books very cheaply, reading them during their ride from station to station. At hospitals, men, carrying their mobile comic rental baskets, also roamed the halls in every building, offering entertainment for patients and their caretakers alike. Even in the public toilets you could find comic book rental stations. During this time, cartoons and comics were the main source of entertainment for the people, until 1988. In the early 1990s, like other intellectuals, comic artists were actively engaged in politics, and, as a result, many had to leave the country. This left the field much weaker than before. There were, however, a number of famous comics introduced to the public including Myine Yazar Tutpi, which featured hunters whose actions were always wrong and who could never hit their target. Despite these efforts, the cartoon and comic business became strained,
Many of the comic artists were forced to become join designers, painters, and others in different occupations. A lot of talent was lost in this way.
Images courtesy of Aung Soe Min
and comics returned to the methods of the past, publishing only in small journals. Comic books also became much less authentic, as the identity of single artists gave way to comic factories. All comics and cartoons began to look the same. Since the early 1990s, the video
and TV market emerged in Myanmar, leaving the book and cartoon publications with even fewer resources and readers. At the start of the millennium, the comic market in Myanmar began to slowly die out and no serious cartoon or comic publications remained. Only a few minor comic groups continued their
operations: Myine Yazar Tupi, Po Po, Mi Main Lay, Lay Mon Htway Mon, as well as a few limited periodicals. Many of the comic artists were forced to become join designers, painters, and others in different occupations. A lot of talent was lost in this way. Myanmar’s political changes and guinea pig economy have create a situation that, for cartoonists and comics, is best described by a traditional Burmese saying. Their efforts are like “drawing on water”— always fading, always fleeting.
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BISTRONOMY
AN EPICUREAN DELIGHT BY MIMI WU Artisan food producers “make our world more diverse, which is more healthy and more colourful, instead of eating boring food.”
U Ye Htut Win, aka Sharky, at his new store in Pansodan Road, which now sells 280 different products from bread, dairy, meat, charcuterie.
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ocavore, experimenter, entrepreneur, raconteur, encyclopedia of epicurean knowledge, U Ye Htut Win, more commonly known as Sharky of Sharky’s restaurant and deli, is the kind of guy who tells his brother it is not enough to love ice cream. Nay, he must master the craft
in Italy and reproduce it at home using their own dairy farm’s fresh milk and cream.
creating artisan meat and cheese industries that were previously nonexistent in Myanmar.
Sharky lives, breathes, and dreams food in an authentic, home grown way - literally. He has spent the last two decades rearing farmers, and
At his more than century-old restored colonial building in downtown Yangon, he described the flavour profiles of summer and winter
Photo by Hong Sar
cheeses (developed during affinage, the ageing process), and taught me that microgreens offer four to 40 times the nutrient content as their matured counterparts, and recounted like a poet how a humble flake of fleur de sel transforms his food.
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 13
BISTRONOMY
To say I was giddy is an understatement. I was on a foodie high.
ACT ONE “MY RELIGION IS FOOD” “Taste this,” said Sharky, pointing to an innocuous looking green sprout amid a pile of microgreens. The devil had bite! “That’s radish. It’s so intense in flavour that you need less. We have sunflower that is really oily, snow pea that will be very sweet, and rocket that will be very spicy. Morning glory will give you texture. Combine it all with very good extra virgin and salt,” he instructed to reproduce the restaurant’s gratis microgreen salad. Sharky is a self-taught foodie inspired by his time abroad (having lived in Britain, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates), driven by his curiosity of food production, and sustained by his willingness to “fail again and fail better” as he creates morsels of delight. He spent two months with a cheese master in Switzerland and learnt farming and butchering by trial and error before passing on his knowledge to Myanmar farmers.
“They all come from the Delta. We treat our artisan workers almost like family members. We look after their health and education, because I could not afford to lose them. To train a master baker takes three to five years, a butcher at least five years, and a cheese master around ten years. The wealth of Sharky’s is not just the brand, it’s the people.” The emphasis on developing experts in Myanmar feeds into his belief of an 80/20 ratio, where 80% of food production is managed by global brands and the remaining 20% remains in artisans’ hands, such as himself and his farmers. “My philosophy of food is the Slow Food movement,” Sharky specified, referring to the international movement that eschews globalization and industrialization of food for traditional, small-scale food production and eating locally grown and raised food. “Artisan farmers will breed a native or heritage breed of livestock, so by doing that, he saves the gene pool. Instead of growing for commercial companies, farmers will grow low yield, high protein spelt flour, quinoa, Kamut, or teff [an Ethiopian grain, and one of Sharky’s near-future agricultural experiments]. And then what he brings is diversity in flour for making bread, so the bread
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becomes more interesting. The 80/20 ratio will keep the food production industry more sustainable, more healthy.”
ACT TWO THE 20-YEAR ODYSSEY Sharky’s farm-to-table revolution began 20 years ago. “Before, it was total madness. The community didn’t think it was sustainable. The first ten years, it was a lot of steep, very steep learning curves and a lot of failures. For example, air-dried ham took me almost ten years to master, but once I did it, I could do everything. Prosciutto, Bresaola, all the pates. There was the whole spillover of knowledge to other meat-related domains. The same goes for cheese.” Sharky controls most of the production line locally from seed (plant and animal) to shelf in demonstration of the Slow Food philosophy as he strives for excellence and market differentiation. He has been training a butcher for the last five years and where once Sharky’s meat was entirely imported, it is now one hundred percent made in Myanmar.
“You create jobs. By producing your own products here, initially you have all the problems that come with it, but if you’re successful, you create a new artisan industry.” Producing locally has also saved him from embarrassing run-ins with European customs officials, who wondered what on earth the white, skin-like material in his suitcase was (sausage casings) and why Sharky needed so much (again, sausages). “I had problems with importing, so I spent two weeks dedicated to making my own. For two weeks, I was smelly and dirty. I used our salt to take off the mucus from inside the [intestinal] lining. “Once you master the base, that’s very important, if you don’t master the fundamentals in food making, temperatures, weights, ratios, you’re not going to become a cheese master or butcher. But once you’ve mastered it, you can start creating your own blend, your own style of food. You have the artisan side, but you have to master the science of food: fermentation, pH, dynamics of flour to water, meat to salt. All these play a role. Once you’ve mastered them, you can play around.” His newest experiment: growing wheat in Shan State. “We still import our wheat, but starting from next
BISTRONOMY
of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory complete with an oozing Vacherin Mont d'Or volcano (his next cheese) and passion fruit curd in the eye of macaron petaled flowers. “It will be a two-storey building with all of Sharky’s integrated artisan sectors inside. So you see flour being milled from wheat to flour, then flour to bread. You’re going to see milk converted to cheese. You’ll see where we turn meat into sausages, air dry ham, and charcuterie. There will be a segment where we do all our paper bags. Literally the whole of Sharky’s food production.”
Photos by Hong Sar
year, we’re going to stone grind our own. Stone grinding has a slow rotation, it doesn’t destroy the wheat germ, so it has a more wheaty taste,” he explained. Sharky’s now sells 280 different products from bread, dairy, meat, charcuterie, and produce lines with many more “visions” in the pipeline. “From start to finish, it takes three years minimum for a product to reach its full potential to a world class standard.”
