Thai eating habits

[colinneil]

Just now, nanglong218 said:

You are extreme in your opinions, aren't you. I am not a doom monger but I've experienced the downside of poor hygiene. If you want chronic illness,   it's your right.

Me extreme... WOW... Been called a lot worse, poor hygiene, many cases all over the World, UK, USA, EUROPE, been eating like a Thai for over twenty years, never had any problems.

Anyway heres a point for you to ponder, your going to die, i am going to die, that is the only sure thing in life.

[nanglong218]

Yes, we all die, hopefully in flash,  bang, lights out, not after years of pain.  Nuff sed, I,m bored now

[lovelomsak]

1 hour ago, nanglong218 said:

To those who sneer at the warnings of hygiene I will just say "do you have 6 months to spare, in pain, discomfort and fatigue, awful fatigue."  No interest in sex, your liver controls more than you imagine.  If you are topside of 65 you don't have the time to spare.   HepA and E are no joke.  Hep B and C can now be controlled, like HIV, by anti virals produced since 2004.  It's your choice.

I just play the odds. I personally do not know in my entire life a single person who has fell ill from double dipping,kissing cunnilingus etc.. You may have contracted some thing  I am sure it does happen.

  But then again I am not your average Joe from down the street. I have been left for dead in Thailand ,mugged twice in one night in Nassau, mugged and robbed in the afternoon in Mexico.. I also often  singlehanded a 27 ft sailboat in extreme weather so an illness has little meaning to me. I leave the worrying about things like that to those who want to live forever. but not have a life.

  

[nanglong218]

21 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

I just play the odds. I personally do not know in my entire life a single person who has fell ill from double dipping,kissing cunnilingus etc.. You may have contracted some thing  I am sure it does happen.

  But then again I am not your average Joe from down the street. I have been left for dead in Thailand ,mugged twice in one night in Nassau, mugged and robbed in the afternoon in Mexico.. I also often  singlehanded a 27 ft sailboat in extreme weather so an illness has little meaning to me. I leave the worrying about things like that to those who want to live forever. but not have a life.

  

I don't want to be branded a doom monger but there are certain rules about taking care of your health. Here and in India, when drinking from a bottle,the bottle does not touch your lips.  I've gone down on many a woman from these parts but only after a good soapy mutual shower,  happy memories for sure.

India is a filthy dirty place. I was probably handed a samoza by some guy with his left hand.  If you're in your last ten years of useful life, don't <deleted> about.

[colinneil]

3 minutes ago, nanglong218 said:

I don't want to be branded a doom monger but there are certain rules about taking care of your health. Here and in India, when drinking from a bottle,the bottle does not touch your lips.  I've gone down on many a woman from these parts but only after a good soapy mutual shower,  happy memories for sure.

India is a filthy dirty place. I was probably handed a samoza by some guy with his left hand.  If you're in your last ten years of useful life, don't <deleted> about.

I already branded you a doom monger, please stop wittering on, its getting boring.

Also not interested in your sexual behavior.

Edited March 26, 2018 by colinneil

[jak2002003]

3 hours ago, nanglong218 said:

To those who sneer at the warnings of hygiene I will just say "do you have 6 months to spare, in pain, discomfort and fatigue, awful fatigue."  No interest in sex, your liver controls more than you imagine.  If you are topside of 65 you don't have the time to spare.   HepA and E are no joke.  Hep B and C can now be controlled, like HIV, by anti virals produced since 2004.  It's your choice.

What the heck are you ranting on about? 

 

Who do you know has caught HIV, Hep A or E from eating shared sticky rice with their hands, or drinking out of the same cup.  You are over reacting to the dangers.  Maybe you have some kind of phobia?

 

 

 

 

[nanglong218]

Geez, I started something here. A phobia?? No, I went to India and came back with a nasty illness. I didn't go looking for it,  it just got me. I'm not a 6 stone weakling, I knew all the rules about health in 3rd world places.

Now I've been there and have the bad memories. You do as you wish but the experience has not stopped me travelling.

