Snack Time, All The Time

Here's the other article I wrote for the newsletter. Secret's out. 

It's almost always cheaper to buy the Thai-made snacks,
 but american snacks just taste so familiar!

During our long days of orientation our time would be punctuated regularly with elaborate snacks; plastic wrapped tiny cakes and instant coffee set out neatly on trays. Even though most of our day was spent sitting and I really didn’t need the extra calories, the snacks tided me over emotionally, and I was grateful to the program for providing it. I grew accustomed to snack time, but I figured that after orientation the snacks would cease.

False. From what I’ve observed, snacks are a big part of everyday life in Thailand. Between my roommate and I, snacks serve as tokens of appreciation. I got her M&Ms before a big exam, and she bought me wafer cookies as an apology for my being denied entry at the gym. At my homestay in the Theparak 1 slum village, the gift of a small bag of potato shapes was brought to us from the little market next door run by an aunt, and my host sisters and I snacked and chatted as the sky darkened. When we went to work with our host meh, she nourished us with bits of fruit and boxes of sesame milk.

Snacks are cheap, and they are everywhere. They’re packaged neatly, and almost always come in small portions.

Snacks also serve as a bridge for me between my American home and my new Thai home. While I’ve found some Thai favorites in terms of snacks, I’m also able to buy Thai versions of American classics when I feel a little homesick. For all of us farangs, the novelty of getting Thai iced tea, tropical fruits and grilled chicken on a stick from vendors on the street doesn’t seem to wear off. Snacks provide a common language and a social currency for all of us, American or Thai, to communicate our mutual appreciation for little treats throughout the day.