The Price Of Cheese

[missismiggins]

Have you been to Tesco or Carrefour?

Have you seen the price of a good old cheese?

What a bloody disgrace!

I can buy a kilo of "pad krapow" for 100 baht, but a 50g block of ye good olde cheddar is going to cost more than I paid for my house... damned foreigners!

[lazeeboy]

stop eating cheese ,way over priced now ,1 kg ,and i could eat thai food for a week for what it costs

[12DrinkMore]

stop eating cheese ,way over priced now ,1 kg ,and i could eat thai food for a week for what it costs

You eat at expensive restaurants .

What irritates me is that Thai cheese and wine ( ) is priced way up there with the imported and import taxed foreign produce.

[chevykanteve]

Farang people should just get together and make it themselves! Then, sell it to the "retailers" (=Chinese-in-Thailand) at a whopping profit. Not that difficult a task, actually.

[elkangorito]

Have you been to Tesco or Carrefour?

Have you seen the price of a good old cheese?

What a bloody disgrace!

I can buy a kilo of "pad krapow" for 100 baht, but a 50g block of ye good olde cheddar is going to cost more than I paid for my house... damned foreigners!

What is "pad krapow"? Is it cheese (I assume so)? What does it taste like? How does is compare against other products?

Import tariffs in Thailand are absurdly high. One day, "somebody" will (hopefully) wake up to the fact that Thailand is not self sufficient & thus relies on the rest of the world to exist (as do most other countries). Perhaps this prehistoric way of thinking has something to do with the Thai national anthem?

[12DrinkMore]

What is "pad krapow"?

Blimey, how did you manage to post so much without knowing of or having eaten pad krapow?

(minced meat with sweet basil leaves and chilli, fried up and put on top of rice, one of my favourites )

Edited August 29, 2008 by 12DrinkMore

[elkangorito]

What is "pad krapow"?

Blimey, how did you manage to post so much without knowing of or having eaten pad krapow?

(minced meat with sweet basil leaves and chilli, fried up and put on top of rice, one of my favourites )

You mean Phat Kapow....now I know. But what has this got to do with cheese?

Incidentally, the basil is not sweet basil (not hot)...it is summer basil (hot).

[monkfish]

Is it Sweet Basil or Holly Basil? Not being a nit picker just that I always buy the wrong one!

and don't forget the fried egg on top! yum yum

On the the topic of CHEESE, I am a cheese and Wine lover but sadly have had to cut back since being in Thailand

I even considered making it myself it's its not difficult but impossible to find fresh Milk here.

By the way did you ever see the price of Papaya in ferlang land or talking about tesco's the price of one of those fresh Thai ingredient packs containing 3 chillies, 1 lemon grass, a slice of gelang and 2 lemon leaves? I think about £4 the last time I looked now that is shocking!!

OOps now I'm hungry think it's time for my monthly visit to friendship!

[elkangorito]

Is it Sweet Basil or Holly Basil? Not being a nit picker just that I always buy the wrong one!

and don't forget the fried egg on top! yum yum

On the the topic of CHEESE, I am a cheese and Wine lover but sadly have had to cut back since being in Thailand

I even considered making it myself it's its not difficult but impossible to find fresh Milk here.

By the way did you ever see the price of Papaya in ferlang land or talking about tesco's the price of one of those fresh Thai ingredient packs containing 3 chillies, 1 lemon grass, a slice of gelang and 2 lemon leaves? I think about £4 the last time I looked now that is shocking!!

OOps now I'm hungry think it's time for my monthly visit to friendship!

Those prices may exist in the UK but why on gods earth would you waste money on that "processed" & packaged food? Maybe you can't grow "lemon grass" easily in the UK but in Australia, most Thai food components grow easily.

Anyway, what has this got to do with cheese?

As for making cheese here, it will be a failure. "REAL" cheese does not require refrigeration because it is usually made in countries with average temperatures of between 15 to 25 degees Celsius (many parts of Europe). As an example, a "real" cheese manufacturer (an individual who made cheese) was taken to court by the local Health Authorities for not refrigerating his cheese. He ended up winning the court case because he made "real" cheese that ideally should be stored between 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. This was in Tasmania, Australia. Tasmania has a cold climate compared to the rest of Australia. He now has a thriving business.