[nanglong218]

Let me.tell you about hepE.  It starts with a back pain.  We returned to Jomtien and got a massage from the blind people.  I said I wanted  a man to give me a strong massage because I was in pain.      Back in England my GP said hepatitis.  A,B and C ruled out, they diagnosed hepE at the Queen's Med, Nottingham.   My first question to the specialist I saw there was "will my libido ever return" Yes he said, and he was right.   You can't believe that you will never be interested in sex   . Shock, horror, what your liver controls you won't believe.

[geriatrickid]

Hilarious. The communal eating format is common only to;

- Families, e.g. husband and wife, (and even then not frequent,) mother and child;

- Teenagers/people who are close, i.e. have known each other since early school;

- Low class, uneducated, uncultured

This is not how the educated and higher socio economic demographic eat. I recently attended a dinner function in Bangkok. I can assure you that no one, NO ONE  was poking into  the common food platters with their own utensils.It's rude and a sign of poor upbringing in Thailand outside of a set social circle, just as it is elsewhere, for the simple fact that it indicates a close familiarity.

 

Perhaps the fact that so many people are hooked up with bar girls, or  upcountry folk is why they will not have seen how the rest of Thailand behaves. Thais do have table manners and many do have fastidious obsessive concerns in respect to communal utensils. Watch the Thais at a buffet at a higher end function and you will see the hand sanitizer come out or the use of one hand to touch a serving utensil and  the other hand to use eating utensils. Stop using street stalls  as an indicator of Thai customs because a growing number of Thais will not eat from them, nor even consider the use of communal cups & utensils. For example, there is absolutely no way that a knowledge grade or higher  civil servant would drink from  the same metal cup as a moto taxi driver.

[geriatrickid]

18 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

What the heck are you ranting on about? 

 

Who do you know has caught HIV, Hep A or E from eating shared sticky rice with their hands, or drinking out of the same cup.  You are over reacting to the dangers.  Maybe you have some kind of phobia?

 

Actually, it was an accurate statement. Hep A can be spread through communal eating  arrangements. To a lesser extent so can Hep B  because of the poor lavatory hygiene facilities that facilitate fecal contamination of hands. Hep E is common where meat is not stored or cooked properly (hello street vendors) and where water is contaminated with feces. (Hello again street vendors). Thailand does not inspect street vendors nor post health advisories does it?

I can assure you that if I went to any busy street in Bangkok, even in cleaner Siam outside MBK, none of the street vendors would pass the basic hygiene test that is used in Singapore, or NYC, or even in  laissez faire cities like London or Toronto.

 

[attrayant]

I don't see most of the dining behavior outlined in the OP, but the dining and cooking areas in my house are right next to each other and I am more put off by the preparation and sanitation habits.

 

• Waste food container sits on the counter top and goes for several days without being emptied, so we often have clouds of fruit flies in the kitchen & dining areas.  
• Food is prepared on the floor (using a cutting board, but still).  One cutting board (which looks like a cross-section of a tree) is used for meat, veggies, everything.
• Dish rags aren't wrung-out and hanged to dry, but left sopping wet and lain flat on the counter top creating a germ farm.
• Knives sometimes aren't washed if they're used to cut things that don't appear to leave residue (bread, some veggies).  A few days later these knives will have mold on them.
• Sink where dishes are washed is right next to clean dish and pan storage, so all the clean stuff gets sprayed with dirty water during washing.
• Food is left on the stove/dinner table overnight and uncovered.  Mother in law wakes up early the next morning and boils the hell out of everything to "sterilize" it.

 

Consequently, frequent intestinal distress seems to be an accepted fact of life in my house that - thankfully - I am largely spared from because I mostly don't eat the family food any more. I have my own fridge and do my own cooking.

 

Having said all those bad things, I'd like to say that the food really is (mostly) delicious and I wish I were brave enough to eat it along with them.

[lovelomsak]

20 minutes ago, attrayant said:

I don't see most of the dining behavior outlined in the OP, but the dining and cooking areas in my house are right next to each other and I am more put off by the preparation and sanitation habits.

