Even though the economy is fairly strong, you still may want to
save money and both Asian markets and Thai food can help. For a number
of reasons, Asian markets are one of the cheapest places to buy
groceries, even many of those groceries you normally buy in western
supermarkets. Then, when you get home, you will find an average Thai
meal with rice is significantly less expensive than a meat-centric
western meal.
Asian Markets Are Almost Always Cheaper
Most Asian markets (except Japanese and Korean) are far less
expensive item for item than western supermarkets, primarily because of a
lack of branding or promotion and great economies of scale.
Unsophisticated Retail Tactics
Almost no Asian market owners spend money or time on such consumer
spending optimizers as fliers, advertising, competitive pricing
strategies, market research, information systems, shelf-space
positioning strategies, frequent shopper club memberships, or interior
decorating.
Western supermarket chains do not do these nice activities because
they like you! Supermarkets do these things to bring you in the store
and because they generate more revenue than they cost to perform. That
extra profit comes from your pocket.
Market's Economies of Scale
Economies of scale kick in in major cities with a large concentration
of Asian people. There are frequently one or two major Asian markets
that have more shoppers per square feet than any western supermarkets
I've ever seen. Visit the fresh fish counter in a major Asian stores in a
city like Boston or San Jose just to see the massive volume sold. I
remember from some market research a couple years ago, in the US, the
average Asian and Hispanic shopper buys more groceries and cooks from
scratch more frequently than the average western shopper. Volume drives
down prices.
Weak Asian Brands
Frequently, foods made in Asia are sold very inexpensively in their
home country due to weak branding, low labor costs and extreme price
competition. This bruising competition is carried abroad at every stage
in the wholesale chain keeping prices low.
Almost No Product Advertising
Asian branded products are not advertised internationally. When you
buy TV and print advertised products, like those from General Mills or
Kraft, you pay about 7% in direct advertising expenses and frequently
far more for "brand value". If companies don't spend on ads, you don't
learn the differences between brands without trying them yourself, but
you also don't have to pay for their ads.
Overall Savings
When you visit an Asian market, you will find that these factors
drive the price of many of the vegetables, fruit, fish and meat you
normally buy to 10-30% below standard western supermarket prices. When
you buy Asian products, you will frequently save even more than you
would on a comparably produced western item.
Thai food is cheap to cook
Since most Thai food is lots of rice, a little meat, some veggies and a sauce with lots of flavor, one meal is very inexpensive.
Rice, the cheap filler
If you buy your rice in 25-pound bags or more, each meal worth of
rice (1/4 cup pre-cooked rice) is about $0.03 per person. Yes, no
misprint, that's 3 cents per person per meal.
Since 1/4 cup Jasmine scented rice has ~170 calories of per meal of
pretty pure carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and some dietary
fiber, if you fill up on rice you are eating the one category of food
ever found that extends your life: less food. In studies, the only
non-GMO mice that live to be 50% older are those who eat less - actually
1/4 to 1/3 less calories than their hearty, normal-meal eating buddies.
By eating a plate of rice, you are eating a large volume of water with
some plant material and not high calorie fat.
If you're cooking a lot of rice, get a rice cooker. Rice cookers are
cheap now; a good one, with a locking lid and non-stick bowl, is $29 at
Costco, so you should be able to find comparable ones in other outlets.
With a rice cooker, what can be the most challenging part of the meal is
fast and easy. My routine is start the rice cooking in the rice cooker,
prep and cook the main courses and everything is done at the same time.
Intense Flavor Makes You Happy
If you eat or drink just the components of a Thai dish that provide
most of the flavor, you will probably have to spit it out. It will be
too salty, too hot, too spicy or too sour to swallow. However, when you
spread it over the rice, veggies and protein, that flavor dilutes and
you have something where each bite is palatable. Thai food is all about
extracting the maximum amount of flavor from each cheap ingredient: -
hot Thai peppers are $2.00 for a year's supply - fish sauce is $1.25 for
750ml - curry paste is $2-$3 for a big tub - 1 lime's juice and 1
scallion sliced thin is under $0.50
A Little Meat Gives Protein
When I shop for meat for a meal for 2 or 3 people, I normally use way
less meat than you'd think. If I buy one of those gargantuan chicken
breasts that you see at chain supermarkets, I'll use 1/3 to 1/2 and
freeze the rest. When I buy beef, I'll buy 1/4 pound even though I get
weird looks from the butcher. Tofu, the cheapest protein around, at less
than $1.00 per pound, is a common ingredient.
Having less protein is not bad for you, the USDA recommended daily
allowance of protein for adults is about 1 deck of cards worth. Most
Americans have 2-4 times that amount per day. Protein is an inefficient
energy source, so most protein eaten is just wasted.
Veggies Actually Contribute Flavor
We don't know any Thai kids who complain about eating their greens.
Maybe its genetic, but I think that it is more likely to be cultural and
preparation. In Thai food, vegetables are a unified part of a dish that
contribute positively to the flavor or are not included at all. Every
ingredient has a purpose, even each vegetable. I bet even George Bush
would eat broccoli and like it if he had
Rad Nar. Furthermore, unlike in the US, veggies are not steamed and set bare onto the table.
What does this pitch have to do with saving money? The most expensive
food you can buy ($$/cal.) is that which you, or your guests or fellow
diners don't eat and toss out.Cashing-In on the ConclusionIf it takes
cold cash and the hard sell to get you into to the Asian markets, here
you go:
With Thai food, you'll shop cheaply, cook fast, love your tongue and,
probably live longer. With any luck, you'll become addicted and keep on
saving money and eating healthily long after the recession's over.
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Why
teach your children to cook? It may seem that it will create more of a
mess than it’s worth but there are many good reasons to introduce your
children to the joys of cooking.
The first and most important place where children learn healthful attitudes about
food is in the home. Children learn best by doing, not watching, so get them involved!
As an added bonus your children will also be exposed to your family's food traditions.