Food waste in Thailand

[rickudon]

Being born in the UK in the fifties, wasting food was a no-no. 2 world wars and food rationing meant that you tried to use everything. I know now that in the UK under the age of 60 are less conscious of this, but still rare for most typical families to throw away more than about a lire of waste a day (i am sticking with volumes). In my family situations i had, it would be rare to throw away more than 2 litres a week.

In Thailand, with most on lower incomes, you would expect that Thai families would also be careful about waste....... NO!

 

My family here produce about 5 litres a day. that is from about 4-5 for Breakfast and Lunch, and 5-8 in the evening, normally. Yes, a lot of it is down to Thai soups, sauces etc., a lot more liquid. And of course the climate means spoilage happens faster. But i reckon what gets binned (allowing for what isn't fit to eat) would still feed another 2 people, I put it down to preparing multiple dishes at nearly every meal,  and always having something for people who drop in at meal time. No portion control.

 

What is your experience? And what do you do to change habits? We have a slops bucket which goes to the fish every day (has to be every day, hard to carry after 2 days!), so not totally wasted. But still find them throwing peelings and left overs into the rubbish bin because too lazy to walk 3 metres. Also have a compost heap (which if not for me, would be empty!). I moan, but changing habits is hard.

[BritManToo]

Almost no food waste in our household.

It all gets eaten no matter how long it was sitting in the sun.

Edited January 20, 2023 by BritManToo

[Kwasaki]

Thai people order lots of food but yes don't eat it all for one reason or another because it makes the Thai person selling you the food think they have not given you enough.

Happy ugly dogs in Thailand are being fed so no worries. ????????????

[jak2002003]

That's not what I have found.  Perhaps it depends on social status. 

 

I was told that it looks 'hi so' for Thais to order lots of food at restaurants and leave a lot when they go....so it looks like they are rolling in money and shows other people there that they can afford to waste food. 

 

But in my Thai social  circle (rural chiang mai) there is zero food wastage. 

 

If they have left over food at restaurants they get it bagged up to take home. 

 

If they cook too much at their house they keep it and make new stuff from it, or use the opportunity of visiting guests / family / neighbours to share what's left. 

 

Even the stuff that is past its best, or the vegetable peelings etc   are fed to the chickens or street dogs. 

 

 

[connda]

What gets wasted?  What we don't consume goes either to the our dogs or our compost pile.

[connda]

39 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Thai people order lots of food but yes don't eat it all for one reason or another because it makes the Thai person selling you the food think they have not given you enough.

Happy ugly dogs in Thailand are being fed so no worries. ????????????

My wife orders lots of food whenever we go out.  The food goes home and is eaten over the next day or two.  

[DUNROAMIN]

Forget the food wastage, nothing compared to the millions of plastic bags the food came in and thrown into the jungle. 

[BritManToo]

17 hours ago, connda said:

My wife orders lots of food whenever we go out.  The food goes home and is eaten over the next day or two.  

I give mine the money I was prepare to pay, and tell her to keep the change (or pay the excess herself). Never any over-ordering, unlimited 'open wallet' is a bad idea..

Edited January 21, 2023 by BritManToo

[hidbehindthesofa]

Yes - there do seem to be certain elements who like to order or cook large quantities of food - which of course they then cannot eat.  I believe this is usually done to show off how much money they have.  I have seen it at Thai restaurants as well as the likes of KFC and Pizza Co.  I have also seen same at Thai houses where there is a spread fit for a king.

 

It annoys me immensely when there are others in Thailand who can barely afford enough rice or noodles to feed the family. 

 

I am fortunate that I have a ''no waste'' policy.  If you order it - you eat it (or it goes home in a bag or box for tomorrow).  If it is home cooked food it goes in the fridge for later or tomorrow.  My lady eats the prawn heads, fish bones, meat cartilage, etc. so not much gets wasted.  (and it is certainly not because I am stingy - she prefers pork and chicken with bones which actually costs more than the fillets that I have !).

 

It seems the OP may be in the minority.

 

But it is very difficult to change these habits - more especially if it results in folks losing face.