 

• Waste food container sits on the counter top and goes for several days without being emptied, so we often have clouds of fruit flies in the kitchen & dining areas.  
• Food is prepared on the floor (using a cutting board, but still).  One cutting board (which looks like a cross-section of a tree) is used for meat, veggies, everything.
• Dish rags aren't wrung-out and hanged to dry, but left sopping wet and lain flat on the counter top creating a germ farm.
• Knives sometimes aren't washed if they're used to cut things that don't appear to leave residue (bread, some veggies).  A few days later these knives will have mold on them.
• Sink where dishes are washed is right next to clean dish and pan storage, so all the clean stuff gets sprayed with dirty water during washing.
• Food is left on the stove/dinner table overnight and uncovered.  Mother in law wakes up early the next morning and boils the hell out of everything to "sterilize" it.

 

Consequently, frequent intestinal distress seems to be an accepted fact of life in my house that - thankfully - I am largely spared from because I mostly don't eat the family food any more. I have my own fridge and do my own cooking.

 

Having said all those bad things, I'd like to say that the food really is (mostly) delicious and I wish I were brave enough to eat it along with them.

I have to add one thing I saw my wife's son do.

 After drinking water from a glass he put it back in the cupboard with the clean glass's because all it had in it was water.

[superal]

On 3/26/2018 at 10:25 AM, colinneil said:

OP if you are disgusted with eating habits here, then why the hell dont you bugger off back home?

Your aggressive reply was uncalled for . Everyone is entitled to their opinions and constructive criticism is welcome but your verse contributes nothing . So why bother getting involved ? or try Googling the subject and you will maybe understand the implications of poor hygiene. 

 I wish you a good day and hope you are in a happier mood .

[colinneil]

36 minutes ago, superal said:

Your aggressive reply was uncalled for . Everyone is entitled to their opinions and constructive criticism is welcome but your verse contributes nothing . So why bother getting involved ? or try Googling the subject and you will maybe understand the implications of poor hygiene. 

 I wish you a good day and hope you are in a happier mood .

This is Thailand, Thai people do many things different to Western folk, if you are not happy with how Thais do things, then you are in the wrong country.

You hope i am in a happier mood

When i posted that i was in a happy mood, you should try me on a bad day.

 

One further point, i have been eating, fingers and all same as Thais now for 21 years, still going strong.

[JimmyJ]

On 3/24/2018 at 10:02 PM, superal said:

What would you do ?  Have seen similar happenings where a solitary cup is next to a water jug or dispenser  and all drink from the one cup . Would you accept this and use the cup ?  

I would not eat from the shared plate as described nor drink from the shared cup.

Edited March 29, 2018 by JimmyJ

[lovelomsak]

On 3/27/2018 at 10:29 AM, geriatrickid said:

Hilarious. The communal eating format is common only to;

- Families, e.g. husband and wife, (and even then not frequent,) mother and child;

- Teenagers/people who are close, i.e. have known each other since early school;

- Low class, uneducated, uncultured

This is not how the educated and higher socio economic demographic eat. I recently attended a dinner function in Bangkok. I can assure you that no one, NO ONE  was poking into  the common food platters with their own utensils.It's rude and a sign of poor upbringing in Thailand outside of a set social circle, just as it is elsewhere, for the simple fact that it indicates a close familiarity.

 

Perhaps the fact that so many people are hooked up with bar girls, or  upcountry folk is why they will not have seen how the rest of Thailand behaves. Thais do have table manners and many do have fastidious obsessive concerns in respect to communal utensils. Watch the Thais at a buffet at a higher end function and you will see the hand sanitizer come out or the use of one hand to touch a serving utensil and  the other hand to use eating utensils. Stop using street stalls  as an indicator of Thai customs because a growing number of Thais will not eat from them, nor even consider the use of communal cups & utensils. For example, there is absolutely no way that a knowledge grade or higher  civil servant would drink from  the same metal cup as a moto taxi driver.

Every thing you said here about  different habits with different socio,economic levels is true.

  But any one of class knows that real class does not offend its host and does not make people uncomfortable in their presence. Any and every one at the fucntion should honor the ocassion and act appropriately.

  So many of these classy people you ate with at a dinner function ate the appropriate way for the ocassion. As is expected.

