‘Even the Deities Drink Pepsi’: Dietary Change in Contemporary Thailand
Dr. Bhensri Naemiratch, School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine
Monash University (Caulfield Campus)
Thailand has experienced profound changes from the impact of modernisation and urbanisation. Changes in taste, food preparation and consumption, concomitant with changes in residence, work and activity levels, are reflected in increases in the incidence and prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases. The aims of this paper are to describe and analyse the impact of and to reflect on the importance of the economic and social context of modernisation and urbanisation on people’s health and well-being, with particular attention to dietary change. Data are drawn from ethnographic research conducted in Bangkok with adults with type 2 diabetes, with attention to their understanding of the disease and their ideas related to changes to diet. Participants asserted that food today tastes sweeter than food that they ate when they were young. All participants relied on cooked food bought from outside home, which they acknowledged was “tasty but risky”. Participants were well aware of the increased use of sugar in prepared foods, and questioned the correlation between sweeter foods and health. Data suggested that there was a trend towards the consumption of food with a sweet taste, thus reflecting the type of food that is commercially available regardless of individual taste preference. With modernisation Thai people have also come to appreciate the convenience of buying prepared food, with a consequent change in taste. Thailand is also an important tourist destination with food clearly being a key element of the tourist experience. The Thai government has promoted the country with the slogan “Thailand is the world’s kitchen.”
