Wasting Food

[kropotkin]

My thai family is not rich, not poor, maybe similar to the situation of my parents in the early sixties in Europe.

My parents would NEVER have wasted food, partly because of the cost, and partly because wasting food was just not done.

Here, food is waisted on a daily basis.

Is that just my thai family, or is that the norm?

555 Happy dogs they have.....

My family cooks several dishes every day, and leave them on the table.

And buy thai takeaways too, not so very cheap.

Yes they do have a fridge, but it seems that the food has to be ready on the table, just in case some visitor drops in.

My thai wife did the same until i told her this upsets me - now she tries to reduce the amount of food wasted.

But cooking rice for only 2 still seems to be impossibull for her......

[bkkjames]

Maybe you should tell her that rice doesnt grow on trees?

Failing that, do what I do, I make the rice.

[kropotkin]

Maybe you should tell her that rice doesnt grow on trees?

Failing that, do what I do, I make the rice.

Yes, i once told her that i woud cook the rice.

Nearly ended in a divorce.

She lets me cook pasta, make pizza, bake bread, anything european, but i can not interfere with rice 555.

[craighj]

Unusual, at least from what I have seen.

My Thai family would never waste food, indeed nor anything else.

Craighj

[GarryP]

My wife always prepares too much food. There is just myself and my son and yet she insists on making three large dishes to go with the rice (she is unable to eat with us). Invariably there is waste. I have told her time and time again that we only need two dishes and they do not need to be enormous, but will she listen? The dogs are appreciative though. As for rice, she factors in the dogs meals when cooking rice.

[lannarebirth]

Assuming the food is not harmful for them to eat, surely the food is not wasted if the dogs are getting what's left.

[Crossy]

Preparing too much food is local culture, most Asian countries operate the on the principle that if all the food is eaten, there wasn't enough and more will be prepared.

Classic HSBC commercial

That said, whilst these is always food available my family would not buy or prepare food on the off chance that someone would come to eat it so I think out OP is in a slightly unusual position.

[kropotkin]

I managed to talk my wife into buying very cheap broken rice for the dogs.

The result?

The dogs now get a double serving; people rice AND dog rice.

Can't win...

[bonobo]

Preparing too much food is local culture, most Asian countries operate the on the principle that if all the food is eaten, there wasn't enough and more will be prepared.

Classic HSBC commercial

That said, whilst these is always food available my family would not buy or prepare food on the off chance that someone would come to eat it so I think out OP is in a slightly unusual position.

Please issue a warning before posting links. I had never seen this ad before, and Pespi Max came out of my nose when I saw it!

Very funny, and even more so as it is very true.

[kropotkin]

Crossy,

That video reminds me of the old days in Norway.

Etiquette demanded that you left a little bit of food on your plate.

Inter - cultural?

[transam]

It's all about cash. If there is a never ending flow of cash then being frugal goes out the window. Think you might be the problem here. If one has to watch the pennies then GREAT care will be taken by your crew and waste not.

[kropotkin]

It's all about cash. If there is a never ending flow of cash then being frugal goes out the window. Think you might be the problem here. If one has to watch the pennies then GREAT care will be taken by your crew and waste not.

I get your point.

In most cases you are probably right.

At least, if TV is a reliable source for information on thai - european marriages.

However.

I have NEVER given money to the family.

And I refused to pay sinsot - saying it was against my culture.

The marriage party cost me only 20.000 - now that was a bargain, or not?

My thai family are great people - they have given me more then i have given them so far.

While we are building a small house nearby, they let us use their old car, let us sleep and shower, help us with paperwork, etc.

And before you ask, the house will be too small to have others living in it! (12 X 4 meter)

The fact that father and oldest brother bankrupted my wife's business 20 years ago might have something to do with it........ FACE you know.

[Pacificperson]

It is because of culture. As the commercial shows, one cannot run out of food. The food is left out to graze upon. It is both for the household and anyone who visits. If you are worried about wasting food, buy more dogs.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Pacificperson

[kropotkin]

It is because of culture. As the commercial shows, one cannot run out of food. The food is left out to graze upon. It is both for the household and anyone who visits. If you are worried about wasting food, buy more dogs.