  But if they are of real class and attended a function at a small village and people were eating som tom with  with their fingers, and sharing a  common bowl for soup. They would in honor of their hosts eat accordingly. If they had concerns about health they would adapt how much they ate and where from the plate they took it. But real class does not offend . Real class makes all people present in their company feel comfortable.  No upmanship no making issues. 

[superal]

15 hours ago, colinneil said:

This is Thailand, Thai people do many things different to Western folk, if you are not happy with how Thais do things, then you are in the wrong country.

You hope i am in a happier mood

When i posted that i was in a happy mood, you should try me on a bad day.

 

One further point, i have been eating, fingers and all same as Thais now for 21 years, still going strong.

There is no reason to lower your standards of hygiene , instead you should be educating some of the uninformed Thais of the benefits of following food consumption safety . You cannot argue with proven hygiene factual evidence however each to their own and ignorance is no excuse . It not only applies to Thailand but it is a world wide practice . 

[colinneil]

4 minutes ago, superal said:

There is no reason to lower your standards of hygiene , instead you should be educating some of the uninformed Thais of the benefits of following food consumption safety . You cannot argue with proven hygiene factual evidence however each to their own and ignorance is no excuse . It not only applies to Thailand but it is a world wide practice . 

You saying i am ignorant?

All this modern BS about hygiene is getting out of hand, when i was a lad there was none of this nonsense just get on with life.

[MrJohnson]

If it is hygiene you are worried about I'd be way more worried about what happens prior to the food reaching the table. (BTW 0 I'm not talking about Thailand here, just  food handling in general). From the paddock to the plate, there is the issue of contamination through handling and correct refrigeration. There are many please along the way that food can be contaminated and result in sickness. I'm not sure how long the OP has been here but how often you get ill when eating out is probably a reasonably good barometer of food contamination in general. Some time ago a doctor friend informed me that Thailand is very fortunate to have, largely, uncontaminated water sources, compared to the neighboring countries of Cambodia, Laos and also Vietnam. Many gastro-intestinal pathogens, including facal coliforms, ameobic dysentry and giardia are endemic in most water ways in the countries listed above.

 

I also agree with comments made previously, that it may be more a function of class or education/information than something that you can generalize about across the whole population. 

 

I've lived here >20 years and must say that I rarely have any tummy problems and I eat all sorts f weird and wonderful things!

 

If it is the general etiquette of people 'double-dipping' that bothers the OP then perhaps he's better off having a snack before going out with the relatives. I can just imagine their (the relatives) reaction if he starts 'educating' them about proper hygiene. It would be quite difficult not to come across as condescending foreigner, regardless of how tactful one attempted to be.

[jenny2017]

On 3/26/2018 at 2:39 PM, nanglong218 said:

I don't want to be branded a doom monger but there are certain rules about taking care of your health. Here and in India, when drinking from a bottle,the bottle does not touch your lips.  I've gone down on many a woman from these parts but only after a good soapy mutual shower,  happy memories for sure.

India is a filthy dirty place. I was probably handed a samoza by some guy with his left hand.  If you're in your last ten years of useful life, don't <deleted> about.

Hepatitis E is a liver disease spread by contaminated food and water. Usually,hepatitis E is spread by contaminated water; however, in developed countries eating uncooked or undercooked animal products can also cause hepatitis E. Some people who get hepatitis E do not ever feel sick.

 

  Your post how careful you are, but "going down on so many women" with a mutual shower as the only protection of not catching.......( fill in the blanks, please.)

Edited March 30, 2018 by jenny2017

[GLewis]

On 3/25/2018 at 12:02 PM, superal said:

Have you sat at a restaurant table as a guest of Thai people who have ordered the food . The food arrives often in a large bowl or platter . The Thai people then launch into the food with their own spoon then into their mouths and back into the food repeatedly .

I must be running with a different crowd of Thai's as I have never encountered this unless on a picnic. In fact I have been admonished for not using the spoon provided to get the food from a communal bowl to my plate. 

 

How do you feel about a drinking fountain?  All those people who have had their mouth near or or it.  I think you have other issues bothering you as well.

