Hmm you mean the repo one?
Hmm you mean the repo one?
Modding here is laughable.
There's a couple of schools of thought here, and like has been suggested geographical and sociological differences play a big part.
On the one hand we have little Somjit, born into a wealthy family, a family so wealthy in fact that his pater (in all of his unscrupulous arrogance) deemed it fit to nickname his offspring Benz, after his favourite vehicle, you know, the black one with the tinted windows, the one he entertains his five giks and two mia nois in while his actual wife walks around MBK dropping multiple thousands of baht on makeup and shoes. So little Somjit's background has been established, and let's make no mistake here, what little Somjit wants, little Somjit fucking well gets.
"Eat you greens, dear"
"Fuck off - I want a Burger King, bitch! Now go on! Get!"
Meanwhile, on a farm, far far away - young Sombat toils in the Isaan heat. He's already milked the cows, butchered the pigs and wanked off the goat, and his stomach is starting to make noises. Indeed after having breakfasted on last night's rice, a tin of sardines and a fistful of random greenery, it's definitely time for lunch, and right on cue mare hustles forth with a pot of jungle curry, teeming with goodness. This is complemented with a bowl of somtum, using ingredients plucked straight from the garden.
So who has the better diet. The city dwelling oik Somjit, or his counterpart in the countryside, Sombat?
That's a simple one, a no brainer.
But alas, in but a few short years Sombat will get heavily involved with a the lao khao and meth while Somjit hires a personal trainer to whip his fat arse into shape.
So, don't worry too much about the five a day at this stage is the point that I'm probably trying to make, although I'm not too sure.
The 5-a-day lark is a load of bollocks...
Where have all the posts gone???
rayneedsprotecting
I partake of a Whopper Cheese with increasing frequency since I've noticed they're only 109 baht and there's one across the road. (No fries or drink, as my healthy bod wouldn't take that shite)
What's definitely noticeable is the amount of rabbit food in it.
Now if only they could learn how to toast the buns and perhaps not add 17 gallons of sauce, it'd be perfect.
You might spend some quality and quantity time throughout everyday Isaan and other comparative regions to witness how these folks eat everyday, on the average, instead of relying on the somewhat book of stereotypes and myths, AO The experiences might surprise.......or not.
David, I think yours was a very fair question and I am a little surprised at some of the rather dismissive replies. As has been said, experiences vary. These are mine:
I moved to Thailand five years ago, my second time to live here. This time I have lived in four different towns in three different Isan provinces, working and living with Thais. When I first arrived I asked myself your question because I wasn’t seeing the Bangkok diet I knew from before.
At school, many students buy breakfast at the school gates or inside school. Mostly that is bbq pork/chicken, sometimes with sticky rice. I have watched thousands of high school students walk in the gates and hardly anyone carries fruit. At lunch the most popular choice is a bowl of noodles, usually with 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons of refined sugar. These are basic noodles, no veggies. Other options with rice are common, there will be some veg in there certainly, barely one portion in a dish, I know because I have eaten many.
Most schools have a couple of outlets selling bagged fruit at B10 a time as a small part of their various kanom offerings. Supplies are limited, fruit needs to be fresh cut every day and even if both stalls made 150 bags that still means only a little over 10% of the 2,500 students are eating fruit at school. If they have B10 spare then they usually opt for a sugary iced drink, ice cream or some kind of kanom. I know, because I have talked to many people about it, that a lot of students only have B20 each day for food. Some have no money at all and bring their own pot noodle. Bottom line, about 70% of high school students I observed have zero fruit or veg during a school day. The remainder maybe have 1 portion, in my experience of three large government secondary schools.
Do kids with B20 for food get a spread of fresh fruit for dinner at home? I very much doubt it. Those with better off parents and better parenting probably get a decent meal at home, I cannot say. Whenever I eat in a Thai home it is a little bit special, probably better than usual.
At home, I now live with the Thai gf. At weekends if I give her a free hand then breakfast will be congee or cow dom or Vietnamese noodle or sometimes kai kadat (fried eggs with sausagey bits). All options have zero fruit and veg. Lunch might be noodles with a basket of mixed veg. It looks a lot and it might be 3 or 4 different veg but the total weight is small and I count it as 2 portions which we share, so 1 veg portion each with lunch. Same with a plate of Kaprow, there are veggies in it, barely a single portion. Last night we ate out for dinner and had Om (beef soup with a smidgen of cabbage floating around) and Laab Tod (deep fried bits of pork laab) which came with 5 slices of cucumber and 6 short pieces of green bean. If you were generous you might add up the total veg as 2 portions, one each. At the end of the day, if I don’t make an effort to add fruit, we have had three Isaan meals and a total of 2 portions of veg each.
Around here, many, many people are not getting five or more fruit and veg every day. This is my experience.
^ Comprehensive overview.
Thanks BTW ... thought it was just me!
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