Prayut says Thais should prefer rice over bread

[Scully]

There quite a few Thai's calling the general Uncle as a term of endearment, I think I will follow the trend but call him big brother.

[Thaiwine]

I can't understand why the Asian race hasn't died out centuries ago as rice is so bad for you

[rajyindee]

I can't understand why the Asian race hasn't died out centuries ago as rice is so bad for you

They discovered Krispy Kreme just in time.

[harryfrompattaya]

I can't understand why the Asian race hasn't died out centuries ago as rice is so bad for you

Up to 130 years ago about 97 per cent of Asian's ate only Brown Rice

Do you remember Beriberi

[Alwyn]

C'mon posters, the guy is not wrong.

He doesn't care so much about Thailand's eating habits but he cares about Thailand's economy.

If people start eating bread, wheat has to be imported from other countries.

On the other hand rice is home produced and every plate we eat a farmer gets the benefit of it, and the whole Thai economy gets the benefit of it.

He is not stupid at all........he knows very well what he is going on about.

He's completely wrong and totally showing his lack of any dietary knowledge (as are you) Diabetes is rampant in Thailand, because of rice. White rice is the second worst food after sugar for diabetes which is why there are 3.2 million registered diabetics in Thailand and millions of unregistered who can't afford the doctor but can afford a plate of rice.

that is interesting. I didn't know there were so many.

Wait till he tells us how many diabetics are in China, Viet Nam, Japan, Lao, Burma etc. etc.

lol! 114 million registered in China which is substantial as there 371 million worldwide

[wandasloan]

Did it ever occur to you that he is the first leader to actually have the power and the determination to make Thailand a better country.

No. Why should that occur to me, since it's not even close to true? Are you young or do you just believe Thai history began when you recently arrived?

He for sure doesn't need your input.

I'm not so sure about that. The input he's getting on the issues he deals with in public is almost all suspect and quite often simply wrong.

If you'd said, "He for sure is going to ignore your input," then THAT would be correct.

.

Edited October 11, 2014 by wandasloan

[Mister Fixit]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Friday that he would like Thais to prefer rice over bread."

As though one has much of a choice in Thailand. It appears that anyone can cook up a batch of rice in rice cooker. However it takes an artisan to be able to bake a good loaf of bread. The proof lies in just about any bakery you enter. The breads are made from a mix and large amounts of sugar are added to cover up the foul taste. It takes about 2 hours from mixing to the baking of the final product. As for the cakes and pastries...Somehow they think that hydrogenated palm oil is a desirable substitute for butter. It has a terrible taste and coats your tongue for hours.

The Prime Minister will have no problem with this plan as long as Thais don't learn how to bake properly.

Slight Disclaimer: There are a few very excellent Thai bakers who take pride in their developed skills. They use the proper ingredients and allow their dough to rise over a long period of time to develop the desired crumb and flavor. They also know the difference that butter, more butter and even more butter makes in baking a good pastry. However, they are few and far between.

Thai 'cakes' and most baked products are utter sh!te. They are way over-sweet, and as you say, the cheap and nasty palm oil coats your mouth for hours, but ... they know no better ...

There are a few, a very few, decent bakers in Thailand, but they are like finding a decent butcher here too - chicken, cleaver or hatchet, chop chop chop.

I once went to a pretty up-market hotel restaurant for what I was promised was a 'traditional Christmas lunch'. Pfffft - what a mess!

They had only 4 turkeys to feed 80 people and some old bird (sorry, pun intended) was chopping away through a turkey as though she was cutting fried chicken on the street. I exclaimed 'Nooooo' and took the knife from her and showed her how to carve a few nice slices from the breast (which I quickly snaffled) but as soon as I turned my back, I heard 'chop chop chop' immediately. At least I didn't get any nasty bone splinters in my food ...

[baboon]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Friday that he would like Thais to prefer rice over bread."

