I am excited to report that all supermarkets in Bangkok do not have a policy of only pretty top-price produce for sale. TESCO LOTUS (Rama 9 at least) does indeed sell half-priced slightly damaged, expired vegetables and fruit. Perfect for smoothie and juice enthusiasts. I travel with a blender and on Sukhumvit I find myself disappointed that neither Tops nor that fancy supermarket in the basement of Central sell bruised or old produce. I am told better choices are the Thursday day market near a university on Asok.

I look forward to learning where else in Bangkok sells cheap produce, particularly in tourist/expat areas. Staying in Chinatown before I felt a bit isolated from working class markets.

BTW, this is not unique to Thailand. In the upper middle class neighbourhood I stay when I am in Canada, its two supermarkets do not sell second-rate produce lest they "attract the wrong crowd".

In Cambodia and small towns in Malaysia I usually buy from street vendors, who being owner-operators are more willing to bargain. Obviously, Bangkok is a megopolis closer to Tokyo and Hong Kong than a provincial city anywhere. But I gotta stay here on ocassion. The challenge is always 'Jeez, I have to GO somewhere.' to either eat or grocery shop at a good price. I tried the vegetarian healthfood centre near Ari BTS (good selection, low price) -- beside Esso petrol station. So, I considered moving to a cheap hotel there. But I looked around and didn't see any. I am always looking for an area with lots of markets, cheap rent and vegetarian restaurants, Perhaps an impossible laundry list anywhere, especially in not-so-vegetarian friendly Bangkok. Though, I must say that compared to Malaysia (sugar in everything), health consciousness is much higher here, and especially much higher than ten years ago. But it is very much class-dependent and is centered in places where the rich congregate.

I used to buy discounted produce, fed it to the pigs!

I used to buy discounted produce, fed it to the pigs!

Do you mean it was very poor quality unsalvageable?

Or

You seriously had pigs as farm animals?

The discounted produce I bought at Tesco required only a paring knife to cut out a 5-10% damage. Even that could have been used. It wasn't rotting.

I had pigs as farm amimals.