My first taste of Thai food was a couple of years ago when a restaurant aptly named the Thai Elephant moved into my town. I can’t quite explain why it was that I had never had it before, or why I even decided to try it. I have always loved Chinese food, so I figured it would be similar and eventually ended up having dinner there with some friends after an exhausting shopping trip. It was just what I needed to perk me up. Noodles and rice (basically my favorite carb foods) combined with a little bit of sweetness and a little spiciness. I decided on the Pad Thai purely on the description, but substituted chicken for tofu, as tofu has never really appealed to me. It was not entirely what I expected, but nonetheless it was delicious, and the first of many meals there.
One of the first things we talked about was our love of food, and seeing as we were sharing a fridge and microwave, it became a topic that often came up. She shared with me her love of American food (or what she believes it to be— lots and lots of whipped cream, and hot fries!) and I shared with her my love of Thai food (or what I believe to be—rice and Pad Thai!) But she also shared with me her fear of gaining weight while in America because of all the unhealthy food, easy access to it, and lack of exercise. I shared some tips with her: cutting back on the whipped cream, making regular trips to the IMA fitness center, and not frequenting Mc Donald’s (which surprisingly isn’t all that common around campus). Since I had such easy access to an interview subject, I thought it would be interesting to research the common diet in Thailand and the affect that American culture and restaurants have had on their cuisine in the recent years.
Rice, in almost all regions of Thailand (as it is a fairly small country) consists of the main part of most meals. In other words, it is a staple, and is used in many different ways, including in desserts. Thailand is also the world’s largest exporter of rice, and has recently applied tor the EU for protection of Thai Hom Mali (Jasmine rice) which authorities insist is unique to the Thung Kula Ronghai area. Families who are health- conscious as Ja’s family is, typically have brown rice instead of white to acquire more nutrients.
Different regions have varying twists on the typical Thai diet, the Southern regions having a spicier take on most dishes while the Northeast is influenced by neighboring country, Laos. A traditional northern food that shows up on special occasions is Ksun-Toke, a tray with several dishes, which typically include the following: a pickled vegetable, some sort of meat (usually chicken), a soup, curry, rice, and Thai spicy dip. Water is the most common drink, as well as coconut water/juice which is naturally healthful and Ja insists, delicious. As far as desserts go, sweet rice and mangos are popular, as well as sweet coconut milk.
In recent years, American fast food chains have started cropping up all over (McThai, the first McDonald’s opened on March,16 1985, and had 104 McDonald’s restaurants as of January 2003) and have begun infiltrating the Thai diet, disguising themselves as a good and quick alternative to home-cooked meals. Kentucky Fried Chicken is actually more popular than McDonald’s and as of had 305 of them spread throughout Thailand. They similarly capture their customers by enticing them with smells as is explained in Raj Patel’s book Stuffed and Starved, in the chapter on supermarkets and on this website. They waft appealing smells throughout their store (or restaurant) to potentially make their customer purchase more.
The most shocking thing that Ja informed me of, was that the cost to eat out in Thailand is relatively the same as it is to cook a meal at home. In America, we can usually make a home-cooked meal for cheaper than the cost to dine out. In Thailand it is considered somewhat of a posh thing to eat at a McDonald’s or KFC because it is fairly expensive and American. But ironically it is also a typical hangout for teenagers to eat a snack/meal and do their homework together.
I can’t understand how a people would give up dishes such as the savory Pad Thai in favor of a quarter-pounder at McDonald’s or a bucket of greasy fried chicken at KFC. But Ja says that taste isn’t the only factor: “I think Thai food is much harder to make than American food. I think people eat out because it’s kind-of cheaper and sometimes we don’t want to prepare the ingredients, and there are many more ingredients in Thai food than American food, I think. Plus making Thai food dirties many kitchen utensils, and we don’t use a dishwasher in Thailand.” Of course, that is only one person’s take on the situation.
The spread of fast-food joints throughout Thailand has led to an Americanization of the regular Thai diet. When there’s easy access, “tasty” food, and the cost is relatively the same as eating at home, it’s hard to argue against going out to eat at the “posh” American restaurants. But the affect of eating out does more than just take away the home-cooking aspect of the Thai diet—Thai newspapers report that 14% of Thai children are already obese, laying the blame on western fast food joints. As Raj Patel explains in his book Stuffed and Starved, this isn’t all that surprising as it is happening in other countries as well “ In Mexico, there have also been changes in the foods people eat as a result of NAFTA, particularly in the increased availability and consumption of high-calorie food. This has led to a spike in levels of obesity…”(63) and he continues with “ Not only are Mexicans now consuming more food, the food their eating is different. The consumption of wheat-based instant noodles is now higher than that of beans and rice. Today, Mexicans drink more Coca-Cola than milk. The consequences are more than cosmetic. With nearly one in ten Mexicans living with diabetes, the cost to the country is U.S. $15 billion a year.”(63)
Of course, Thailand and Mexico are not exactly the same (Thailand is not as close in proximity to the U.S. which makes the spike in obesity in all the more alarming), but the principles of influence are extremely similar. It’s easy to see that the future of Thailand could be very similar to that of Mexico if it continues down the path it is on now.
We (as the American consumer) probably won’t see a direct effect, but I worry for Ja each time she returns home to see an even more Americanized Thailand with her friends and family constantly opting for an American restaurant rather than a home-cooked meal.
Works Cited:
Patel, Raj. Stuffed and Starved. Brooklyn, NY: Melville Housing Publishing, 2007
"Thailand applies for EU protection for jasmine rice" New Europe Careers. 11 August 2008. http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=89324
Kohler, John. "Coconut Water Information" Living and Raw Foods. n.d. 1998. http://www.living-foods.com/articles/coconutwater.html
http://www/mctahi.co.th/aboutus/INDEZ2.HTM
"KFC in Thailand to Restore Confidence in Its Chicken by Giving Away Pieces" Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. 4 February 2004. http://www.allbusiness.com/food-beverage
Hicks, Mary Nicole."Psychology of Supermarkets" Pick Brains. 12 October 2007. http://www.pickbrains.com/articles/psychology-of-supermarkets
"Is Thailand Getting Fat?" Chris in Asia. 15 November 2007. http://chris-in-asia.blogspot.com
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