This post was mentioned on Twitter by landofsmiles: New post: The Reality of Rural Thailand (http://cli.gs/P1ezG) http://cli.gs/P1ezG #Thailand…

I think Tesco’s and Top’s are encroaching on the way of life but I doubt they could ever do it cheaply enough to make a Thai stop doing what they do.

That’s pretty much why we eat the crap that we do…it’s mass produced and cheaper than what’s good for us.

I do still get amazed at the huge differences in Thai city life to the villages, a throwback in time if I’ve ever seen one and one that is visible in the passing of just a score or so kilometres. I wonder at times if the emergence of the Tesco’s and the Thai’s want for more modern housing and technology will one day shrink and blend those two worlds into one. That would be sad and an end to most of the food preservation and survival tricks that are abundant in rural Thailand right now.
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It would be nice if more Americans saw this film but unfortunately most Americans are more concerned with American Idol than how they are being screwed.

I worked very briefly in the types of facilities mentioned in “Food, Inc.” and the reality of mass produced food from the factory floor is far different from the simple farmer image that billion dollar marketing campaigns promote on American television. That’s partly why I posted the video because I’ve seen the sorts of things that most people don’t get a chance to see because of laws, red tape, etc, until the film was produced.

Like you, I grew up in smalltown America where we probably grew 50% or more of our own food ourselves. Now that I live a “modern” American lifestyle, I might grow 5-10% if I’m lucky. Part of the great specialized workforce that America promotes… but when we lose jobs, some folks just go hungry I suppose.

The good thing is that word is beginning to spread about the film and hopefully the surge in “recession gardens” being planted in 2008 will start to make a dent. Thanks again for the link.
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Even though the global population has increased we could still feed everyone. The majority of America’s corn crops get sold below market and are used by the tons for things we could do without such as high fructose corn syrup and feeding cows that should only be eating grass.

Unfortunately it’s all a Utopian dream as the majority of westerners want quick and easy no matter how bad it is for them.

I picked up on something on Nat Geo the other night regarding feeding the world and sadly without intensive methods there is not going to be enough to go round soon.

Even as a lad in the UK we collected and preserved many things as I guess you might have done, unfortunately the global population has increased somewhat since then.

I am sure it works well in rural Isaan and I agree they could survive if the apocalypse suddenly arrived or at least the ones still living there and not in Bangkok and Pattaya would.
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I agree, and it seems in Europe they appreciate good tasting food and have laws to regulate it. In Canada, we have allowed the agri-industry to virtually write our laws protecting their industry. Hence everything’s for the convenience of industry, which means lower food value and sometimes nasty outbreaks at giant food processing plants. Imagine what would happen if one food processor went out of business. There’d be sudden shortages, etc. becasue we’ve given away diversity of quality and sources.

Where I live I am able to easily buy organic veg, unpasteurized honey, and naturally raised food animals. The taste is better as is the nutrition, but I have to give Thailand the nod in terms of taste.
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And I have been waiting for ages and ages for my lotus to flower just so’s I can write that post on Tropical Gardening… no luck yet.

(lotuses flower all over Thailand under eaves with morning or afternoon sun, so what gives?)

Kit cat bars…

I understand what you mean about the US (the part I was in anyway). When I lived in Houston I shopped at the Farmer’s Market. I expected to get fresh tasting produce, but that did not happen.

The produce was brought to the city straight from their farms, so I expected fresh and tasty. It was barely above supermarket tastes, so I switched to buying in the Village. But that increased my costs and travel time (45min one way) without a great increase in taste. Only the assurance that the produce was organic.

Going from Houston to Pau, I experienced truly great veg. Only, in France, I found the wonderful veg at the local supermarché. And if the French can do it, why not the US?
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We’ve become a service society in the West and that is a bad bad thing.

Luckily if you live near rural areas in the states you can get great fresh produce but in the winter time it’s lacking in taste.

It all depends where you are in the west. I went ott feasting on broccoli after moving to France because the taste was so amazing. Broccoli with flavours to die for, who knew?

For tomatoes, my top choice is the UK. As soon as I land, I head to Sainsbury’s to stick my nose in the most heavenly smell in the world – ripe tomatoes still on the vine. Sigh…
Catherine´s last blog ..Free Download: The Ultimate Survival Guide to Thailand

I mean, with a modern lifestyle, as well as needing to bring in an income, who has the time to keep the family supplied with food all year around?

So it would have to be a compromise situation of some sort.

I love peanuts. But just the nuts, nothing more.

On Borneo they served roasted peanuts with little dried fishes.

I don’t like little dried fishes. Or little dried shrimp for that matter.

When visiting Kampong Ayer (water village in Brunei), I would walk by seafood drying along the boardwalks. Laying in the sun, the seafood would attract flies and the odd cat.

So in my mind, peanuts with little fishes are NOT yum.

(but as I’m not starving, my avoidance is no great loss
Catherine´s last blog ..Free Download: The Ultimate Survival Guide to Thailand

They have man made ponds among the rice fields to grow fish in and the larger ponds you can find many clams in thanks to the birds.

it seems the future is the past and it will be much better for us.