ACT THREE SALT “Everyone says ‘Salt, why would you do that? Salt is such a cheap commodity.’ But Sharky’s has taken that cheap commodity and turned it into a high quality commodity.” Sharky’s flaky, coarse, and fine salt make their way into practically everything at the deli and restaurant from the obvious cured meats to a surprising sprinkle in cold pressed juices, which balance the fruits’ sweetness. Like wine, salts’ complex flavour profiles, long and short notes, and crunch and texture variations are paired with complementary dishes (“smoked salt with fish, fleur de sel with grilled vegetables,” Sharky sug-
gests). It is a fundamental ingredient in cooking that gives pop to bland and one-noted food. Salt harvesting is a science. Fleur de sel – “flower of sea” in French – “took almost four years to master the technique [in Myanmar]. We use the French Camargue technique. In Camargue, they have farmers that harvest the salt, and the beauty of this salt is that every bottle is signed by the salt master. It’s showing his skills and workmanship; it’s like a signed picture of that farmer. In Camargue, salt making is not the industrial way of bleaching. It’s a manual thing.” In Myanmar, if the parameters are just right, farmers have only between March and the end of April to scrape the top crust of salt ponds. Crystallisation occurs by wind and sun evaporation when the air temperature reaches 32 degrees Celsius and water salinity achieves a 25% concentration rate. Typhoons – no uncommon foe in Myanmar – can jeopardise the harvest. Nature’s fickleness makes for inconsistent harvests. However, unlike industrialised salt processing, which strips away naturally occurring minerals that lend colour and flavour, Sharky’s fleur de sel retains seven to eight percent mineral content. The result is slightly less salty than your average table variety and more complex, and here the artisan takes
nature’s bounty to create epicurean art. I get lost thinking about the beauty of salt crystals. Sharky’s sea salt gleams brilliant white with large chips and angles, some looking like pieces of pyrite, others like terraced rice fields. His fleur de sel, delicately flaky cubes and thin sheets of mixed crystal sizes that melt at different times to draw out a long flavour note. “Once you go deep into the subject, salt is not just salt, bread is not just bread, cheese is not just cheese … it has more dimensions. You take salt, and you are having a sensual experience … the crunch, the look, the taste. The more you use your five senses, the more it becomes a living product, not just a commodity.” By December, his salt will receive the Midas touch: Fleur de sel mixed with gold flakes or Golden Salt from the Golden Land.
ACT FOUR SHARKY AND THE FOOD FACTORY “We’re building an artisan food factory,” sharesd Sharky about his plans to develop an industrial culinary utopia 45 miles from Yangon Airport. Visions dance across my mind
The artisan food factory will be one centralized location to cure Sharky’s “logistical nightmare” of orchestrating his 280 goods’ production, packaging, storage, and transportation needs. “Despite being a dream, there is reality in it,” which is a casual reminder that sustainability must be built on profitability. Lucky for us, we won’t need a Golden Ticket to visit. The factory will be open to visitors in a few years, where guests can “sample [the food], enjoy it. It will be a learning centre; it’s a living space where you see the product, smell it, feel it and eat it, and you buy it or take pictures.” Vertical gardens will adorn the wall, and guests can get lost in Sharky’s library of food-related literature and memorabilia. “With food, you have to be generous,” he said, and I vigorously nodded as I spooned rich, thick clay pot yogurt drizzled with honey into my mouth. “You are doing business, but you have to have ethos, otherwise you’re just another business. It’s kind of a blessing you’re doing something good and getting positive energy back, and it motivates you to get up the next day. Your heart knows it; your body knows it.” At the end of the day, there are two types of people in this world: those who eat to live and those who live to eat. You can guess to which tribe Sharky belongs.
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 15
COVER STORY
A JOURNEY TO INSPIRE BY MANNY MAUNG Born and raised on Inle Lake in Shan State, the founder of the Inle Heritage Foundation says she hopes to show the world there is more to the Inthar people than being famously able to row on one leg. Yin Myo Su has a number of projects on the go – the most recent venture to preserve the heritage and culture of her people. What sounds like an ambitious yet relatively straightforward goal is really a hugely varied task that has seen her build a living memory of the home she was raised in, found a start-up facility for a hospitality and food and beverage training centre for local Shan youth, and initiate a breeding program to reintroduce Burmese cats back into Myanmar.
Photo: Gerhard Jörén
16 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
COVER STORY
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 17
COVER STORY
I
n Myanmar astrology, the Rahu is the sign of the Wednesday-evening born elephant. The Rahu is at once independent yet unfailingly loyal to her family, determined and focused almost to a fault. One description of the Rahu states: “You can be hard to figure out because of your contradictory nature. You are a private person and do not like people meddling in your business. However, you are excellent at promoting yourself and your works. You like taking action, but only if it's a sure thing (little risk involved). You are very successful (especially in business) and you are able to accomplish achievements on your own terms.” Yin Myo Su, Wednesday-night born managing director of the luxurious Inle Princess Resort and founder of the Inthar Heritage Trust Foundation – also affectionately known as Misuu – demands one hundred percent control of the projects she oversees as managing director, even if those business partners include her family. “I told my father when we went into this business that I couldn’t operate it as a manager who answers for 99.9 percent – it had to be 100 percent my management.”
On the lake beside the Inle Princess Resort, Misuu draws out the fibre of the lotus plant, which can be spun into thread and woven into exquisite material.
As a result, Misuu fully oversees all the operations of the family-owned 36-bungalow resort and its sister-resort at Mrauk Oo in Rakhine State. She has her own social enterprise, the Inle Heritage Trust, which comprises a number of projects all linked to the notion of heritage, conservation and training for local youth. The Inthar Heritage House is actually a replica of the home she grew up in and is decorated with memorabilia that once belonged to her grandparents. Guests can visit the house for lunch, which is catered for from a kitchen that cooks her grandmother’s recipes. They can also choose to stay in one of the six bungalows that make up the bed and breakfast style resort, Thahara, where students attending an intensive hospitality program are given practical training.
A unique twist to her heritage projects is the reintroduction to Myanmar of the Burmese cats. That feline component of the heritage project has resulted in her being dubbed with a nom de plume she feels entirely uncomfortable with – The Cat Lady. “I looked up that definition!” Misuu exclaims. “That’s like an old lady who needs to surround herself with cats to feel like she is loved! I don’t even like cats that much.” “My mother tells me she gets tired just from watching me run around and work,” Misuu says with a fraction of exasperation to suggest she has numerous more plans to bring to life. Misuu, 43, can be hard to keep up with. She speaks frankly and is inexhaustible with her ideas, always
18 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
That’s like an old lady who needs to surround herself with cats to feel like she is loved! I don’t even like cats that much.
planning her next move well ahead of making it. As I ponder one thing, she switches to the next subject. All the while, we manage to laugh a lot. It is one of her charms, that Misuu is able to not take herself so seriously. The first time we meet in Yangon, she conspiratorially leans over toward me. “My daughter told me not to talk too much,” she confides. “She knows how I get!” So where does all this motivation come from? I have a chance to ask her the second time we meet, this time on her homeland turf at the idyllic Inle Lake in Shan State. Misuu explains to me how being able to express herself clearly, of talking about her successes and her aspira-
COVER STORY
is encouraged to move abroad as far away as possible to avoid the backlash. Unfortunately her father doesn’t escape the fallout and spends more than a year in prison under the re-established military regime. This is how Misuu eventually finds her craft – the art of hospitality. After a few false starts, she attends the Ecole Hotelier in 1991, and graduates three years later. Eventually, she returns to Myanmar, to rebuild her life and her home at Inle Lake. ** Her whole business was nearly lost in 2007 when monk-led protests against the rising cost of living brought Myanmar to yet another standstill. Then, just as it seemed the Inle Princess would survive, Cyclone Nargis in 2008 effectively shut down tourism all across the country. Back-to-back years hitting the red line nearly brought a declaration of bankruptcy, but the resort managed to keep running.
Photo: Gerhard Jörén
tions, is a relatively new ability for her.
about three things and thought that was so sad, you know?”
