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.
would leave crab claws and shrimp untouched
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. 
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/

Location: Ko Kut District, Trat, Thailand

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