On Not Wasting Rice

Yesterday I went to my favorite Thai restaurant for dinner and I was surprised when my portion was much bigger than usual. When the owner came to chat with me she mentioned “the cook gave you extra today because you didn’t waste rice last time.”

It’s true. Last time I was there I was so hungry that I almost licked my plate clean.

She then went on to tell me about how much rice she throws away daily from people who just don’t eat it. She said that in Thailand it’s very disrespectful to leave rice uneaten on your plate. Since most rice there is farmed by hand, the people respect all the work that goes into producing it by trying to waste as little as possible.

I was a bit taken aback by the culture difference. In America we waste a ton of food with each meal. The general attitude is “I work hard, I deserve this. If the rice farmer doesn’t like to work hard for me to throw it away that’s his problem. I bought it, I can do what I want with it.”

In Thailand, it’s not like that. They respect hard work and realize that without that rice farmer they wouldn’t be able to have the meals they have.

I think that’s a viewpoint that many Americans could benefit from taking up.

Either way if you’re ever at a Thai place, make sure you don’t waste any rice.

1 comment June 28th, 2007