As though one has much of a choice in Thailand. It appears that anyone can cook up a batch of rice in rice cooker. However it takes an artisan to be able to bake a good loaf of bread. The proof lies in just about any bakery you enter. The breads are made from a mix and large amounts of sugar are added to cover up the foul taste. It takes about 2 hours from mixing to the baking of the final product. As for the cakes and pastries...Somehow they think that hydrogenated palm oil is a desirable substitute for butter. It has a terrible taste and coats your tongue for hours.

The Prime Minister will have no problem with this plan as long as Thais don't learn how to bake properly.

Slight Disclaimer: There are a few very excellent Thai bakers who take pride in their developed skills. They use the proper ingredients and allow their dough to rise over a long period of time to develop the desired crumb and flavor. They also know the difference that butter, more butter and even more butter makes in baking a good pastry. However, they are few and far between.

Thai 'cakes' and most baked products are utter sh!te.

Why don't you tell us what you really think..

[VincentRJ]

I agree the Thai government should actively promote brown and much more realistically half milled rice in any way they can! White rice is very poor nutrition and scientists now know that not all calories are the same as far as impact on health and disease. Some calories are more harmful than others. For examples, nut calories are beneficial, while sugar calories in excess of certain OK low daily levels are quite harmful and promote disease development, and yes white rice (and processed bread as well) basically translates in the body into SUGAR.

It is true nothing wrong with small portions of sugar or sugar in the form of WHITE RICE, but get real, if you're eating it as your main tummy filler day and night, you are not eating small portions of it.

But I guess it's asking too much to suggest Thais drop white rice. Too bad.

I don't agree that brown rice tastes nice with Thai food. I think it doesn't for me and most people. But half milled rice is a good compromise of taste and health.

Rice, especially brown rice, causes cancer. http://blog.aarp.org/2012/09/20/arsenic-in-rice-yes-especially-brown-rice/

Good catch, except your statement is misleading. It would be more correct to claim that rice grown in regions where the soil has elevated levels of arsenic because of heavy insecticide and pesticide use, previous or current, might contain harmful levels of arsenic. However, the article you linked to contains the following statement; "As to whether these arsenic levels pose an immediate health threat, both the FDA and, not surprisingly, the USA Rice Federation, say no. Both contend these are just trace amounts in what is still a safe and healthy food."

The problems of pesticide residue in general is why some people prefer organically grown food. The following link suggests that Thai rice has relatively low levels of arsenic. http://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/cow_milk_all_management/articles/rice_arsenic_1_03.10.html

Here's an extract:

Safer:

Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Chinese, Egyptian, Thai

Avoid:

American, European (especially Italian and French), Bangladeshi

Edited October 11, 2014 by VincentRJ

[Mister Fixit]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Friday that he would like Thais to prefer rice over bread."

As though one has much of a choice in Thailand. It appears that anyone can cook up a batch of rice in rice cooker. However it takes an artisan to be able to bake a good loaf of bread. The proof lies in just about any bakery you enter. The breads are made from a mix and large amounts of sugar are added to cover up the foul taste. It takes about 2 hours from mixing to the baking of the final product. As for the cakes and pastries...Somehow they think that hydrogenated palm oil is a desirable substitute for butter. It has a terrible taste and coats your tongue for hours.

The Prime Minister will have no problem with this plan as long as Thais don't learn how to bake properly.

Slight Disclaimer: There are a few very excellent Thai bakers who take pride in their developed skills. They use the proper ingredients and allow their dough to rise over a long period of time to develop the desired crumb and flavor. They also know the difference that butter, more butter and even more butter makes in baking a good pastry. However, they are few and far between.

Thai 'cakes' and most baked products are utter sh!te.

Why don't you tell us what you really think..

I thought I had ...

[allan michaud]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I think it's nice that prayut wants the people to go back to some of their old values. must people critisize everything.

Why is it any of his business what people choose to eat?

Indeed, especially when he's talking &lt;deleted&gt; about athletes eating rice. He is simply trying to find a way to reduce the national riceberg.

