Let’s end 2008 with thoughts on a recent article published in Bangkok that had astonishing food facts. Thais eat out at least 13 times a week and are getting heavier… That is a lot of eating out and before you blame it on our good-old American fast food, not so. Yes, there are more than 1,000 fast-food outlets in Thailand with more on the way but Thai street food is primarily to blame.

Did you know that one dish of pad Thai (Thai-style fried noodles) has 700 calories? And another Thai favorite, papaya salad, sticky rice and grilled chicken contains 760 calories. So much for healthy eating. I never dreamed that my chowing down in Thailand was stacking on the calories especially while going hog wild at a Thai buffet. A Big Mac is only 540 calories… “food police” take note.

And, the same Thai health advocates stated that 12 million Thais suffer from obesity. In the almost 30 years of travel to and from Thailand and marveling at the petite frame of the Thais (and this is coming from a 5’3-1/2″ petite person), it’s almost incomprehensible to think of them getting fat. We’ve seen a difference in height and overall increase in body size but FAT? What is obese in Thailand would be considered anorexic in America and the European Community. A “normal” sized Westerner looks “fat” standing next to the average Thai but eating out 13 times a week is going to make a difference eventually.

In the meantime, I will grudgingly watch my wonderful Thai food intake and try not to go into an eating frenzy of caloric overload. Life can be so sad…