True.

But it upsets me to feed good food to dogs.

And never a thank you 555.

And hey, how about this one for cultural misunderstandings:

In europe, you can buy very cheap leftovers from the meat industry, as dog food.

So i told my wife to buy bones at the local market, to give to the dogs.

25 baht a kilo!!!!! while the best porc goes at only 105 baht!!!!!

Wife explained: bones are expensive, because they are used for preparing bouillion for noodle soup.

[GarryP]

It is because of culture. As the commercial shows, one cannot run out of food. The food is left out to graze upon. It is both for the household and anyone who visits. If you are worried about wasting food, buy more dogs.

True.

But it upsets me to feed good food to dogs.

And never a thank you 555.

And hey, how about this one for cultural misunderstandings:

In europe, you can buy very cheap leftovers from the meat industry, as dog food.

So i told my wife to buy bones at the local market, to give to the dogs.

25 baht a kilo!!!!! while the best porc goes at only 105 baht!!!!!

Wife explained: bones are expensive, because they are used for preparing bouillion for noodle soup.

Yep, only last weekend my wife asked me to pick up some bones from Tesco to make stock and I was suprised at the price. She also asked me to pick up some pigs intestines and liver to make one of her soups. Many years ago in another country I would have thought that it was actually for the dogs. Funny how things change. BTW the soup was delicious and there was none left for the dogs so they had to make do with food prepared specially for them.

[mstribling]

It has been said already.

It is a shame to run out of food. What type of wife would she be seen as?

Dog's cannot say "Thank you"

[MrRed]

Maybe you should tell her that rice doesnt grow on trees?

Failing that, do what I do, I make the rice.

Well they know money doesnt grow on trees and look what difference that makes

[kropotkin]

Maybe you should tell her that rice doesnt grow on trees?

Failing that, do what I do, I make the rice.

Well they know money doesnt grow on trees and look what difference that makes

What????

Surely, in Farangland money grows on trees.

And there are geese & donkeys too.

NO, i am only joking.

Money comes from ATM's of course.

[geriatrickid]

Are Thais really that different than some western cultures? All of my childhood friends of Italian or hispanic heritage had similar bountiful food situations. The paucity of food approach seems to be an "anglo-germanic" affectation. I recall dinners at one of my cousins, a dour mix of wasp and Irish Catholic sourpusses. Our family joke was to eat before going there. Food is security. Plentiful food means all is well. It is comforting and reassuring. I like the Thai approach, especially the ability to share or set an extra place at the table on a minute's notice. It's like I'm a kid again. The nly thing missing is a brother that touches the food because he knows I won't eat it if his filthy hand was there. (The old lick & touch attack.)

[colinscarr]

Being born in England in 1945, I had a family that remembered millions of tons of ships, many carrying food, going to the bottom of the Atlantic instead of unloading in Liverpool or wherever. So I was brought up to understand that food was SCARCE and NOT TO BE WASTED. Thailand has had no equivalent event in its recent history, so folk are not too worried if the dogs are overfed.

[kropotkin]

OK, now that this is sorted out, let us move to a new tread:

Wasting food by giving it in the early morning to >>>>.>>>>>

Oops.

I just remember the forum rules.

[N3M3S1S]

Unusual, at least from what I have seen.

My Thai family would never waste food, indeed nor anything else.

Craighj

I'm with you, I was always being castigated by my Thai husband for wasting food years ago (although was never prone to dumping left over edibles back home). I learned to save the saveable (not som tum or gaeng som for instance) and put it in the 'fridge for the next day, as most prepared food cannot be eaten after a day or so, even in a 'fridge. What cannot be eaten/not worth saving is put outside for the various dogs and other animals in our soi.

[jimbeam1]

When I lived in one of the villages. I have seen food left under plastic, insect guard, for days and still not thrown away or given to dogs or chickens. It was eventually eaten.

jb1

[jaideeguy]

I agree that my Thai family and most others that I have seen do waste food and the evidence is in the refridgerator which is always full of leftovers.....lotsa mystery bags. I mostly eat leftovers from the last night for lunch, but the wife never.....she has to have her noodles from the noodle shop and there is always too much rice and we eat the best jasmine and it goes to the dogs and chickens.

