20 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

My girlfriend cooks every day. Her sister in law next door rarely cooks and buys meals out all the time. You can save money here if you buy fresh veggies, eggs and fruits at local markets, and have a good refrigerator. Buying out can be cheap if you know where to go to get good food. There is an extreme amount of wasted food here, just like the US.

This person is just trolling for sure delusional. Eating out is not cheaper at all, even street food at bottom prices is double the cost. Having said that the grocery increase is real, it's like same as Europe for most things except perhaps chicken filet.

This and aburd prices on rentals, both of these things controlled by a minority elite. Guess where the problem comes from?

13 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Was there last March, and wish I could have stayed longer. Next time it'll be south Vietnam for other sights and food. Coffee was the best, and miss the Banh Mi.

I really don't get the whole Banh Mi thing. It's just a white bread sandwich. Perhaps for the same reason why I didn't 'get' Subway.

I enjoyed lots of different kinds of foodstuffs in Vietnam. North, Central and South. Banh Mi and coffee had no impression on me.

2 minutes ago, BuffaloRider said:

This person is just trolling for sure delusional. Eating out is not cheaper at all, even street food at bottom prices is double the cost. Having said that the grocery increase is real, it's like same as Europe for most things except perhaps chicken filet.

This and aburd prices on rentals, both of these things controlled by a minority elite. Guess where the problem comes from?

Eating out costs 50 baht.

Just now, IsmeUno said:

I really don't get the whole Banh Mi thing. It's just a white bread sandwich. Perhaps for the same reason why I didn't 'get' Subway.

I enjoyed lots of different kinds of foodstuffs in Vietnam. North, Central and South. Banh Mi and coffee had no impression on me.

Then you never seen real banh mi places, there is all types of bread in the real deal stores, as well there is tons of variations for dressing. This is just a replacement of rice or potatoes, rice being logical for a thai comparison.

Just now, Harrisfan said:

Eating out costs 50 baht.

Yes and cooking that costs 10-15 baht. How do you think a vendor earns? Clown.

2 minutes ago, BuffaloRider said:

This person is just trolling for sure delusional. Eating out is not cheaper at all, even street food at bottom prices is double the cost. Having said that the grocery increase is real, it's like same as Europe for most things except perhaps chicken filet.

I think it depends of where you are beginning. I, for instance, have cupboards full of ingredients, so I can knock up most dishes for less than restaurant cost. But if you have nothing and want to buy everything for say, Pad Kraprow, it going to work out more expensive.

So it seems the OP's cupboards are bare.

3 minutes ago, BuffaloRider said:

Yes and cooking that costs 10-15 baht. How do you think a vendor earns? Clown.

Cooking chicken and rice costs 10 baht lol

5555

2 minutes ago, BuffaloRider said:

Then you never seen real banh mi places, there is all types of bread in the real deal stores, as well there is tons of variations for dressing. This is just a replacement of rice or potatoes, rice being logical for a thai comparison.

I've travelled Vietnam from South to North, I think I might have found a 'real' Banh Mi place along the way, don't you?

1 minute ago, IsmeUno said:

I think it depends of where you are beginning. I, for instance, have cupboards full of ingredients, so I can knock up most dishes for less than restaurant cost. But if you have nothing and want to buy everything for say, Pad Kraprow, it going to work out more expensive.

So it seems the OP's cupboards are bare.

That's not true, there is barely 50 grams meat in a portion nowadays, then the rest is mostly rice. Some vegetables, herbs or spices, oil, msg. You get what you pay for or cook for with that type of diet as well.

If you buy markets or normal tesco even let alone at 30-50% off after 8PM, you barely pay what, 5 baht for the chicken or pork at that weight. 10-15 baht on vegggies right away for 2 meals as well, rice portion 2 baht, some gas, oil.

The average public school barely has 6-10 baht budget per meal.

1 minute ago, BuffaloRider said:

That's not true, there is barely 50 grams meat in a portion nowadays, then the rest is mostly rice. Some vegetables, herbs or spices, oil, msg. You get what you pay for or cook for with that type of diet as well.

Shall we lay out the ingredients for a Pad Kraprow? Are you going to go to a shop to buy 50 to 60 grams of meat? Will you just steal the basil, chillies and the garlic?

You need to have a lot of ingredients to hand, otherwise it's going to be a relatively expensive endeavour.

It's cheaper if you cook generally anyway, as you will have lots of ingredients to hand. Your costs will be less overall. But to buy everything just for one dish, it will be relatively expensive. Depends on the living situation.

Just now, IsmeUno said:

Shall we lay out the ingredients for a Pad Kraprow? Are you going to go to a shop to buy 50 to 60 grams of meat? Will you just steal the basil, chillies and the garlic?

You need to have a lot of ingredients to hand, otherwise it's going to be a relatively expensive endeavour.

You never went grocery shopping i guess, yes you can buy meat by that weight in tesco and big c. Anyway, i already explained it.

Just now, BuffaloRider said:

You never went grocery shopping i guess, yes you can buy meat by that weight in tesco and big c. Anyway, i already explained it.

Transport cost

Time cost

Cooking cost

Food costs

All for 10 baht 555555

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

Transport cost

Time cost

Cooking cost

Food costs

All for 10 baht 555555

5 baht gasoline? 5-10 minutes cooking? please, stop kidding yourself. You also insult virtually all thais.