An epiphany of sorts struck on her 40th birthday, she says.
**
“I felt like I was in a meditative state but actually it was just the first time that I had been alone without distractions for a long time,” Misuu recalls. “It was my birthday and I was always the one organising others, but on this day I was on my own abroad and it made me realise how little I did for myself.”
Rewind to 1988 when she was 16 years old. Concerned with the news coming from Rangoon about the brutal crackdown on student protests and feeling a strong intuition for wrong and right, she starts campaigning for the pro-democracy movement and joins as a member of the NLD Youth Committee.
Misuu says the unrelenting loyalty of her staff is what got them through – her staff attribute it to her style of management. She has an unbending faith to believe in others, trusting that they would ride out the difficult times together, to find a solution together. Since then, there have been a few more challenges for Misuu that have provoked deeply private ruminations about what she wants to experience and achieve as a woman. Also prominent in Misuu’s musings is her quest to strive for simple, day-to-day satisfaction from what she does.
Never one to shy from an opportunity for self-growth, Misuu set herself a task to list all the things she did regularly for herself and not for the enjoyment or sake of others.
Her family is inadvertently swept into the political matrix, her father becoming a candidate for the hugely popular National League for Democracy and winning his seat of Nyaung Shwe on 27 May, 1990.
“In tourism, the private sector is benefitting but we have to ask ourselves, are we doing everything to share our benefits? And that includes for our heritage and environment. It’s everyone’s job to spread the wealth, this is all of our htamin ohe,” she says, referring to the Burmese words for “rice pot”.
“I had an A4 page in front of me and I remember being only able to list
And then, disaster – a thwarted democracy movement, and she
This period is one of transition for Misuu, where she says turning 40
has been an awakening of sorts. In her forties, she feels she is able to make firm decisions about what makes her happy and she is more emotionally secure, less wanting to seek out approval from others. Her work as a social entrepreneur, business woman and visionary has seen her lauded with numerous international accolades including the 2015 Goldman Sachs and Fortune Women Leaders Award, and the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award in Washington DC. But as the old adage goes, we are our own worst critics. Misuu is probably the hardest on herself. Even as she pushes to introduce new social enterprises and laws to protect small and medium sized businesses in the tourism industry, she feels she needs to do more. Even officials who are reticent to compliment private entities will publicly recognise her contribution toward Myanmar’s tourism industry. At a conference held in Yangon earlier this year on the topic of women and tourism in Myanmar, one Minister singled her out as an example of what Myanmar women can achieve, given the opportunity. Ironically, that is the sticking point for Misuu. As she strives to create social and financial equity for others, it is the lack of opportunities for women in Myanmar that Misuu highlights to make her case. In an email to friends about the political changes happening in Myanmar, post the 2015 elections, Misuu intoned the wisdom of the riskaverse elephant, speaking of welcoming change but of being always cautiously optimistic. “This is just the beginning of another long journey which won’t be an easy one,” she wrote. “Our people are known as compassionate, generous, forgiving and have unique survival skills. Now is the time to work not only harder, but smarter as well and prove to the world and set an example to inspire.”
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 19
TRAVEL
20 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
TRAVEL
BURMESE LIGHT Photography by Hans Text by Tom
Kemp
Vater
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 21
TRAVEL
I
t really hit me while I was walking amongst the giant stone ruins of the former kingdom in Mrauk-U, which ruled much of Myanmar from the 15th to the 18th century, accompanied by a seriously eccentric Myanmar who called himself Radioman, a man who had gained enough notoriety in this remote cultural gem to make the pages of Lonely Planet. The temple ruins, stupas and palaces of Mrauk-U are nestled amongst rolling green hills and rice paddy, dripping with moisture, populated by giant yellow locusts. The local town sits amongst the ruins like a recent arrival, slowly spreading itself over another culture long gone.
Welcome to Arakhan, nowadays Rakhine State, a place that has seen relatively few foreign visitors in the past half century. Here, travelers could be forgiven for having hopes of discovering last frontiers and places so remote they have not made the pages of Wikipedia yet. At the end of a long day’s walk, Radioman handed me a letter which contained a long wish list of books and magazines I was to send him. He had hand-written not one but two copies of the letter, which was a couple of pages long, despite my assurances that I would not be able to send books to Mrauk-U. That didn’t seem to bother him. The otherworldliness of his
home town had consumed him. I was also utterly consumed and touched by the color and pace of Mrauk-U. Rudyard Kipling famously wrote: “This is Burma and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.” Looking over the chedi spires of the barely remembered kingdom, blackened by age, I quite agreed. I had set off for Myanmar in August 2012. My assignment: to write the text for Burmese Light, the illustrated book project by Dutch photographer Hans Kemp, published by Visionary World in Hong Kong. I decided to write the bulk of the text as a first person narrative, following in the
Previous page: Bringing the night's catch ashore at Gyeiktaw. Above: Harvest time in the fields around Inle Lake.
22 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist nation, but as elsewhere in Southeast Asia, older beliefs have been absorbed into the dominant faith.
TRAVEL
footsteps of other literary travelers – most notably Rudyard Kipling and George Orwell – whose quotes provided the introduction to the book’s main chapters. Following my trip to Mrauk-U, I returned to Yangon and explored its architecture, bookshops and restaurants. Expectedly it rained much of the time and the old British buildings which loomed into a gun metal sky, were covered in the same mold as the ones a little to the east in Kolkata. But Yangon was no crowded urban hell. Rather, the former capital was a pot-
A throng of male devotes apply gold leaf to the four Buddha images from Paung Daw Oo Pagoda.
holed city waiting to be fixed, dotted with magnificent colonial edifices and pagodas and countless tea houses, rather quaint and quiet. There were no motorbikes and few cars on the streets. Malls and international banks had yet to make a concerted appearance. No doubt some of the old architecture would soon make way for chrome and glass palaces, but back then the former capital exuded dilapidated charm. The past, both colonial and post independence remained visible everywhere even as the future was moving in. Up-country I traveled around Inle Lake and explored its shore-side dawn markets and Shan shrines. I visited former capitals around Mandalay, explored the city’s fascinating jade market, and rode an old river ferry down the Irrawaddy to the magnificent ruins of Bagan.
Nat Festival an hour north of the city. As in Mrauk-U, I had the feeling of reaching a kind of frontier, though this one was less of a geographical dimension, rather one of the mind. Hundreds of spirit mediums set up shop in pavilions around the festival site where they fell into exuberant trances to the sounds of super-sonic acoustic orchestras and the chanting of both male and female singers. Most of the spirit mediums were transvestites or transsexuals and many of the male devotees were gay. A kaleidoscopic world crammed with beatific moments emerged during three days of dances and marathon fortune telling sessions. The absence of any concessions to foreign visitors reminded me once again of Kipling’s quote…”quite unlike any land you know about.”
ordinary Myanmar people have an opportunity to participate in the destiny of their country. Infrastructure development, lasting peace in the border areas, and reconciliation between faiths should be top priorities. The country has reached another crucial junction in its turbulent journey. Hopefully, it will travel towards the very special light it is blessed with. Burmese Light indeed.
Fast forward to November 2015.
Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist nation, but as elsewhere in Southeast Asia, older beliefs have been absorbed into the dominant faith. The pre-Buddhist Nats, 37 spirits of the elements and nature, are revered and celebrated in most of the country but nowhere more so than around Mandalay. In summer, several festivals honouring the Nats take place.
The country has gone to the polls, and a new chapter has begun for the country.
I made my way to the Taungbyone
For the first time in a half century,
The economy is booming but the flood of smart phones and cars in ramshackle Yangon represent the ominous arrival of globalisation in all its beautiful terror. Burmese Light is available for US$35 from
But not all is lost.