[Jonnapat]

On 25/03/2018 at 5:05 PM, jak2002003 said:

What is the purpose of this thread, apart from being raciest and having a go at Thai people?

 

I have seem Americans with the most disgusting and stupid eating habits but will not start a thread about it.  

You mean like prodding everything with a fork?

[speckio]

It's best not to think too much while eating haha

 

If you saw some of the stuff that goes on in the back of a restaurant in the United States you would probably stop eating out... Even restaurants that get an "A" from health inspections 

 

the community cup thing is news to me... just ask if they have bottled water problem solved.

 

IN regards to double dipping In the past it might have bothered me... but after seeing what happens in some kitchens during food preparation i am not really phased anymore...

 

As stated earlier its not wise to think too much while eating.....  there are tiny roaches everywhere in this country soo there is probably a good chance at some point they have gotten into your food.

 

As long as the food is served hot and fresh i usually have no problem eating whats in front of me unless its something i consider to be gross.

 

 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

On 25/03/2018 at 5:05 PM, jak2002003 said:

What is the purpose of this thread, apart from being raciest and having a go at Thai people?

 

I have seem Americans with the most disgusting and stupid eating habits but will not start a thread about it.  

What about the Chinese? I don't think I need to explain.

[jenny2017]

2 hours ago, GLewis said:

I must be running with a different crowd of Thai's as I have never encountered this unless on a picnic. In fact I have been admonished for not using the spoon provided to get the food from a communal bowl to my plate. 

 

How do you feel about a drinking fountain?  All those people who have had their mouth near or or it.  I think you have other issues bothering you as well.

I've survived German, American, Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai, Laotian, Cambodian, Burmese, and a few South American countries' bacterias and I'm still alive.

 

   I can only smile about warnings to brush my teeth with bottled water in Thailand.

 

  But what about some pisbeer? 

 

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39817245/theres-a-new-beer-made-with-human-urine-from-a-danish-music-festival

 

 

[jenny2017]

10 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

What about the Chinese? I don't think I need to explain.

Did somebody step on an American's toe here? 

 

    

[Acemaker]

On 3/25/2018 at 12:35 PM, nanglong218 said:

Normally there is a spoon to dispense the stuff to the person's bowl.  Double dipping?? they don't care. And nor do I because I will not  eat insects and chicken's feet and stuff a western dog would turn it nose up at.

My love affair  with this nation is coming to a close.

At last a Person with Principals. 

[Acemaker]

On 3/26/2018 at 1:23 PM, colinneil said:

i am going to die, that is the only sure thing in life.

Yes, but to a Degree we all have have a choice as to how were going to Die, i fear your way could be the quicker way, have a lovely Dinner. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

I first visited here in 1991 for work (10 days ) stayed in Bangkok and worked in Bangkadi.

6 weeks after returning back to uk i was sick one evening with a fever , woke up the next morning yellow as a banana, even the whites of my eyes were yellow.

Long story short: Hep A, uk doctor told me probably got it from unclean food, most commonly seafood ( i had eaten oysters ?) .No drinking alcohol for 6 months, 7 weeks off work till blood chemicals got back to normal, tired all the time and some unusual side effects including severe athletes foot (bleeding between toes ) and spots all over my head. Good news is i'm now immune !! 

 

Continued to travel for work and probably visited another 30/35 different countries after this including Saudi, Jordan, China, Malaysia etc. Hasn't changed my eating habits ( love seafood) and put it down to luck of the draw.

 

The communal cup near the water fountain is common in some of the factories i've worked.

In Saudi the Filipinos would eat from a communal pile of food on a cloth on the floor, i did give that a miss but have eaten from a communal plate with my gf's family in Lat Yao (rural Nakhon Sawan ) and also when i went to Ubon with friends and stayed at their parents house.

 

It's a cultural thing and i don't think anyone would be too upset if you declined.

 

Me ? i just tend to go with the flow and accept that the people offering to share their food with me are usually a lot poorer than me and therefore to show respect usually eat with them even if it's not my kinda thing !

[Andrew Dwyer]

38 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

Did somebody step on an American's toe here? 

 

    

i think you'll find that possum is not American !