Fake Food

Like fake news, Bangkok is inundated with it

Over the years, I have raved about the quality of food in Bangkok as well as the quality of the food in our own health care facilities and restaurants.  Bangkok is famous for its street food and regular restaurants.  However, in a January 2017 post, I did comment on the sugary fast food places that one sees more often in malls and on street corners in Bangkok.  There has been a proliferation of fast food chains like MacDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and many other brands.  It seems like Thai taste buds are being re-engineered because of the addictive quality of the ingredients in the foods served by these chains.

And in another blow to traditional and wonderful Thai cooking, I’ve just learned that the first Taco Bell will be opening shortly in Bangkok.  There are Mexican restaurants in Bangkok and even Tex-Mex restaurants.  Actually, Bangkok has just about every nationality covered when it comes to restaurants, but Taco Bell is not a Mexican or Tex-Mex place, it’s a fast food dispenser and a pretender.  

The relentless march of fast food joints in Bangkok prevails.  The weird thing is that these joints are always more expensive than the local varieties.  So you get to pay more for food that tastes worse and is not good for you.  Go figure.

In an era of fake news, we are now seeing fake food take over parts of the world where food has always been real. It’s sad.