Basically, any cheese that is wrapped in plastic is not "real" cheese since the cultures in real cheese require air & an appropriate temperature in order to survive.

[12DrinkMore]

As for making cheese here, it will be a failure.

Tons of mozzarella is made in Thailand.

I know zilch about making the stuff, but if its only a question of temperature, then surely this can be overcome with a few air cons? If they can cool the massive shopping complexes to just above zero, 15 degrees must be a doddle.

[elkangorito]

As for making cheese here, it will be a failure.

Tons of mozzarella is made in Thailand.

I know zilch about making the stuff, but if its only a question of temperature, then surely this can be overcome with a few air cons? If they can cool the massive shopping complexes to just above zero, 15 degrees must be a doddle.

Obviously, you have no idea of the cost involved in doing this.

Cheeses wrapped in plastic must be kept at low temperatures (less than 4 degrees Celsius) because they will become inedible if not kept at these temperatures. On the other hand, "REAL" cheese will not quickly deteriorate at 15 to 25 degrees Celsius & it does not need to be wrapped in plastic.

[monkfish]

As for making cheese here, it will be a failure.

Tons of mozzarella is made in Thailand.

I know zilch about making the stuff, but if its only a question of temperature, then surely this can be overcome with a few air cons? If they can cool the massive shopping complexes to just above zero, 15 degrees must be a doddle.

Yes mozzarella is probably the best cheese to make in Thailand as it's made from buffalow milk and can be made in a couple of hours also doesn't need to mature. Once made it should be eaten quickly or kept cold and stored in brine otherwise it will start to mature which is not the charachter of mozzarella.

Edited August 29, 2008 by monkfish

[calibanjr.]

One of the drawbacks of Thailand, super expensive cheese. What're ya gonna do? The indigenous folk don't dig it, so it's no skin off their nose, so we're out of luck.

I've given many a longing look at the cheese rack at Rimping while I order my cheap cold cuts at the deli counter.

In Chiang Mai, there's a place (company is DACHEESO, I love that name) where they make decent Mozzarella (smoked or plain), sell it at Rimping. I'm cheap enough to just go buy it at the factory shop, but then I end up buying their homemade cheesecake too.

Edited August 29, 2008 by calibanjr.

[elkangorito]

One of the drawbacks of Thailand, super expensive cheese. What're ya gonna do? The indigenous folk don't dig it, so it's no skin off their nose, so we're out of luck.

I've given many a longing look at the cheese rack at Rimping while I order my cheap cold cuts at the deli counter.

In Chiang Mai, there's a place (company is DACHEESO, I love that name) where they make decent Mozzarella (smoked or plain), sell it at Rimping. I'm cheap enough to just go buy it at the factory shop, but then I end up buying their homemade cheesecake too.

What the hel_l does "rimping" mean?

[Moonrakers]

If you don't like it then go home!

I don't actually mean that, I just wanted to say it before some numptie does.

I love a good bit of cheddar, if I had the capital then I might consider starting a dairy farm to make cheese just for me.

Hmmmmmmmm, Cheeeeeeese.

[zorro1]

Asians are naturally lactose intolerant so zip demand

[Tony Clifton]

The Thai mozzarella is absolutely tasteless, couldn`t tell the difference between that and cured silicone pulled from around the washroom tub. It`s only good for texture on pizza and holding the toppings together. Absolutely tasteless in sauces or grated noodles. Add to that it`s salt content, much too low.

And it it sold for the same price as Canadian mozzarella sells for over there.

Edited August 29, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[dumball]

The Thai mozzarella is absolutely tasteless, couldn`t tell the difference between that and cured silicone pulled from around the washroom tub. It`s only good for texture on pizza and holding the toppings together. Absolutely tasteless in sauces or grated noodles. Add to that it`s salt content, much too low.

And it it sold for the same price as Canadian mozzarella sells for over there.

Talking of cheese and 'Over there' prices , i looked into the golden arches for my rare treat to a cheeseburger , my god , they want DOUBLE the price they are in the US , talk about extortion .

[Naam]

As for making cheese here, it will be a failure.

Tons of mozzarella is made in Thailand.

I know zilch about making the stuff, but if its only a question of temperature, then surely this can be overcome with a few air cons? If they can cool the massive shopping complexes to just above zero, 15 degrees must be a doddle.

