all thai girls seem to have a sad life story....

[Central Scrutinizer]

Thalenoi,

 

Why does this 'pain' you? The rural Thais eat many things that have good nutrients and vitamins (also have good flavors), but they get these for free, so it helps go a long way really and there is nothing wrong with this stuff really. I eat it myself at times in the village. Mostly those 'leaves off the tree' are spices and flavorings they add to the soups and rice dishes. I see Thais picking flowers, leaves, berries, seeds, fruits, and other things all the time. Just is they do not have to pay for these things. Self-sufficiency really, and living off the land from those things provided by nature. MAkes the food budget go farther, and really, they would eat these things anyway, and PAY for them if they had the money to buy from others that would pick these things instead. Is what pains you the fact they do not pay for these foods? They also dig in the rice fields for the small land crabs they add to the som tam, and pick mangoes and jackfruit, bananas, the long string beans, papaya, etc. that grows on nearly every household property. Many house owners let anyone pick what they want from the trees on their property. Families, usually the boys and fathers, fish the rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, roadside ditches for many different fish they add to their rice and noodle dishes. And, many of the women go out to the rice fields every couple of days to catch the bugs they so love to eat. Free range chickens and ducks run around everywhere. Frogs are caught every night when it rains, and they are abundant in the countryside everywhere. They eat these things, and seem to like eating them as well. And even crave them when they can't get them from what I have seen.

 

In the countryside I do not see anyone going hungry, and see no starvation what-so-ever. Maybe in the city slums, but not in the countryside. The most expensive thing I see Thais buying in the countryside is the rice some families have to buy because no part of the family has rice land to grow rice on for the families (but most do have at least one family member with rice land, and they all help plant and harvest the rice, and get a share of the rice for eating for the year as well for their endevours).

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just don't understand your being 'pained' over this stuff. The only thing I see the poorest Thais lacking is decent pork for their rice meals really, and that keeps getting more expensive year after year, while their incomes seem to remain stagnant. And usually I see the poorest of families lacking due to the head of the household wasting their money on booze, ya baa, etc. Rather than taking that money wasted to care for their wives and kids properly.

 

JMHO, from what I have seen.

 

Cent