Food shows difference between North America and southeast Asia

Photo Credit: jo.sau

Travelling the world is an experience that everyone should take advantage of. It gives people a chance to broaden their minds and open up to the new experiences that different cultures have to offer. When Candice Savage was asked to compare Canada to Thailand, she had a hard time picking just one thing.

Q: What would be the biggest difference between say Thailand and Canada?

Savage: There’s so many. I guess I would say the biggest difference between a country like Thailand and Canada was [the] culture shock more than anything; the way people interact with each other and the daily life of someone who lives in Thailand. But Thailand is emerging now as a first-world country in the next couple years, especially in their business, so it’s kind of hard to say.

There’s such a contrast in Thailand. You go to a city like Bangkok and it’s really becoming a big place for business and it’s really growing. There’s a lot of foreigners living there now and creating lives down there but then you go to a little island where no one really goes to and it’s just … it’s an island! Like they don’t have that type of hustle-and-bustle like we do here. Like sometimes your food will take five hours to make and it’s just part of their life. There’s no rush there’s no “we need to have this done now.” So I would say ultimately, the mentality of the people [is a big difference.] Our values are definitely still the same but the mentality is a little more laid back.

Q: How long did it take them to make your food?

Savage: It took them four hours for my meal. It was a family kitchen and they were cooking for an entire restaurant … and there were no apologies; it’s just the way life is.

K.C: How do you find people in Vancouver compared to people in Thailand?

Savage: I think Vancouver is very laid-back for a city, honestly [yet] it’s a very disconnected city. Like if you compare it to Europe or Thailand, we are much more high-strung. Imagine if it took four hours for our food to get here.

Savage has a point. Most of North America is littered with fast-food restaurants that have time frames for when their food needs to be handed to the customer. In a world full of instant gratification, it’s no wonder everyone is so impatient. A recent study has shown that it takes three minutes before people become impatient waiting for their food. That, compared to four hours, is proof enough of the difference between North America and southeast Asia. So perhaps the best advice to take away from Savage’s experience in Thailand is simply this: relax. Your food may be taking longer than it should but hey, at least it’s not taking four hours.