Monument Books, Myanmar Book Center and other souvenir shops. Published by Visionary World
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 23
TRANSLATION
THE SCORPION'S TRAITOR
SAN SHAR - THE BURMESE SHERLOCK HOLMES Episode Four: San Lin Tun takes us into the world of famous detective San Shar in 1930’s Rangoon, with his translation of Shwe U-Daung’s Thiksabauk Kinmyigauk (The Scorpion’s Traitor).
P
ostman Lar La Khan has suddenly disappeared on his mail run. On investigating, San Shar finds that all of Lar La Khan’s deliveries have been made but that he has not been seen again since heading towards a house, in Hteetan Street in Kyi Myin Taing, which is supposedly haunted by a poltergeist. The owner of this house, an Indian named Muhammed, tells San Shar that he has recently rented another house nearby, and San Shar notes that the key to the vacant house has been surreptitiously wax molded by someone. Muhammed gives San Shar the keys to house to investigate. In the house they find the postman propped against the wall dead. He had been there about three days. They also found a diary. Ko Thain Maung, They left the body where it was and that ight lay in wait for the murderer to return for his diary. They shoot him in the leg but he escapes. An Indian man is questioned about his involvement. San’s Shar’s Dr. Watson, tells the story … Shar: "Alright. Is this diary yours?" Indian man: (Showing one from the drawer.) "If I lost my diary, I would have told you that that book was mine. They seem the same. But, mine is here. That can't be mine." Then, we compared two books, and found that they both had a red-bound cover, and they were made and sold by the same company. Then, Maung San Shar did not look at English written in the Indian’s book, but turned a page and compared the handwriting and found that they were different. But he supposed that handwriting might be disguised, so he had an ink pot and stylus brought. He read out four to five lines from the diary, and let the Indian man write down what he said. Without hesitation, the
Bargayar Road railway track, we found the car ahead of us driving eastward along it. We put our car into the full throttle. At Koe Htut Gyi Pagoda, the car reached Pyi Road. We turned quickly north and tailed them. Maung San Shar accelerated the car so that they would know we were tagging them. They put their car into the full throttle so that our car could not catch them.
Indian man wrote and showed that the handwritings were different. So, it could be assumed that it was not written by the same person. Then, Maung San Shar pretended to write his notes onto a sheet of paper, with the dipping of the nib into the ink pot. Suddenly, he spilled the pot and asked the Indian man whether he get another pen because he had not finished writing yet. Taking out a pen from the drawer, he gave it to Maung San Shar, he found out that the nib was a Waterman, but it was blunt, not sharp. Cover of 'The Memoirs
After apologising the Indian man for disturbing him, we descended from the house. On the way, Shar: "What do you think of it, Ko Thein Maung?" I: "The handwritings aren't the same. His facial expression looks good. It seems it is not him." Shar: "Do you remember the case of Scorpion's Association which we had investigated?" I: "Eighteen years ago, that case, right?" Shar: : The Indian man in that case was a member of that group. Their group are educated and sociable. So we can't judge by the facial expression. But this book isn't his. He knows the owner, surely. But arresting him is not right, and it is hard to find the real perpetrator. So, I pretend to be satisfied and left." "We have to watch him, that's important. In fact, I knew that man is from Scorpion's Association crowd." That night Maung San Shar and I watched sleuthly not far from that
24 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
and Records of Shwe U-Daung'.
Indian's house. Though it struck 10, we found no one coming and going out of the house. When it struck 11, the whole street was silent, only that Indian house still had its lights on. At half-past eleven, a man turned the lights off, descended from the house and scuttled towards the street where we were. Then, we climbed up behind roadside parked motor bus. He passed us and walked towards Bargayar Road where the post office was. As he reached the corner, two gun shots sounded successively, and we rushed there from our hiding place. As we reached the corner, a car started its engine and drove quickly along Bargayar Road. On the road we found the Indian man lying flat on the road. He was dead of a bullet wound in the chest. Shar: "Well, Ko Thein Maung, we can't do anything for the dead, we'd better find and catch the murderer without fail." We ran to the car which we had hidden under the shade near the convent. Maung San Shar quickly ignited the engine, and on reaching
It was midnight, and there was less traffic on the road. There was no worry about collisions so that they used full throttle. About 10 miles later, the car ahead was about 100 feet away. We could see their worried faces turning towards us in our car lights. The people in that car were two Bengalis. One of the Indians thrust his hand into the rear seat and pulled a chord. A bundle on the bumper bar suddenly untied, and sparkling small objects scattered onto the road with many flashes. Maung San Shar exclaimed, "Damn us. They've dropped splinters of glass." We tried to evade but our tyre burst and we halted at the sidewalk without crashing. During this time, the Indians in the front car laughed aloud and drove away, leaving us changing our flat tyre. To be continued ... Shwe U-Daung (1889-1973) was a pro-Burmese writer and translator, who in the 1930s adapted many of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, placing them in the setting of the author’s Rangoon, in a time of nationalist fervour, high crime rate and social unrest. The Scorpion's Traitor was an original story, not an adaptation.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
SMOOTH OPERATORS BY CHIT CHAN CHO
T
he streets of Yangon bulge alarmingly with peculiarities and personalities at any one given time. It is, therefore, the duty of the citizenry to gauge whether it is kinder on their health to flounce in front of vehicles driven by loony hausfraus or sozzled chumps. The drivers of the vehicles, most naturally, are afforded the qualities suggested by the outer shells of their cars. The small hatchback driver must indeed be petite and meek and the lumbering trucks hint towards slow and unwieldy persons of indifferent temperament. Consequently, it is actually the very occupants of the latter vehicles that rouses one to comment. The mixture of delivery truck and salesmen breeds men of a very particular ilk. Be they distributing brands worth billions or local favourites, they are most definitely birds of a feather. Although there is little literature denoting widespread appreciation of their trade, reports of their lavishness in hospitality and suavity in demeanour float about their customer base. The job scope of these gentlemen includes selling and delivering the products, charming the shop and wholesale outlets into buying more, and bringing about distress to their direct superiors with their indefatigable antics. They are known to manoeuvre their brightl y coloured trucks with the gusto of a rally racer, and as a rule are slightly vainer than the median. It is not a rare sight to catch them plastered to the side view mirrors, earnestly studying the manifold charms of their miens. Their distinctive swagger could be spotted from miles around, not to mention the meticulous care they shower upon their personal appearance. With shirts tucked into trousers and belt buckles the size of Texas, they are rather difficult to miss. Appearances aside, their most notable skill (if it is not tinkering with the petrol tank)
would be their ability to talk. These silver-tongued fiends could reduce a customer in an imperious wrath into a contented jelly solely based on their speech. This is, however, also the very trait that is giving their supervisors a permanent headache. They could weave Arabian Night tales and speak in beautiful circles until one is entirely lost as to why they were speaking. There is always a reason and a rationale for anything under the sun and they could smooth talk through every blunder if one allows it. Dropping sales figures would be due to the quality of the product, the colour of the packing, the immoderate pricing or even the position of the sun shining. They are never to be at fault, these were the tribulations of mere mortals. Minor car accidents are also a dime a dozen and any implication of misconduct on their part would simply be heatedly disputed as impractical politics. After a detailed account of their exploit from them, one would be affirmed of their innocence and goodness whilst the other party would be seen as unreasonable ogres nursing felonious hearts. It is not to say t h a t
their game would be up if they were caught red-handed. Their piteous appeals are much more heart-wrenching to hear and witness, even if one is fully aware that their genius for mischief was a byword in the company. Hence, it requires little explanation when their managers are described as past-saving despots with a bitter aftertaste. The mention of their subordinates would leaden the souls of many a manager yet it leads to much fluttering of feminine hearts. There are indeed definite advantages attached to being masters at weaving of words. The heady combination of prettily turned phrases and a cultivated magnetism of personality could not fail to be a substantial hit with the ladies. Distressingly, this knowledge is not unbeknownst to them. They have been known to try their luck with the finance ladies, to see how far they could bend the rules to their advantage. Needless to say, bloodbaths ensued. The migraines that they supply their managers would also include them charming the ladies in the other departments. This could end disastrously or to very queer ends on various occasions. A promising salesman, a modern enlightened, encompassing the whole package of his trade; groomed appearance, blinding belt buckle and leather san-
dals, was sent to a distributing outpost to supervise. Little was reported back from him except for a few complaints about possible IQ issues. However, an urgent intelligence reached the headquarter one day stating that the clerk of the outpost, in a hissy fit, was sitting inside the water turbine in her full uniform. Not much more was heard after that except for a few murmurs of the gel being mental and everyone else agreeing that there was a good deal in the theory. This tale ended with a wedding invitation a few months on between the supervising chap and the clerk. Evidently, there is a puzzling but definite link between the two events. Hierarchy obsessions also form a very central division of their persona. The rank distinctions, be it the uniform sleeve lengths or colour, make these lads goggle in a fashion popularised by the anglerfish. It is, however, rather easy to discern the veterans from the rookies. The speech of the seasoned are more succinct yet flowing, their promises less ready but their strut most pronounced and the ring (they all sport large gleaming rings) almost blinding. The eccentricities of the boys must also be forgiven at times. With engines right below their seats, if they did not dissolve from brain fever, it would at least contribute to the way they cerebrate. Urging recalcitrant shopkeepers into buying products daily must also wear on the nerves. This might also account for them developing skins as thick as rhino hides that are impermeable to shame and modesty. However, this reasoning does not account for their draining of the petrol tank nor taking siestas under the shade of the mango trees nor fiddling with the odometer. They are not without faults nor are they without their virtues (one can only hope) but should you witness a bevy of glossy chaps, take note and be prepared to be entertained.
