There is a Lot of Waste in Thailand
First of all, for as beautiful and fertile a country as Thailand is, the average person here is quite poor. The minimum wage is 300 baht per day, and a decent salary for Thais is the equivalent of $500 per month. That said, there are VERY wealthy Thais for whom money is no object, but the majority of people here live on a very low income.
Which is why I am always so amazed to see so much wasted food here. Growing up, I thought it was a sin not to finish all my food because so many people go without, but on my honeymoon in Koh Kood, a beautiful but hard to get to island an hour and a half off the coast, I saw a group of wealthy Thais leaving most of their Expensive meal at a resort untouched.
I was aghast, it included a plate of super expensive seafood fresh from the ocean, left on the plate exactly as it arrived.
It's hard for me to account for. I wanted to chase after them and chastise them for waste/ find out how they could possibly do it.
Which is why I am always so amazed to see so much wasted food here. Growing up, I thought it was a sin not to finish all my food because so many people go without, but on my honeymoon in Koh Kood, a beautiful but hard to get to island an hour and a half off the coast, I saw a group of wealthy Thais leaving most of their Expensive meal at a resort untouched.
I was aghast, it included a plate of super expensive seafood fresh from the ocean, left on the plate exactly as it arrived.
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| would leave crab claws and shrimp untouched |
When I rose from the table, my wife grabbed my wrist and yanked me back. I grudgingly sat down, and encouraged the waitress cleaning off the table not to let what should have been a fine dining experience go to waste.
This is one, albeit egregious, example of many.
There's a lot I love about Thai culture, but their overly relaxed attitude towards waste is not one of them/
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