Yes mozzarella is probably the best cheese to make in Thailand as it's made from buffalow milk and can be made in a couple of hours also doesn't need to mature. Once made it should be eaten quickly or kept cold and stored in brine otherwise it will start to mature which is not the charachter of mozzarella.

Mozarella is some sort of not a cheese.

[hanno]

Here in Vietnam, cheese is also very expensive. Always thought it was a hug rip-off until I went to Europe earlier this year (first time in ages) and saw what cheese cost over there. I don't know if you have been back recently, but things sure have become waaayyyyy expensive

[Naam]

dairy prices have gone up all over the world.

[angiud]

We italian restaurateurs use the made in Thailand (from italians) mozzarella cheese from "Del Casaro", from Hua-Hin, very good quality and with a price (rise many time this year!) still acceptable (around 280 baht/kilo). They also produce a good kind of cheddar, mascarpone, real mozzarella balls, etc etc.

I don't have the telephone number but try to google.

P.S.: this is not an ad!!! I just buy the cheeses from the local dealer in Koh Phangan

[kmart]

dairy prices have gone up all over the world.

Yep.

[PhilHarries]

I don't get it. How can the price of cheese in Thailand be a national disgrace? Thailand is not a major cheese producing nor exporting nation. If it were and the price of Thai Cheddar in Kuala Lumpur was less than in Bangkok then it would be an issue but, even so, hardly a national disgrace. The government imposes import tax that hikes the price of cheese locally. If Thais were major consumers of cheese maybe pressure could be brought to bear on the government to cut the import tax. But they are not so the price remains high for the foreigners who do eat the stuff. Thai Rak Thai as the party was named.

Anyhow, so the price is high. What percentage of your weekly food intake is comprised of cheese? If cheese were cheap and rice, chicken or fish were expensive then you'd have a point.

[kmart]

I don't get it. How can the price of cheese in Thailand be a national disgrace? Thailand is not a major cheese producing nor exporting nation. If it were and the price of Thai Cheddar in Kuala Lumpur was less than in Bangkok then it would be an issue but, even so, hardly a national disgrace. The government imposes import tax that hikes the price of cheese locally. If Thais were major consumers of cheese maybe pressure could be brought to bear on the government to cut the import tax. But they are not so the price remains high for the foreigners who do eat the stuff. Thai Rak Thai as the party was named.

Anyhow, so the price is high. What percentage of your weekly food intake is comprised of cheese? If cheese were cheap and rice, chicken or fish were expensive then you'd have a point.

Cheese is always good with a nice whine, for some people Phil.

[JSixpack]

Import tariffs in Thailand are absurdly high. One day, "somebody" will (hopefully) wake up to the fact that Thailand is not self sufficient & thus relies on the rest of the world to exist (as do most other countries).

Sombody has always been awake to that fact--Customs officials--and they do very much rely on the rest of the world to exist in style. And local manufacturers in turn rely on the Customs officials to exist.

Perhaps this prehistoric way of thinking has something to do with the Thai national anthem?

Hardly, but the anthem is such a very useful distraction! Got you fooled as well, eh.

Edited August 30, 2008 by JSixpack

[JSixpack]

The Thai mozzarella is absolutely tasteless . . . And it it sold for the same price as Canadian mozzarella sells for over there.

You're thinking of that vile homemade cling-wrapped stuff. Right. But a line of Thai cheeses has appeared fairly recently in Foodland and Villa that, if still not quite up to Western standards, tastes much better and is far more reasonably priced than imports, too: Caroline, by Premier Foods. It comes in mozzarella and a few other kinds. Check it out.

[PhilHarries]

Cheese is always good with a nice whine, for some people Phil.

Classic, made my day! I'll dedicate my first beer to your good self.

[hendrix]

At the Dusit Thani hotel in Pattaya, there is a nightly dinner buffet for 800 baht all included which includes all you can eat cheeses amongst many other expensive delicacies like smoked and raw salmon, and oysters. There's usually several choices of cheese. All fresh, all delicious, and all you can eat.

[Wrong Turn]

stop eating cheese ,way over priced now ,1 kg ,and i could eat thai food for a week for what it costs

I have stopped eating certain foods because of the price increases. Cheese is saturated fat, anyway. Thais don't eat it that much. Farangs can go without it in LOS.