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 25
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December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 27
LIFESTYLE
Photos by Hong Sar
SHAN MARTIAL ARTS THAING BYAUNG BYAN A SHORT HISTORY in Shan language, is a martial arts that adopts an open stance.
BY MIMI WU They say opposites attract, and it certainly is true of the Thaing Byaung Byan (TBB) Shan martial arts philosophy.
I
t’s similar to yin and yang, push and pull, in and out,” said Aldrich, a long time practitioner of traditional martial arts and a three-year student of TBB. “In the physical sense, that means if one hand is open, the other is closed. If somebody attacks high, you attack low. If somebody pushes,
you pull him in. You use their power against them to redirect and break their energy.” Thaing (“martial arts” in Burmese) Byaung Byan (“opposite” in Burmese) or Ku Kar Chant, meaning “reversed thaing” and “open and close”
28 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
“Most martial artists cover their face and guard themselves to avoid attack, but in Thaing Byaung Byan, [our bodies and stance] are open. If we are open, the other person will attack [if they choose to], so it’s like a trap, and then you close [the body] to block incoming attacks,” explained Aldrich. Saya Win Myint, one the TBB masters, takes me through the four foundational moves. Beh, ko, ma, kweh. Block, chop, avoid (leg tucked up near the stomach), break.
TBB mimics natural human movement. Saya Win Myint walks with his left foot and naturally swings his right arm. He demonstrates that if a fly buzzes above your head, you naturally swat it away. Add a small twist of the arm, and you get a basic block. If touched on your side, you would naturally swat backwards. Adding more force is the foundation for a chop. At its core, TBB is “not an nonaggressive martial arts because a lot of moves are defensive. When somebody attacks, you block. When you see the defense, you chop and block away,” said Aldrich. You the reader are surely grasping
LIFESTYLE
TBB’s moral life lesson. Say, for example, somebody pushes you. There are two obvious choices: push back or step back. By pushing your aggressor, you invite confrontation. By stepping back, you allow the tension to dissipate. If the person still chooses to push, TBB shows how blocking and attacking can be one in the same, so you stand your ground without resorting to initiated violence. Saya Win Myint said through Aldrich, who translated our conversation, “If you’re aggressive first, but you practice, you learn to control power. If you control power, you can control your anger.” The hyper and aggressive learn patience and serenity. xxx Thaing Byaung Byan is a unique Northern Shan martial art that derives its roots from hundreds of years of unarmed Shan martial arts, which themselves originated in 678 BC and were influenced by Chinese and Indian martial arts. TBB practices Bando (unarmed) and Banshay (weapons) techniques. Grandmaster or Sayagyi U Maung Lay (1896 – March 21, 1985) is considered the founder of TBB. In truth, he learned the style from Sayagayi U Che, who was a bodyguard to a Sawbwa (Shan prince or governor of specific plots of land) at the Shan State Kanbawza Palace. No earlier history has been discovered regarding whether Sayagyi U Che created the martial arts techniques of TBB or if it already existed. What is known is that traditionally, Shan martial arts is passed down only to Sawbwa and his family members. As a result, very little of its technique has changed over time. However, when British meddling created an unstable political situation among Sawbwa, Sayagyi U Che, though not historically allowed to learn or teach martial arts, was afraid the practice would be lost. When he left Shan State for Lower Burma, he selected three students to teach. Among them was Sayagyi U Maung Lay, who is singularly responsible for spreading Thaing Byaung Byan to others, including Saya Win Myint. xxx
Growing up in Myaung Sone Village in Bago, Saya Win Myint’s body build was “quite small, and in the village, there were a lot of big guys at sixfeet tall. They bullied me, so that’s why I wanted to learn martial arts so I can defend myself.” In 1976 at age 22, Saya Win Myint moved to Yangon for deeper training by the Grandmaster himself, Sayagyi U Maung Lay. He simultaneously started a dying and screen-printing job, which he continues today as his main profession. In addition to a personality test, potential students customarily challenge their desired mentor. “I tried to control the wrist of the Grandmaster. I took him by two hands at his wrist to see if the Grandmaster could break [my grip] and to see how strong the Grandmaster is.” As Sayagyi U Maung Lay continued teaching TBB up to the day he passed away, it has only been through death that Saya Win Myint has surpassed the Grandmaster’s strength. The two were never competitive, though; in 1979, Sayagyi appointed Saya Win Myint as an assistant teacher and also took him in as an adoptive son.
emailed Aldrich of his first instructor’s school.
To become a student, the student needs willingness to learn and practice ed mainly meet privately at the residence of a nearby master. One exception is Sayagyi U Aung Thein, a high court lawyer and one of the most senior teachers in TBB. He oversees a TBB school in Thanlyin near Star City, not too far from downtown Yangon. “I would recommend it to any expat who wants to experience group training, mainly with locals and to get out of Yangon and see rural life,”
For those of us merely interested as spectators, the Myanmar government hosts Thaing Byaung Byan competitions annually near the date of the SEA Games. Competitors often become familiar faces at SEA Games, where they participate in the Indonesian martial arts Pencak Silat tournament. At the 2013 SEA Games, Myanmar won three gold medals and ten total medals, placing third overall at the Pencak Silat tournament just shy of the eleven total medals won by Indonesia and Thailand. Myanmar did not participate in the Pencak Silat tournament in the 2015 SEA Games. For more information on Thaing Byaung Byan and to contact instructors, visit the International Thaing Byaung Byan Association’s website at www.itbba.org. ITBBA holds training camps and classes in London and Yangon and additionally is practiced in the U.S. and Australia.
