BritManToo Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, GinBoy2 said: my weekly shopping bill at Tops There's the problem straight away, plenty of other shops, no need to go to the most expensive. Why compare a premium Thai supermarket aimed at fleecing foreigners with a budget UK supermarket aimed at working-class Brits? Edited October 15, 2018 by BritManToo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theguyfromanotherforum Posted October 15, 2018 Author Share Posted October 15, 2018 Tops is premium? All I see is Thais shop there. Maybe get on with the times and realize Thais are not poor like 50 years ago and not every Thai woman works in the bar. Tops a premium store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinBoy2 Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 18 minutes ago, BritManToo said: There's the problem straight away, plenty of other shops, no need to go to the most expensive. Why compare a premium Thai supermarket aimed at fleecing foreigners with a budget UK supermarket aimed at working-class Brits? Well that’s sort of the issue. I’m comparing like with like. I like Tops, they have a great selection of products and great meat, fruit and vegetables. Now I could do a side by side comparison of Lotus and Walmart grocery. That might actually be even more unfavorable to Lotus. I’ve got no axe to grind here, and when I’m back in Thailand, we’ll be back shopping at Tops, but in terms of cost, if you want western quality you pay a premium and then the difference between farangland and Thailand evaporates really quick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BritManToo Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) 14 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said: Well that’s sort of the issue. I’m comparing like with like. Not true as Thailand doesn't really have supermarket equivalents to the western world. Supermarkets in Thailand are to some extent all premium shopping stores (with Tops and Rimping being the most expensive). Walmart is for western 'trailer trash', Lotus is for Thais with cash to burn, they aren't really similar. Fruit and veg in Thai supermarkets are usually 3x (and up) the prices of local markets, with no UK equivalent. You need to adapt your shopping to the local culture in order to get value for money. I understand that many foreigners feel uncomfortable mixing with working-class Thais, and prefer the safety of the Thai supermarkets filled with the more wealthy Thais. Yesterday in the local market, I spent 100bht. 1kg peppers, 1kg potato, 1kg tomato, 600gm onions. How much in Tops/Rimping/Lotus/BigC? Edited October 15, 2018 by BritManToo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 8 minutes ago, BritManToo said: Supermarkets in Thailand are to some extent all premium shopping stores (with Tops and Rimping being the most expensive). Tops premium shopping? it can't provide half the quality and selection of Foodland, Friendship and of course Villa Market. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVENKEEL Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 Makro has pretty much everything, no need for Tops. Freshly BBQ'd fish is my favorite market food 180bht ia a nice meal for 2 adults and child. They sell those fresh spring rolls for 50bht/pkg, a nice snack. Tops is over the top for me, I don't need beef. We eat mainly seafood, occasionally chicken. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritManToo Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Naam said: Tops premium shopping? it can't provide half the quality and selection of Foodland, Friendship and of course Villa Market. Those shops don't exist in Chiang Mai, so I've never been in them. Edited October 15, 2018 by BritManToo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheungWan Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 1 minute ago, Naam said: Tops premium shopping? it can't provide half the quality and selection of Foodland, Friendship and of course Villa Market. Just now, BritManToo said: Those shops don't exist in Chiang Mai. You should move to Pattaya then. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisandsu Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 Britmantoo is right . In some parts of Thailand Tesco lotus is seen as premium shopping ! Honestly if I lived in Thailand full time I’d grow my own vegetables and fruits for the most part . I used to have a local lady (where I had my house) who would grow the vegetables and fruit on my land , give me some and then sell the rest at the local market . Was a win win and the most delicious ,as close to organic taste I have ever had ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinBoy2 Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 Isn't that part of the problem, unless you live in Bangkok or maybe Pattaya you're sort of limited. So for us, if you wanted something not fly infested from the market, it's Tops, Lotus or BigC. Lotus and BigC are basically identical, then you're were left with Tops as the nearest thing to a Western supermarket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smutcakes Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 TOPS, Villa, etc all differ from location to location. For example TOPS on Thonglor is much higher end than the one at All Seasons Place. I presume they differ based on what they are selling and the target market of the location. Truly exciting stuff..