 

Have you actually sat down with those responsible and explained face-to-face that it is no longer acceptable ?  You need to highlight the waste, the effect on the environment (not that that counts for much) - but perhaps your clincher could be that have heard that other people in the village have commented about good food being wasted when they are going hungry.  You may need to put your foot down and perhaps be less generous with the housekeeping money.

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, hidbehindthesofa said:

Have you actually sat down with those responsible and explained face-to-face that it is no longer acceptable ? 

Not a good idea as discussion is treated by Thais as aggression.

Best to say nothing but act to reduce the waste unilaterally.

[KhunLA]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Almost no food waste in our household.

It all gets eaten no matter how long it was sitting in the sun.

No waste here.  The very little that isn't eaten, to the compost pile, along with all scraps.

 

Just raised not to waste food ... ever.  In parents house, up bringing, if you didn't finish what's on your plate, you knew what your next meal's appetizer was going to be ????

[ozimoron]

@rickudon You farm fish. I read that small scale Thai fish farmers will hang chickens above the pond in baskets so the fish eat what they sh!t.

[Moonlover]

13 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

@rickudon You farm fish. I read that small scale Thai fish farmers will hang chickens above the pond in baskets so the fish eat what they sh!t.

No that is not correct. Tilapia, the most commonly farmed fish here are plant grazers. If bird droppings, including chicken droppings enter the pond it will sink down and fertilize the bottom. So yes, the fish will benefit, but not by eating it directly. I eat a lot of tilapia and have no qualms about doing so. I love it.

 

[1FinickyOne]

my wife's family are farmers - they know the work that goes into making food - they don't waste.

[Max Brok]

Cooked food is not healthy for a compost heap as far as I know.

[KhunLA]

7 hours ago, Max Brok said:

Cooked food is not healthy for a compost heap as far as I know.

We rarely have any cooked leftovers that aren't eaten, by us or the dog.   Most things making it to the compost are old fruits & veggies, along with coffee grounds and paper.   

 

Anything else gets burned, or sold/recycled, which really isn't much for us.

[Elkski]

Why don't more isaan and or Thai people compost?  It must be easy to compost completely in this humidity?  

[rickudon]

I compost, but though it turns out good, when you use it on the soil it disappears quickly. When i have enough, i dig in a 2-3 inch layer at the start of the cold season, but gone completely by the wet season. Rots away or termites eat it. I just cannot make enough especially as my M-in-L destroys all grass and weeds in the garden, and bins it along with all the leaves unless i get there first. Training her is working, but it has taken 10 years!

[RamenRaven]

Thailand is a big breadbasket and has an agricultural surplus. In both rural and urban areas, people usually have food that they don't finish and throw it to the dogs. Food is cheap even by their standards.

 

In fact, Thais are often surprised when I tell them about what food insecurity can be like in Western countries.

 

When eating with a group of Thais, I'm always the only person who finishes every single little morsel and cleans out every grain of rice. Typically no one notices or cares, but occasionally they might ask if I would like some more food when they seen an empty plate.

 

But the Burmese don't throw away food as often.

 

[RamenRaven]

Quote

In Thailand, with most on lower incomes, you would expect that Thai families would also be careful about waste....... NO!

That's the norm all over Thailand. Give them a small plate of food, and you'll see almost always see some bits left over. They might not eat some of the veggies, or decide that they don't want to eat all the rice. Every time you walk into a restaurant, you'll see plates with food left in them after the customers leave.

 

It's unusual to see plates completely cleaned out with not a single grain of rice or bit of veggie remaining. That's how I clean out my plate: not a single scrap or morsel at all. In Thailand, if you see a plate as empty as that, you can tell that they're either foreigners or are Thais with different upbringings, perhaps raised abroad or in ethnic Chinese families.

 

That's why I'm careful with my plates of food when I'm at restaurants. "No, I'm not finished yet!" If you go off to take a short bathroom break and the plate is 1/3 full, the restaurant might assume that you're already finished with your food. I always have to tell them - not finished yet, I'll be back shortly!