Throughout their many years together, teacher and disciple/son traveled around the country for months at a time to train civil staff, military and police personnel, and both male and female civilians. Individuals from “all walks of life” were warmly welcomed but strictly trained for four hours per day. Trainers themselves began at 7am and continued until 9pm. xxx Upon Sayagyi U Maung Lay’s passing at the ripe age of 89, YCDC reclaimed the land on which the training centre was built. This has curbed formal TBB training and expansion of the martial art to which the Grandmaster dedicated his life. “It’s very rare to find a training school or big space. A lot of [my former students, now teachers] mainly teach as a hobby, so it’s not as before, we are not professional full time teachers,” said Saya Win Myint. Those interest-
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 29
FASHION
DETAILS MAKE THE MAN BY MIMI WU The Collection
bags, shoes, and the men’s wallet.
Inspired by the latest 007 movie? Channel James Bond from the new selection of HUGO BOSS Black at The Avenue store on Kohmin Kohchin Road for the stylish man’s next business meeting, formal event, and winter holiday in blustery climates.
By early 2016, The Avenue aims to carry Boss Green, previously known as Boss Sport. Fittingly, the range includes golf-style active clothing to outfit the golf-obsessed Myanmar man.
HUGO BOSS is the epitome of modern classic design. Since 1970, the brand has been renowned for the pursuit of sophisticated perfection and attention to detail in its men’s wear suits and sharp casual wear.
Hugo Boss A.G. is a German luxury fashion house named after its founder Hugo Boss. The company began as a family-run textile factory in 1924 and produced postal service and police uniforms. Misfortune struck Boss early on, who was forced into bankruptcy. Lucky for the 21st century fashion forward male, Boss managed to convince his lenders to leave him with six sewing machines. After World War II, Boss’ son-in-law Eugen Holy took over the business and returned the company to its work uniform roots. The company made its first men’s suits in 1950 and its first branded suit in 1970.
The store’s focal point for the Black range is the streamlined two-piece suit sets, which have a noticeably slim silhouette and come with tapered straight leg pants. Choose from one and two-button, single breasted jackets in traditional black or navy, but leave the bottom button unbuttoned for a cool, James Bond vibe. Properly fitted jackets should feel slightly constricting and have a small curve in the waist. Never should a man raise his arms or hug himself to determine the correct jacket size – one is not meant to labor or play sport in a jacket, unless, of course, one finds himself in hand-to-hand combat in a helicopter spinning wildly out of control over Zocalo Square. Do also check the vent, as they vary in the collection and should be chosen for the man’s specific body shape. Now the matter of lapels, which is the folded flap of clothe on the front of a jacket. There are three types of lapels: notched, peaked, and shawl. Shawl lapels are formed from a continuous curve and are most often used for tuxedos and dinner jackets.
The Brand
Boss Black at The Avenue does not feature this style. Instead, suits feature slim notched and peaked lapels. Notched lapels are the most common lapel. They are formed when the lapel is sewn to the collar at a 75 to 90 degree angle. Every man should have this staple lapel in his wardrobe, as its versatility lends itself for the everyday business meeting, interview, and weeknight dinner date. The peaked lapel is the most formal lapel and the most difficult to make, even for experienced tailors. It is best worn at weddings and formal dinners or anywhere you want to turn heads, and it is almost exclusively found on double-breasted suits, though the single-breasted dinner jacket has become increasingly popular. It best fits gents wanting to add a bit of height, as the peak directs the eye upwards. Boss Black uses lightweight super 100 and super 120 wool with horse hair sewn in between the fabric to
30 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
create a soft and flexible jacket. Add fitted single button, double button, or French cuffed shirts in blues, purples, pinks, and white to complete the look. Be sure to ask The Avenue to tailor the shirt; shirts should not billow at the sides when tucked in. For more casual wear, The Avenue also has a large collection of HUGO BOSS polo shirts in a rainbow of colors from red to powder blue, sea foam to lilac, and solid blacks to whites. Jeans, corduroy pants, and slacks finish the bottom half. Jetsetters can prepare themselves for colder climates with a sophisticated puffy vest nestled into a charcoal wool jacket (985,000 Ks) or a silver tinged dark blue lamb leather jacket (1,325,000 Ks). Boss also has the basic puffy black jacket with 80% duck down and 20% duck feathers (745,000 Ks). Accessories include a limited selection of silk pocket squares, belts, work
Since 2011, HUGO BOSS has outfitted the German National Football Team Die Mannschaft (“The Team”), Germany’s three-time winner of the FIFA World Cup. In 2014, HUGO BOSS dressed the over 100 personnel involved with the team in casual wear, formal bespoke suits for official events, and travel duffels and luggage. Suit sets range from 1,125,000 Ks to 1,345,000 Ks. Polo shirts range from 165,000 Ks to 295,000 Ks.
The Avenue No. 18A, Kohmin Kohchin Road, Bahan Township, Yangon Ph: 01-860-3337, 01-545-929
FASHION
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 31
BISTRONOMY
BUFFET IS THE STAR
SHIKI TEI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AT PARKROYAL While not a huge selection of fish, everything was very fresh with three kinds of local sashimi – sea bass, mackerel and sea bream.
BY ROBERT BERG WHAT IT IS
FINAL THOUGHTS
Shiki-Tei, the one year old Japanese restaurant in The Parkroyal Hotel fills in a much needed offering for those hungry for home-cooked flavours. ATMOSPHERE Dinner here brings a broad range of choices for even the heartiest of eaters. The focus is on a wide ranging buffet. Light coloured wood & handmade paper accented with rope & stone keep the windowless space organic and welcoming RECOMMENDATIONS The buffet here is the star, and tempting dishes take you on a culinary journey. The centre buffet fo-
cuses on salads, noodle dishes, long cooked dishes, and more than a few regional favourites. Pork lovers of bacon wrapped asparagus will definitely find a well executed winner here. The seafood salad is another winner with just the right amount of seasoning. The buffet includes a teppanyaki station, nabemono station and sushi bar where guests are invited to order as they please or help themselves to the prepared offerings. The teppanyaki station
features local and imported prawns, langostinos, Australian beef, and chicken. Pork from Thailand is a bit tough but flavourful. A nabe mono station features your choice chicken, beef and salmon. The salmon nabe mono was delicate and enjoyably understated. A bit of street food shines in the form of tako yaki in a light batter filled with pleasing delicate bites of octopus. Sashimi here is the real standout.
All in all the sushi is quite fresh, and the central buffet and nabe mono pleases, but the teppan yaki missed the mark from overcooking. The buffet at US$45 is a deal, and any sushi fan will be satiated. The wine list is quite expensive. Still it is hard to find sake elsewhere in Yangon, so kampai! – and breakout that business account. There is a set lunch offering for US$12.
33 (PARKROYAL HOTEL YANGON), Alan Pya Phaya Road, Dagon Township. Phone: 01 250 388 Opening Hours: Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm, Dinner 5:30pm to 10pm
TRADITIONAL GERMAN FARE MAHLZEIT
BY CATHERINE SMITH WHAT IT IS Mahlzeit is Yangon’s first German restaurant, located on the ground floor of the new Uniteam building in Sanchaung Township. The word Mahlzeit derives from a phrase that originally translated as ‘blessed mealtime’. ATMOSPHERE The service was attentive. The décor is simple with clean lines, light pine-colored furniture, and a bar as a central feature. It is easy to imag-
ine it becoming a bustling lunch and after-work/dinner destination. RECOMMENDATIONS The chef offered us taster plates from the menu, we had a good overview of what’s on offer. The homemade breads were exceptional . We started with Flammkuchen, a kind of traditional light-as-a-feather pizza topped with ham & onion, spinach & pumpkin and smoked salmon – definitely recommended (6,500 Ks - 9,000 Ks). We also tasted
32 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
a medley of salads – cucumber, potato, cabbage and sausage – which can be ordered as standalone (8,000 Ks) or as accompaniments to mains.