[Cake Monster]

Sorry general, but I will continue to eat my Cheese and Onion butties with great delight.

[Lannig]

Sorry if this has been said before, but... where has he seen Thais eating bread during meals? I know that el Leader Maximo and I don't live in the same Thai people's circles but where I live it's certainly not the case. Well, I can see the occasional pack of slice bread been eaten with spread jam at home and kids sometimes ask for toasted bread with condensed milk when we go to the local swimming pool but that's what? once or twice a week? and never during meals.

[baboon]

Sorry general, but I will continue to eat my Cheese and Onion butties with great delight.

Sir, you have a fine taste in sandwiches. I could murder one of those at the moment..

[Fred Flinstone]

This is the Military Junta friendly Subway ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP4X5r0f4nI&sns=em

[binjalin]

C'mon posters, the guy is not wrong.

He doesn't care so much about Thailand's eating habits but he cares about Thailand's economy.

If people start eating bread, wheat has to be imported from other countries.

On the other hand rice is home produced and every plate we eat a farmer gets the benefit of it, and the whole Thai economy gets the benefit of it.

He is not stupid at all........he knows very well what he is going on about.

unbelievable...

[Lupatria]

' instead of teaching Thais to eat bread '

Is this some kind of criticizing the last bastion of education?

[apetley]

I don't know any Thai who eats bread unless it is a 7-Eleven snack cake. Do you guys?

My wife loves 'real' bread and buys alot of the wholemeal and seed varieties along with French bread and longs for the ciabatta we used to buy back in the UK.

[trd]

The posters who initially came out so strongly in favour of the great leader are oddly silent.

you seem to have keyboard malfunction trd. The U is missing.

You seem to have a keyboard malfunction mudcrap.

[hiller]

The truth is this guy wants to control everybody. What they do what they eat how they think what they say.

He won't rescind martial law because god forbid someone might dare criticize his policies or actions or have an original thought.

Did it ever occur to you that he is the first leader to actually have the power and the determination to make Thailand a better country. He for sure doesn't need your input.

Speaking of original thoughts have you any or is it just going to be Polly wants a cracker with you.

I personally find it disgusting people come to Thailand and choose to criticize any one that tries' to improve the life of a Thai.

Your neighbors in the North have gotta love you..........

[anon7867763]

GIN MAN FALANG !

[anon7867763]

I think more atheletes actually eat pasta , or at least the ones who win medals do !

[hiller]

= We don't like Farang

Surprise, surprise, surprise. How about the Farang Dollar?

[Time Traveller]

Sounds like a new law coming to thailand soon.

I'm sure Thais will eat more (rotten) rice when they make it illegal to eat bread. Returning happiness to the Thai people.

[Time Traveller]

Also maybe they can also get Thais to walk and ride bicycles more. Those evil foreign inventions like automobiles are making Thais fat and lazy.

The insanity of this lunatic gets worse each week.

[Time Traveller]

C'mon posters, the guy is not wrong.

He doesn't care so much about Thailand's eating habits but he cares about Thailand's economy.

If people start eating bread, wheat has to be imported from other countries.

On the other hand rice is home produced and every plate we eat a farmer gets the benefit of it, and the whole Thai economy gets the benefit of it.

He is not stupid at all........he knows very well what he is going on about.

What's his policy about the thousands of generals and government ministers with imported Mercedes and Rolls Royces?

Edited October 12, 2014 by Time Traveller

[Fred Flinstone]

So you say a thousand things that seem to imply care and tradition?

Then sneak in one last sinister one

""Like a rapist who gives the victim over time tenderness and care , some kindness."

But continues to force his will.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Fred Flinstone

[bangon04]

I think it's nice that prayut wants the people to go back to some of their old values. must people critisize everything.

So Thai women will not wear tops under your plan and we will all live in SIAM?

and reduce the average height of the population by reintroducing malnutrition - much much better than obesity...