Thai Kids Face A Weighty Problem

[Scott]

Yes, there have always been sugary fried snacks and in Western countries there was no shortage of them in the past--when I grew up, there were no 'diet' drinks or low calorie foods to be purchased, but we never had a TV until I was 12 years old. In Thailand, a village I used to go to had with a friend had 2 TVs and it was quite a treat to get to watch TV--and that treat was usually reserved for the adults. The kids lost interest and went out and played. That's how they got rid of all that sugar and fat.

Nowadays, they can go home and sit down in front of the TV, with whatever snack they want, whether it be an 'evil' western snack or a traditional sugary Thai snack. They then don't go out and play.

There is also a correlation between the wealth of countries and the number of overweight people. As most countries get wealthier, folks get fatter. Thailand isn't an exception.

When I first moved here, McDonald's was just plain expensive. Even for myself it was a 'treat' to eat there--it wasn't convenient to get to and it wasn't cheap if your salary was in Thai baht. The only Thai's you saw there were pretty affluent people. Now it's affordable and there are lots of them around. But that said, the little corner Thai restaurant where I used to eat served such a lovely Thai curry at that time and now at the same place the curry is absolutely floating with grease and isn't nearly as tasty and presume a lot less healthy (it's also a lot more expensive).

[Thai at Heart]

Yes, there have always been sugary fried snacks and in Western countries there was no shortage of them in the past--when I grew up, there were no 'diet' drinks or low calorie foods to be purchased, but we never had a TV until I was 12 years old. In Thailand, a village I used to go to had with a friend had 2 TVs and it was quite a treat to get to watch TV--and that treat was usually reserved for the adults. The kids lost interest and went out and played. That's how they got rid of all that sugar and fat.

Nowadays, they can go home and sit down in front of the TV, with whatever snack they want, whether it be an 'evil' western snack or a traditional sugary Thai snack. They then don't go out and play.

There is also a correlation between the wealth of countries and the number of overweight people. As most countries get wealthier, folks get fatter. Thailand isn't an exception.

When I first moved here, McDonald's was just plain expensive. Even for myself it was a 'treat' to eat there--it wasn't convenient to get to and it wasn't cheap if your salary was in Thai baht. The only Thai's you saw there were pretty affluent people. Now it's affordable and there are lots of them around. But that said, the little corner Thai restaurant where I used to eat served such a lovely Thai curry at that time and now at the same place the curry is absolutely floating with grease and isn't nearly as tasty and presume a lot less healthy (it's also a lot more expensive).

I don't doubt any of what you say one bit, but people fall into the same old trap of blaming Mcd's and KFC. It is more affordable than it was, but is still probably a high ticket item for most families. There are a lot of them around, but simply look at the shelves of 7 eleven (Thai operated) and is stocked with high sugar rubbish.

The whole world is having a go at the tobacco industry. It won't be long before the refined sugar business gets its ass kicked too. It has been proven the world over that sugar sells and until people look at the small print of what they are actually consuming it won't get any better.

[MrSnrang]

Its not the thai thai kids that are fat its the other lot the chinese thais

yes, thats something ive been thinking for a while, but of course any thai with money or education, well spent a bit of time at a educational site,all claim to be chinees, something else i think about, ive never met a thai of japanees decent. how come they were here for a few years with licence to rape anything that was warm, 400,000 young men in there prime never bred wholesale beats me. another case of self denial.

Because most Thais with money and education are of direct Chinese descent, a sad truth but is generally true. I can identify my Chinese Last name and grandfather's province, he still carries a PRC passport. More than 90% of the Thai citizens that are in my class are third or fourth generation Chinese, have Chinese last names, and a good portion of their parents or grandparents can speak one of the Chinese languages.

[Thai at Heart]

Its not the thai thai kids that are fat its the other lot the chinese thais

yes, thats something ive been thinking for a while, but of course any thai with money or education, well spent a bit of time at a educational site,all claim to be chinees, something else i think about, ive never met a thai of japanees decent. how come they were here for a few years with licence to rape anything that was warm, 400,000 young men in there prime never bred wholesale beats me. another case of self denial.