(and moreish) though the crumble was slightly disappointing.
Our meat platter included a variety of locally made German sausages (19,000 Ks) and meat patties (9,000 Ks) – both were standout dishes; sides were sauerkraut, red cabbage, creamy mash, dumpling, spaetzli and delicious, meaty gravy. Desert included ‘Cadbury’s cheesecake’ and apple crumble. The cheesecake was luckily less sweet than it sounded
Mahlzeit has a business lunch menu that changes daily. The quality of ingredients, homemade dishes and traditional fare make it a welcome addition to the local restaurant scene.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Address: 84 Pann Hlaing St, Sanchaung Township, Yangon. Phone: 01519115
BISTRONOMY
SUNDAY ROAST
Mushroom Cannelloni (US$9). The smell as well as the taste reminded me of Italian pizza because of its fine tomato sauce. With the simple look, the roll of eggplant and mushroom paste covered with tomato sauce and cheese, brings an incredibly delicious flavour.
UNION BAR AND GRILL BY HAZEL ZAN
FINAL THOUGHTS
WHAT IT IS The Union Bar and Grill is a cozy place for your lunch in downtown Yangon. It’s a great place for business talk, private meetings as well as a friendly catch-up. High-quality dishes are served. The menu includes starters, roasts, mains, pudding, and sides, as well as the grill, beverages and juices. The staff are friendly enough that you will feel like you are at home. The majority of the customers here are return patronage. ATMOSPHERE For Sunday lunch, the strong point is the catering for those customers
with children: a small playground has been created, with lots of toys, a TV showing cartoons, and a drawing teacher who is able to keep the kids amused while parents are having their lunch. Magic shows are held from 2 pm to 4 pm on Sunday for those who love a surprise. RECOMMENDATION The menu does not miss the expectation of those who long for the taste of British bistro food; the British chef has designed the entire menu himself. There are three choic-
es: beef, pork and chicken roasts. I chose Roast Loin of Middle and Belly Pork (US$14). All roasts come with roasted potatoes, cauliflower cheese, honey glazed carrots, sautéed greens and homemade gravy. The slightly salty and slow-cooked style of the meat plus the tender vegetables make for a great combination. The quality of the cheese and the freshness of local products add to a superb Sunday roast. Of the main courses available, there are two options for vegetarians. One is the Homemade Eggplant and
The Union Bar & Grill place is a great place to chill out and enjoy a hearty Sunday roast. The fresh and wholesome ingredients and the bespoke recipe attracts an appreciative crowd. I can’t find any reason not to come here again, and I am sure the kids were having a great time. You can enjoy the ‘All Day Sunday Roast on Sundays’ from 12pm to 9pm.
Address: No.42, Strand Road, Botahtaung Township, Yangon. Tel : +95 9420 101 854 Opening Hours : 11.00 AM to 9.00 PM
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December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 33
IN FOCUS
LOCAL BEERS AT AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD international standards from imported ingredients, this is the first premium beer to be brewed in Myanmar. With no locally produced competition, Carlsberg beer is actually the beginning of a new market in Myanmar. Heineken, who has also recently opened a brewery in Myanmar will be their closest competitors, but that is seen as a healthy thing, “there is room here for both brands”.
Anthony Clark (left), Head of Carlsberg Myanmar, and Søren Ravn, Carlsberg Regional CEO, enjoy a drink at the training bar at Carlsberg Head Office, Yangon.
“
I t’s a really exciting time to be in Myanmar,” Carlsberg Regional CEO Søren Ravn explains from his stool at the smart and well-appointed training bar in the Carlsberg Head Office in Yangon. Anthony Clark the Head of Carlsberg Myanmar adds, “There is a genuine interest, a curiosity, a readiness for change at the moment in the country”. Danish brewer Carlsberg, the fourth biggest beer maker in the world, entered newly opened up beer market earlier this year. Their recently completed brewery in Bago is now brewing three different products for sale in Myanmar. After an extensive development period, Carlsberg launched Yoma onto the market as a natural alternative to the current market leader Myanmar beer. Although priced similarly, Yoma has a slightly stronger ABV and is aimed at people who want to
enjoy a beer as they relax and wind down. Made with rice from the Bago region, the beer has been tailored to specifically meet the Myanmar consumers taste profile. The word Yoma means “mountain range” in Myanmar language; you cannot have failed to see the distinctive branding appearing all over the city. “Yoma is really for people who want to appreciate something special,” says Søren Ravn, “there is a lot of potential with Yoma, it is a strong brand that people can associate with.” The second beer brewed in Bago also uses locally sourced ingredients. Although already a well established international brand, Tuborg - with its unique “open for fun” pull off cap is deliberately aimed and marketed towards more active consumers in the 18-24 age range who want to be refreshed rather than just relaxed. Positioned on the market as an alternative to Tiger Beer, Tuborg has al-
ready built a massive following both online through social media, and in the bars and clubs, and has sponsored numerous musical and sporting events. They even organised a chill out zone at the Tazaudaing fire balloon festival in Taunggyi, where festival goers can escape the fireworks and enjoy some ice-cold beer. Carlsberg cleverly selected a small number of outlets in Yangon through which they launched their new beers, the feedback they received from customers and outlet partners was incredibly positive and the lessons learned during this time enabled them to expand their reach further. Carlsberg products are available in over one hundred outlets in ten cities, and this is growing daily. Their third and most famous brand now available in Myanmar is the world-renowned Carlsberg beer. Brewed in Myanmar to their strict
It has been a challenging time launching the beers into Myanmar, and very much a learning curve. Anthony Clark explains the difficulties they have had establishing and maintaining the international standards they expect their venues to adhere to. This has been achieved by ensuring that outlet partners and their staff have been sufficiently trained. The recently launched Carlsberg beer academy introduces attendees to the importance of hygiene and how to care for beer to ensure a perfect product. The Carlsberg team also conducts weekly check ups at all their outlets to ensure that they are continuing to maintain the high standards expected of them, and if there are any issues they can be addressed quickly. 2015 has been a time of great learning and growth for Carlsberg; it has also been a chance to prepare themselves for 2016, which is going to be a massive year for them. Next year will see the top international teams in Europe compete in Euro 2016, Carlsberg as the competition’s main sponsor (they have been involved for the last 30 years) will be promoting the competition to fans of European football in across the country - it is going to be an exciting time! Carlsberg’s main aim now, is to focus on building relationships with their customers and establishing confidence in the brands by ensuring standards are maintained to the highest international levels. Which is definitely good news for beer drinkers in Myanmar.
December 2015 / InDepth Magazine 35
www.facebook.com/samsungmyanmar
Samsung Customer Contact Center - 01 2399 888 Mon-Sun : 8AM to 6PM (အစိုးရရုုံးပိတ္ရက္မ်ားအပါအ၀င္)
HOROSCOPE
MYANMAR HOROSCOPE Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has a Science Degree Major in Mathematics from Yangon University. Currently, he is writing articles and horoscopes for monthly magazines and weekly journals in Myanmar. In Myanmar astrology, star signs are determined by which day you were born. Each sign represents its own day, cardinal direction (utmost importance), planet (celestial body) and animal.
SUNDAY ▪▪ Magic Time You will pass ordinary days. Life will act between light and dark, wrong and right. You will understand life-circle. You will be proud of one of your family members' success. You will be interested in magic stories.
