violet wrote: ↑Sun Jan 22, 2023 6:16 am
I’ll have one more attempt.
Western supermarkets are chock full of variations of the same thing. Choice choice choice. Indulge indulge indulge.
True, there is an awkward number of crisps flavors, i can see that

People don’t get fat just because they eat fried food, sugary food, or even rice. Too much in means weight goes on.
Isn't it about frequency ? They do fry a lot, and have a taste for cakes and sweet stuff

You mention Burger King. Did you live in Cambodia before the arrival of Burger King, milk on the shelves, and the growth of western foods on the the shelves? If so, have you failed to notice there are more Cambodian women (and men) carrying extra weight now than there were back then?
I wasn't there then, so no, i didn't noticed. Cambodians seems pretty thin to me, except for the Sino families where fat is rich in their eyes

I’ve lived in plenty of countries where western diets aren’t catered for. Thank xrist they exist. The west is lost.
Isn't it because there is less foreigners ? Or complicated logistic issues ? And how variative is their traditional food ? Being bored eating isn't a virtue. The west isn't lost, but i can point a few western countries that have indeed bad quality food habits overall

It’s a slippery slope once outside influence takes over.
I don't think baguette bread is making Khmer ladies fatter, but surely eating kebabs or burgers on a regular basis doesn't help.

I hope they keep the prices of products like Nutella high.
Me too, as it is disastrous on a global scale. Burger King isn't such an upgrade too. But western noodles is a nice alternative to asian noodles for noodles-interested people. I enjoy Khmer jasmine rice in France, although i often cook it in non-asiatic ways, same goes for Angkor beer which tastes better to me than my local beers. I don't abuse of them though, but then, i had a reasonable education about food. In Cambodia...well they come back from nihil (frying insects etc, surviving with very basic mean), so going to the full extreme the next generations was somehow predictable. Fear of lacking stuff, skinny poor people stigma make some go fat, lack of nutrional education, of just lack of care, chaotic habits...
Snacks eating culture is indeed a issue, and the system to sell them (franchise corner shops, 7/11 etc) lures consumers into it, but the problem isn't it to allow such businesses to get in, before blaming the locals to try it (and eventually becoming addicted to it) ? If the people don't know anymore what is healthy, shouldn't the competent ministries thinking about it for their people when reconstructing the market ? The food culture seems shrunk, isn't it a matter of education, again to be discussed in the competent ministry ? Why blame the people willing to offer a larger choice, or the people hoping for it ?


Sorry for the underscores, i'm not shouting ! Just easier to answer point per point.
I think we agree for the worst industrial products wherever they come from, but who wants to go 100 % local food and recipes for a decade ? Try to sell that idea to the asians living abroad, they won't drop their charming recipes and go 100 % potato, lard and cauliflower just because that's the local grub...