Because most Thais with money and education are of direct Chinese descent, a sad truth but is generally true. I can identify my Chinese Last name and grandfather's province, he still carries a PRC passport. More than 90% of the Thai citizens that are in my class are third or fourth generation Chinese, have Chinese last names, and a good portion of their parents or grandparents can speak one of the Chinese languages.

I think "most" would be a little over the top. I think you are underestimating the wealth/assets of the old Thai families.

[MrSnrang]

Its not the thai thai kids that are fat its the other lot the chinese thais

yes, thats something ive been thinking for a while, but of course any thai with money or education, well spent a bit of time at a educational site,all claim to be chinees, something else i think about, ive never met a thai of japanees decent. how come they were here for a few years with licence to rape anything that was warm, 400,000 young men in there prime never bred wholesale beats me. another case of self denial.

Because most Thais with money and education are of direct Chinese descent, a sad truth but is generally true. I can identify my Chinese Last name and grandfather's province, he still carries a PRC passport. More than 90% of the Thai citizens that are in my class are third or fourth generation Chinese, have Chinese last names, and a good portion of their parents or grandparents can speak one of the Chinese languages.

I think "most" would be a little over the top. I think you are underestimating the wealth/assets of the old Thai families.

Yes. I know that there are a lot of old and high-society Thai families with extreme amounts of wealth but I think that when it comes down to it... Most of the people who can afford a house, nice car, and have a higher standard of living are ethnic Chinese.

And back on topic. Yes, the old generation of Chinese like their kids and grandkids to be pudgy. For some reason they think it's cute and shows that they have money and can afford to overfeed them. It used to drive me insane.

And I just think that people are dumb and don't realize what is in the food they eat.

[oevna]

It's very easy to blame McD's, KFC, Coke, etc. but it is human nature to crave fat and sugar. They are just providing what people are demanding. Before human civilizations developed agrigulture, we had millions of years of evolution leading up to what we are today, resulting in a survival instinct to eat fatty, sugary foods when they were available. Now they are abundantly available, but we are still basically the same animal we have been for the last 130,000 years. However, we are in the unique position among all animals of being conscous of our situation, and having some personal choice.

Banning all the fast food and sugary drinks isn't going to work. We will just find another source for it. The solution is up to each person, and the only way to achieve it is through education. This isn't like cigarettes, which have no nutritional value. In spite of our over-consumption of fats and sugars, we still need some amount of them. It will be a matter of nutritionists coming up with tangible, realistic guidelines for people to follow, and adding nutrition and health programs in education. When there becomes a demand for healthy food, the food industries will be happy to sell it to us.

[Thai at Heart]

Its not the thai thai kids that are fat its the other lot the chinese thais

yes, thats something ive been thinking for a while, but of course any thai with money or education, well spent a bit of time at a educational site,all claim to be chinees, something else i think about, ive never met a thai of japanees decent. how come they were here for a few years with licence to rape anything that was warm, 400,000 young men in there prime never bred wholesale beats me. another case of self denial.

Because most Thais with money and education are of direct Chinese descent, a sad truth but is generally true. I can identify my Chinese Last name and grandfather's province, he still carries a PRC passport. More than 90% of the Thai citizens that are in my class are third or fourth generation Chinese, have Chinese last names, and a good portion of their parents or grandparents can speak one of the Chinese languages.

I think "most" would be a little over the top. I think you are underestimating the wealth/assets of the old Thai families.

Yes. I know that there are a lot of old and high-society Thai families with extreme amounts of wealth but I think that when it comes down to it... Most of the people who can afford a house, nice car, and have a higher standard of living are ethnic Chinese.

And back on topic. Yes, the old generation of Chinese like their kids and grandkids to be pudgy. For some reason they think it's cute and shows that they have money and can afford to overfeed them. It used to drive me insane.

And I just think that people are dumb and don't realize what is in the food they eat.

I think you are missing the point. Yes the ethnic Chinese have done well in Thailand. And undoubtely there are many poorer Thais in the regions. I don't agree that the majority of people who own a house and nice car are Chinese. And yes there are a lot of overweight pampered Chinese kids around. If there about 7mn ethinc Chinese in Thailand, a lot have done well, but also likewise there are a lot living in small shop houses.