Love – You will choose your rightful sweetheart. Your lover will be worthy of you. You will be happy for real love. Business – During this period, your financial condition will be miserable. You cannot reach destined business goal. You should review customer complaints. Lucky numbers – 2.5.8.0 Lucky colour – Orange
MONDAY ▪▪ Precious Time You will thank your fortune. You will announce your success. Your thinking power will be great. You will get excellent idea, imagination and help from your parents. You will feel a deep sense of gratitude to your parents. You should sleep enough to be active and healthy.
Love – During this period, you will be engage with your true love partners. You will learn love lesson in love school. Business – Your business will be in developing conditions. You will win success by fulfilling customer's demand. Sometimes you will be interested in risk. Lucky numbers – 3.6.9.0 Lucky colour – Brown
TUESDAY ▪▪ Fortunate Time You will hear expected news. You will be really fortunate in that you will win lottery prizes. You will possess good months. Your life will have perfect zeal with knowledge. You will be interested in festival or party. During this period, you will give charity to needy people. You should eat fresh fruits and vegetables for your good health.
Love – Love will come in your world. Everything will be beautiful because of love. Love will be peace, warm, kind, and happy for you. Business – Your business standard will be high. Your will face business' barriers. If you will have zeal, you will overcome all barriers. Lucky numbers – 2.5.3.6 Lucky colour – Red
WEDNESDAY ▪▪ Happy and Lucky Time Fortune will be favourable to you. You will possess happiness and luck. Your life will bring honour in front of your relatives and friends. You will be beautiful and well dressed. You will get chance to be well–educated person. You will get excellent knowledge from international university. You will be interested in adventure stories. You should take meditation for pure mind and health.
Love – You will have chance to travel with your sweetheart. Your lover will be hero for you. You will really enjoy your love for days.
38 InDepth Magazine / December 2015
Business – You will reap the harvest of your work. You will have success by fulfilling customer's needs. You will achieve customer's belief. You will conquer business rivals. Lucky number – 2.5.1.7 Lucky colour – Grey
THURSDAY ▪▪ Free and Independent Time Your life will be free, independent and fun loving. You will be rewarded valuable things from elder person. You will be happy with new friends. You will get chance to go round the world. You will get experience from travelling. You will be interested in foreign languages and other religions.
Love – You will shape your love story by your idea. You love story will be famous in your environment. Your relatives and friends will watch your love story. Business – You will prove your ability by being intellectual, diligent and hardworking. You will gather enormous monetary gain from customer. You will possess lucky period. Lucky number – 3.9.8.5 Lucky colour – Bright colours
FRIDAY ▪▪ Well-contented Time You will understand that life is made up of tears and laughter. Variety will be the spice of life. You will be well contented with everything. You will show interest in comedy. During this period, if you will suffer illness, you
will recover. You will possess healthy months.
Love – You will hear good news from your lover. Your sweetheart will be charming, cheerful, and clear. Your love story will be amazing. Business – You will possess machinery equipment and factory in this period. Your inventive power is clever. Everybody will admire your business plan and project. Lucky numbers – 1.4.3.5 Lucky colour – Blue
SATURDAY ▪▪ Excellent Time This period will be excellent for you. Victory will be within your reach. You will use your education to gain high goal. You will be interested in music. Health is a gift of nature. If you want to be healthy, you should avoid over-eating, smoking and drinking.
Love – You will be in shock with love. Unlucky period will be in your love affairs. You will cry for love. If you will ignore love, you will be peaceful and get pleasure. Business – Work will be duty, honour, and also enjoyment for you. You will see and discuss clients. You will improve the company's finances, marketing and organisation of staff. You can solve technical problems. Lucky numbers – 3.6.7.2 Lucky colour – White Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has practiced astrology and Burmese traditional medicine for 40 years. Contact: 095012767
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INYA DAY SPA - 15%discount on all spa services1 - 10%discount on Thai Body Massage(anytime) - Valid everyday,1 person per card
PATRICK ROBERT THE GALLERY - 10% discount in all showroom items. Export orders and credit card payments not included. - Valid everyday (closed Sundays), one person per card
PARKROYAL Fitness & Spa - 10% off spa treatments, except Happy Hours. - Valid Monday to Friday, booking required.
SELECT BOUTIQUE THE THIRIPYITSAYA - 10% off all Jewelry - Valid everyday (closed on Tuesdays)
REVEAL - EMINENCE HAIR REMOVAL - 20% off one waxing service per bill - 10% off one I2PL (SHR IPL) service per bill - Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advanced booking required.
THE WAREHOUSE - 15 off total bill - Valid everyday, 1 person per card
SPA ELEMENTS - 15 % off - JAMU pre- and post-natal care packages - 10% off - Face, body and foot spa // Mani-Pedis // Hair // Waxing and scrub - Valid on Wednesday & Monday, 1 person per card. THE BODYGUARD - This hair salon and massage parlour had been designed by men and for men only. - 15% off from 10:30am to 5:30 pm - Valid everyday, 2 people per card VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL - 10% off all SPA treatments - Valid everyday, for up to 10 people!, Advanced booking recommended. YANGON HAIR & BEAUTY CENTER - 20% off any single treatment - 10% off packages - Valid weekdays, one person per card YVES ROCHER SPA - 10% off total bill - Valid everyday, one person per card
VESTIGE MERCANTILE & RELICS - 10% off total bill. - Valid everyday at: . Vestige Flagship Store, Yangon . Vestige Kiosk, Avenue 64 Hotel. . Vestige Flagship Store, Nay Pyi Taw - Valid everyday, 1 person per card YVES ROCHER - 10% off all products - Valid everyday, 1 person per card
ACTIVITY WTC - World Training Center - 5% off Barista & Bakery classes - Valid everyday, 1 person per class.
HOTEL AMATA HOTELS MY BAGAN RESIDENCE - 5 % off room - 10 % off food - 10% off Spa Treatments at Nibbana Spa - Booking required, 2 people per card AMATA HOTELS RIVERSIDE HSIPAW RESORT - 5 % off room - 10 % off food - 10% off Spa Treatments at Nibbana Spa - Booking required, 2 people per card
HOTEL 51 - 15% off on all room types. - Valid everyday, 1 person per card HOTEL RED CANAL - 10% off Spa treatments (ladies only) - 10% off total bill at the Garden Restaurant - Booking required, 2 people per card INLE LOTUS HOTEL - 20% off total bill, incl Ticketing, Rentals, Trekking. - Valid everyday, 3 rooms per card, booking required ORCHID HOTEL - 10% off on all published room rates - 10 % off restaurant charges - Free fruit tray upon arrival - Valid Sunday to Thursday, 1 person per card, advance booking required PLATINUM HOTELS 4 outlets in Yangon - 20% off on all published room rates - Valid everyday, one room per card, at Hotel Platinum Tamwe, Mini Platinum Guesthouse Bahan, Platinum Riverview Hotel Dagon, Royal Platinum Hotel Bahan THAHARA (www.thahara.com) - 5% off on the published rates for all package booking from Oct to April - 10% off on the published rates for all package booking from May to September - Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advance booking required. VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL - 10% off all room rates - Valid everyday.
SERVICES HINTHA BUSINESS CENTRES - One hour free wifi + a cup of Gourmet coffee once a month. - 10% off Meeting room rentals - 10% off Hot Desk packages (Daily, weekly, monthly) - 2 for 1 on hourly Hot Desk rental - Valid everyday, 1person per card, advance booking recommended
BUY YOUR MYANMORE CARD HERE! MYANMORE Office - 1st Floor, Annex Bld, Strand Hotel, 92 Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp | 01-375680 50TH STREET BAR Balance Fitness Monument Bookstore Inya Day Spa Padonmar Restaurant Orchid Hotel Happy Footprints