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 17 hours ago, BritManToo said: I eat like a Brit, my weekly fresh vegetable run at my local market an hour ago was 100bht ($3). (1Kg peppers, 1Kg potato, 1Kg tomato, 600gm onions) Frozen carrots, peas, and chips I buy from Makro at around 60bht/kg. Learn to cook, and you can eat any style of food you want for minimal cost. Sadly my local market rarely sells potatoes. Sometimes they sell peppers but the rest are pretty much always available as are Thai vegetables, some of which can be substituted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post billd766 Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 2 hours ago, Naam said: Tops premium shopping? it can't provide half the quality and selection of Foodland, Friendship and of course Villa Market. Very true and the size of the shopping bill shows it too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusarelus Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 3 hours ago, GinBoy2 said: Isn't that part of the problem, unless you live in Bangkok or maybe Pattaya you're sort of limited. So for us, if you wanted something not fly infested from the market, it's Tops, Lotus or BigC. Lotus and BigC are basically identical, then you're were left with Tops as the nearest thing to a Western supermarket 1. Check locations Makro and Lotus or use one of the delivery services like the ones advertised on Thai Visa. 2. Learn how to cook Sous Vide so you can use Australian beef. 3. Buy an over that will steam and reach high temps so you can cook pizza at home. Get Pedro's mom to teach your wife how to cook Tex Mex. The high speed trains should be running from Bangkok in a few years and the roads are getting better daily so it's not difficult to shop in Bangkok once a month. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrTuner Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 13 hours ago, GinBoy2 said: It really all comes down to how you decide to live. We’ve got friends, who go down the total Thai lifestyle, and yeah it’s cheap. Just neither of us wanted to live that way, and probably as we get older even less so There's also the trend of the Thai food ingredients being more and more CP produced bottom of the barrel processed crap, which means your average Thai meal is just about unhealthy as it gets. For those interested, check out "Chef's Table" in Netflix, the episode about Bo Lan in BKK. There's a Thai lady owner of the restaurant that's battling with the same issue, substandard ingredients everywhere. She seemingly went as far as finding her own farmers up north to get the necessary quality. Her words carry a bit of weight as she was elected Asia's best female chef once: http://www.bolan.co.th/2014/en/OurStory/WhoIsWho 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 5 hours ago, Naam said: Tops premium shopping? Yes to poor Thais they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 27 minutes ago, balo said: 6 hours ago, Naam said: Tops premium shopping? Yes to poor Thais they are. how many poor Thais are participating in this discussion about shopping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 8 minutes ago, Naam said: how many poor Thais are participating in this discussion about shopping? None , I was just refering to Britmantoo post and the responses to them. "Britmantoo is right . In some parts of Thailand Tesco lotus is seen as premium shopping" If you want to live cheap , do your shopping where the locals go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 1 hour ago, marcusarelus said: 1. Check locations Makro and Lotus or use one of the delivery services like the ones advertised on Thai Visa. 2. Learn how to cook Sous Vide so you can use Australian beef. 3. Buy an over that will steam and reach high temps so you can cook pizza at home. Get Pedro's mom to teach your wife how to cook Tex Mex. The high speed trains should be running from Bangkok in a few years and the roads are getting better daily so it's not difficult to shop in Bangkok once a month. when i read "cooking" a steak in a water bath i feel like Quote For example, on average, traditionally cooked steak loses up to 40% of its volume due to drying out. Steak cooked via precision cooking, loses none of its volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YogaVeg Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 43 minutes ago, Naam said: how many poor Thais are participating in this discussion about shopping? Plenty of poor falang are however... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusarelus Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 35 minutes ago, Naam said: when i read "cooking" a steak in a water bath i feel like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BritManToo Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 44 minutes ago, YogaVeg said: Plenty of poor falang are however... I prefer to think of myself as 'thrifty'. I have money, I just don't like spending it, which is why Thailand is for me. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Kadilo Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) 8 minutes ago, BritManToo said: I prefer to think of myself as 'thrifty'. I have money, I just don't like spending it, which is why Thailand is for me. Give me a good ol Thai fruit and veg market over them overpriced ferang traps any day. Part of the whole appeal of being here. Edited October 15, 2018 by Kadilo 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 37 minutes ago, Kadilo said: Give me a good ol Thai fruit and veg market over them overpriced ferang traps any day. Part of the whole appeal of being here. to each his own appeal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post marcusarelus Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 Reading a fellow who recently left Thailand and this is what he had to say. Whether you rent or buy, property is crazy expensive. Political correctness has gone nuts. People are nanny stated and no longer able to be on their own. Everything has to be safe, and secure to the point of craziness. Anyone in uniform with authority thinks they have the right to lecture you on things that have nothing to do with them - they overstep boundaries – and hate it when you call them on it. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 this is a steak MarcAurel! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pgrahmm Posted October 15, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2018 Just now, Naam said: this is a steak MarcAurel! Cook it ! 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 1 minute ago, pgrahmm said: Cook it ! weaklings "cook" steaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 14 minutes ago, Naam said: weaklings "cook" steaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylophone Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 21 minutes ago, Naam said: this is a steak MarcAurel! Jeez, that looks superb...…….making my stomach rumble just looking at it! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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