I saw the same thing in the Philippines,where they always wasted 20% of the rice because it was stuck to the sides of the rice pot. The philippines is a rice importer.

Thais have it good and there has mostly been an excess of food and maybe that's their mentality?? It does rub me the wrong way when I look in the refridgerator.

[Laughing Gravy]

Being born in England in 1945, I had a family that remembered millions of tons of ships, many carrying food, going to the bottom of the Atlantic instead of unloading in Liverpool or wherever. So I was brought up to understand that food was SCARCE and NOT TO BE WASTED. Thailand has had no equivalent event in its recent history, so folk are not too worried if the dogs are overfed.

This is very true. Many of us are from 'early post war parents', were rations were still in place (until the 1950s). This 'waste not' mentality was often carried over to the children, as it did with me. Leaving the dinner table without finishing was considered a disrespectful and even a sin. Thailand hasn't experienced that on such a scale and is more prosperous than ever. So when Thai families have more money, especially with a farang husband, there is no need to worry about wasted food. I do disagree with this concept though an wish they were in general more appreciative. Just mention that there are millions of starving people in the world or Africa and see the response.

Until you eradicate the culture of 'losing face' and 'having such a money orientated culture' I can't see things changing that much and in fact getting worse.

[Heng]

We waste quite a bit at times, but like all things, we try to balance it by not wasting other things (making sure no doors or windows are left open when the air is on, not browsing too long in front of the open fridge or in the cooler room, keeping cars for 10+ years instead of trading them in at 4-5, etc.). We don't really have a clean up/finish what's on your plate policy because if you're full, then fine... that's enough, there's no need to force yourself to cycle extra food (which takes its toll and can potentially cost you more down the road) through your body just to make a show of being frugal. We don't even feed most of it to the dogs, as it's healthier for them to eat dog food, although they will get some leftover veggies blended into their Purina from time to time. If someone orders too much for dinner or even for a party.... we just make the necessary corrections and plan against it for the next time around. Like anything else, we tray to balance it, but yes, sometimes it's kind of 'ugly' especially if you're a trash diver going through our garbage and finding unopened (but past the expiration date) packs of meat, vegetables, cans of food, etc., and then you sometimes see them smelling it and putting it into their carts instead of back into the trash....

[jaideeguy]

When my family excessively wastes food, my habitual rant is 'think about the poor hungry, homeless people in the US'.

[tangcoral]

I agree that my Thai family and most others that I have seen do waste food and the evidence is in the refridgerator which is always full of leftovers.....lotsa mystery bags. I mostly eat leftovers from the last night for lunch, but the wife never.....she has to have her noodles from the noodle shop and there is always too much rice and we eat the best jasmine and it goes to the dogs and chickens.

I saw the same thing in the Philippines,where they always wasted 20% of the rice because it was stuck to the sides of the rice pot. The philippines is a rice importer.

Thais have it good and there has mostly been an excess of food and maybe that's their mentality?? It does rub me the wrong way when I look in the refridgerator.

No facts to back my statement, but I believe food shortage was never an issue. Probably due to it being a warm country food is readily available year round.

While nations like Korea and Japan, they do not allow a single piece of rice to be left in a bowl as they experience cold winters when food is rationed through the winter months.

[glomp]

Sounds like some of you could get a pig or two. But then again perhaps the pig will get it's own special meal made then too

[Bagwan]

Being a Brit I believe in caring for your domestic animals so when we visit the family estates, where the animals are not fed to my liking, I always bring tins of dog and cat food. One day while at the market I bought a kilo of bones and gave some to the dogs. They sniffed around them for a while and then walked away. Sis in law immediately picked up the bones, washed them under the tap and then put them with the other bones in the refrigerator. I was clear that the dogs had never been fed real meat and just didn't know what to do with the feed before them. I passed on the soup before me the next day. Not wanting the dogs to lose face I never repeated the exercise.