Thai people don't seem to have common sense, they put piping hot food onto small transparent plastic bag when I order a takeaway.

 

I asked them to put the hot food inside my stainless steel food container instead and they all look so confused why farang requested that.

 

How do I explain to them that 'it is harmful to our health when we put hot food inside the plastic bag' in Thai language?

 

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/hot-foods-in-polythene-bags-are-contaminated-by-chemicals-ecologist/

 

Hot foods packaged in polythene bags are contaminated by these chemicals mostly when they are hot or heated.

“Those chemicals include styrene and bisphenol-A which can cause cancer, heart diseases and harm the reproductive problems,’’ she said.

It is quite normal for some Thais to bring a stainless steel pinto for takeaway food instead of plastic bags.  I don't think they are surprised at all.   Maybe there is some other communication confusion.

12 hours ago, EricTh said:

and harm the reproductive problems,’’

"...harm the reproductive problems", hmm, that sounds like a good thing.????

 

But seriously, they would surely understand if you just hold out your container and ask them to put the food in there. The problem is that the farang is trying to convince them that the popular, long-standing, cheap, easy way they all package food is wrong and bad for them. I doubt you are going to change anybody's mind. If you really feel the need to express your opinion, just say "ไม่ดีต่อสุขภาพ", take your food and be on your way minding your own business which is probably what they wish you would do in the first place.

Actually sometimes people want them to put the plastic bag inside the stainless steel pinto. They might be confused about whether you want it directly in the pan or in a plastic bag inside the pan. 

51 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

"... If you really feel the need to express your opinion, just say "ไม่ดีต่อสุขภาพ", take your food and be on your way minding your own business which is probably what they wish you would do in the first place.

It's not expressing my opinion but to educate them on scientific facts.

 

They look very confused why I insisted on putting the hot food on the stainless steel container. I wanted to explain to them but my Thai teachers didn't teach me how to say this.

 

ม่ดีต่อสุขภาพ (It's not healthy) is too general and does not explain why it is not healthy.

45 minutes ago, ricklev said:

Actually sometimes people want them to put the plastic bag inside the stainless steel pinto. They might be confused about whether you want it directly in the pan or in a plastic bag inside the pan. 

You're damn right!

 

When I gave them the stainless steel container, they actually poured the piping hot food onto the plastic bag and then put the plastic bag into the steel container. lol.

 

Then they asked me whether I should put the cold rice onto the steel container side by side with the plastic bag. I am not concerned about where they put the cold rice because either way is safe.

 

It's obvious that they didn't know that putting piping hot food into plastic bag will leech out plastic materials into the food.

 

A baiting troll post and reply have been removed

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

It's not expressing my opinion but to educate them on scientific facts.

 

They look very confused why I insisted on putting the hot food on the stainless steel container. I wanted to explain to them but my Thai teachers didn't teach me how to say this.

 

ม่ดีต่อสุขภาพ (It's not healthy) is too general and does not explain why it is not healthy.

Your absolutely right but you will not be able to convince them. As long as people are not educated about it they will not change their ways. Plus its not convenient usually the bag serves as a measuring device too. 

 

I think your on a fools errant no matter how right you are even if you can explain what is happening in perfect Thai they still won't believe you unless other people confirm what you say. 

 

People still seem to think too many eggs will increase cholesterol and without it being in the news a lot that its debunked people won't believe it. One person saying something won't change a thing especially if its a foreigner. 

 

So while your intentions are good I think it wont work. 

Don't make a song and dance about it, point at your stainless steel thing, if they do it wrong with plastic remove the plastic and they know for next time

Moderator, please close this thread as there are too many unhelpful trolls 

you don't need to explain it to them that much, they've been taught that clear bags are safe for food, cloudy bag is not food safe. it's easier to explain that it's for the environment รักษโลก 'rak loke' 'loves the earth' and they should understand as that is the campaigning word to discourage use of plastic shopping bag too.

 

they'd only just come round to the idea that polystyrene foam boxes is not good, and moved to paper, and in case where foam boxes are still used, plastic bag is used to prevent  contact between foam and food, so your preaching on the danger of plastic will fall of deaf ears

As per the above request

//CLOSED//