Is street food good for you? Old rancid oil. Cheap oil. Food dripping with oil.

[it is what it is]

 

never mind the food, what about the basic hygiene? local street food vendors park their carts in a grotty soi near my place. not only is the soi dirty and full of rubbish, but i have seen, cats, dogs, rats, insects crawling all over the carts. i have never, ever, seen a vendor cleaning their cart either when knocking off work or preparing to start cooking food. i wouldn't go anywhere near food prepared and cooked in these conditions.

[save the frogs]

14 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

No good for fat western snowflakes.

 

But us tougher farangs along with the tough Thais, not only is all that oil a good source of energy but the rancid stuff builds up your immune system.

 

Half the kids in the nanny state west can’t even eat a peanut theses days without having a seizure.

 

Haha, you pride yourself on how much crap you can tolerate before having a heart attack?

 

And this is anti-woke? LOL

[save the frogs]

13 hours ago, connda said:

Western food clean; Thai street food dirty. 

No, I avoid eating at most restaurants anywhere in the world too often.

Restaurants cook in unhealthy oils because they're cheap.

We need to cook in butter, animal fats ... coconut oil , there's some healthy cooking oils, but they're all expensive

[fasteddie]

Dunno really, but surely it's better for you than western fast food.

[Gobbler]

Just now, fasteddie said:

Dunno really, but surely it's better for you than western fast food.

Why?

[Luuk Chaai]

19 hours ago, brianthainess said:

And the way they fry and egg till its crispy to me is disgusting.

 

usually fried in 3" of nasty oil.. and tastes like last weeks squid

[Luuk Chaai]

17 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

And they put plenty of msg and some sugar... I vote with you. Not healthy... and for me, not delicious either. 

 

you forgot the nose picking and nut scratching .. and the unleashed "pets"

[newbee2022]

17 hours ago, Bill97 said:

So now the truth.  The problem is not the foot it is the one who continues to bing it home contrary to repeated instructions 

How your "foot" comes into the food??? 😳😱

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

you forgot the nose picking and nut scratching

lady cooks don/t scratch their nuts... mostly...

 

I didn't forget, just didn't mention it along with the inevitable sneeze if they are near cooking nam phrik or basil... 

[john donson]

it's fast junk for the thai in a hurry

 

meat being cooked or worse charred on a grill with a fan spreading the disgusting smell all over, left in the heat for hours in most cases...

 

but, most people probably tired from working all day, not wanting to cook... it's that or 7/11 full of chemicals kind of junk

[J Branche]

How healthy, girlfriends total cholesterol was 300.

 

The big food companies CP do Not want to have to put a nutrition label on their food.  In 7-11 I picked up the a pack of mini hot dogs from the shelf and no label.

 

Should do like some countries and use the Red, Yellow, and Green system for fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar.  Unfortunately they will just use microprint so you can't read and see how bad this package stuff is for you.

 

 

[Srikcir]

22 hours ago, Gobbler said:

It isn't coconut oil. It's not olive oil. 

Likely palm oil.

[Kwaibill]

Thirty years type ll diabetic. For me most of the street food particularly is not healthy, being often inundated with sugar and salt, or plenty of white rice and noodles as the bulk. Also usually a couple leaves of  something unidentifiable to me is considered “ vegetable”. 
Not long ago my wife brought home a kilo of ketchup as spaghetti sauce.

Knowledge re: nutrition seems almost as lacking as in the West. I have seen a number of large Thai people lately, even bigger than pum pui me. I fear a number of the less salubrious Western tendencies have taken hold.

As a side note I often find the local outlets are devoid of sugarless soft drinks despite a seeming epidemic of diabetes here. Likewise for the ubiquitous polished white rice. Brown rice is healthier and obviously less expensive to produce, but I imagine the shorter shelf life is a big factor.