1 minute ago, BuffaloRider said:

You never went grocery shopping i guess, yes you can buy meat by that weight in tesco and big c. Anyway, i already explained it.

I go to them every day. I didn't say that you cannot buy that amount, I asked, will you buy that amount? Okay, so then lay out the ingredients for a Pad Kraprow and we'll price them up.

10 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Eating out costs 50 baht.

NOT all food costs 50 Baht!

What food are you saying costs 50Baht eating out?

Just now, BuffaloRider said:

5 baht gasoline? 5-10 minutes cooking? please, stop kidding yourself. You also insult virtually all thais.

Thais that cook will have all the ingredients to hand. If you don't have them, that adds to the cost. Restaurants have economies of scale.

1 minute ago, BuffaloRider said:

5 baht gasoline? 5-10 minutes cooking? please, stop kidding yourself. You also insult virtually all thais.

You sound very ignorant of actual costs. Restaurants make stuff all.

14 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Cooking chicken and rice costs 10 baht lol

5555

Cooking it might only cost 10Baht but before you cook chicken and rice you have to buy, breed or grow it!

1 minute ago, scottiejohn said:

Cooking it might only cost 10Baht but before you cook something you have to buy it!

Go take your meds sick boy.

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Go take your meds sick boy.

If anyone on this forum need meds/psychiatric treatment I would suggest you should be first in the line!

4 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Go take your meds sick boy.

Why are you arguing with someone who is agreeing with you?

2 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

Why are you arguing with someone who is agreeing with you?

He is just trolling.

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

He is just trolling.

Why not take the opportunity to agree on something?

24 minutes ago, BuffaloRider said:

That's not true, there is barely 50 grams meat in a portion nowadays, then the rest is mostly rice. Some vegetables, herbs or spices, oil, msg. You get what you pay for or cook for with that type of diet as well.

If you buy markets or normal tesco even let alone at 30-50% off after 8PM, you barely pay what, 5 baht for the chicken or pork at that weight. 10-15 baht on vegggies right away for 2 meals as well, rice portion 2 baht, some gas, oil.

The average public school barely has 6-10 baht budget per meal.

But you aren't going to buy those amounts. 2 baht of rice? Really?

I'm not disagreeing that at scale it is cheaper, but realistically, you aren't going to buy for one meal and get it cheaper.

The school has the benefit of economies of scale. They buy in bulk.

7 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

Why not take the opportunity to agree on something?

Like you do with Fred?

48 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

I've travelled Vietnam from South to North, I think I might have found a 'real' Banh Mi place along the way, don't you?

I guess not if not having seen the most populair ones in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, there is like 2-3 dozen options..

41 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

Thais that cook will have all the ingredients to hand. If you don't have them, that adds to the cost. Restaurants have economies of scale.

That's nonsense arguments, as much as your gasoline to go there and the time it costs. You waste more time going to a restaurant. As well that the real realistic average price is more like 60-80 baht.

1 minute ago, BuffaloRider said:

That's nonsense arguments, as much as your gasoline to go there and the time it costs. You waste more time going to a restaurant. As well that the real realistic average price is more like 60-80 baht.

You must be poor if you need to save 20 baht.

14 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Like you do with Fred?

Yes. But you won't notice if I agree with him or at least when we don't disagree. I was actually thinking that his behaviour had improved considerably since he got back from his trip to the USA. I think your dialogue with him pushed him over the edge. Now he's back to acting defensive, rather than so easily acknowledging that he might have not expressed himself adequately in the first instance. But what seems like 'normal' behaviour to me, doesn't translate to it being normal to someone else.

I read the statement and don't have the same perspective. So engage the writer in conversation in order to discuss our different perspectives. That's a far as it goes for me. I might concur with something he writes on another thread. His problem is that he starts taking it personally and becoming abusive, so it colours the experience to a negative one for him. It keeps returning to him. For me, it's not personal, it's questioning his statement in order to discuss our perspectives on the matter. This is normal for me. But I accept that it is not normal for everyone. Doesn't mean that I will curb my natural curiosity.

He will see the situation in his own way. He describes it to us here.

1 minute ago, IsmeUno said:

Yes. But you won't notice if I agree with him or at least when we don't disagree. I was actually thinking that his behaviour had improved considerably since he got back from his trip to the USA. I think your dialogue with him pushed him over the edge. Now he's back to acting defensive, rather than so easily acknowledging that he might have not expressed himself adequately in the first instance. But what seems like 'normal' behaviour to me, doesn't translate to it being normal to someone else.

I read the statement and don't have the same perspective. So engage the writer in conversation in order to discuss our different perspectives. That's a far as it goes for me. I might concur with something he writes on another thread. His problem is that he starts taking it personally and becoming abusive, so it colours the experience to a negative one for him. It keeps returning to him. For me, it's not personal, it's questioning his statement in order to discuss our perspectives on the matter. This is normal for me. But I accept that it is not normal for everyone. Doesn't mean that I will curb my natural curiosity.

He will see the situation in his own way. He describes it to us here.

Fred is too old to change. That boat sailed 30 years ago. I think he has childhood trauma.