So, we’re in Thailand and of course we’re still loving it large, so I’m not going to write a post about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it like the other 3 Edventurers. Instead, I’ve been observing the foods, eating and washing habits of our southeast Asian friends.At home, I’m always banging on to Henna and Arlo “Put your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right hand, use both at the same time and cut. Spending time away has made me realise my efforts were futile and pointless… We wanted to experience what it’s like for other cultures and eating, washing and trying new foods are all included in that experience.

In Sri Lanka we assumed we’d be laughing, we all love curry and especially dahl & rice (cost around 60p!) but after three weeks of dhal & rice, we realise we don’t like it as much as we thought. The SL’s have dal at breakfast, dinner and tea. We all struggled with the lack of fresh veg, both cooked in curries and the crunchy raw kind. SL’s eat a lot of mango and coconut but again, we missed the apples, oranges, kiwis etc. The kids didn’t like the bananas – they were “Too sweet!” (Can you imagine a banana being too sweet?) I really struggled with the amount of bread/ roti/ egg roll/ white rice/ carbs we consumed in SL, I was bloated and weighty. I felt like it just sat in my tummy, I struggled to poo regularly and you know how I feel about a healthy gut and how a good digestive system is the key to a happy life. Which leaves me to my next observation…the squirty wash hose that’s next to every toilet – we love it and have said if we ever have a new bathroom we’ll install one. No need for toilet paper clogging up the loo, just squirt your front and back bums and not only are you super clean but you’re fresher too. Now this goes with the ‘only eating with your right hand’ business which we’ve not got the hang of so we still wash our hands thoroughly after going to the loo.

I was moaning about H & A not using a knife and fork properly, well, in SL they use their hand(s) to eat, this of course delighted the kids because they’re always shoving food in the faces with their hands – and when in Rome… it’s a real art to be able to eat dhal and rice with your hands.

Now in Singapore, it’s totally different method of eating, it’s more of a shovelling technique, which suits me fine as this is how I eat in private however in Singapore you’re not in seclusion, you’re in a fancy restaurant and our Singaporean friends have their heads in their bowls and are literally throwing the food into their faces with their mouths open wide in the hope of catching a mouthful as it flies by. There’s no shame or embarrassment here, just sheer enjoyment as it gets piled in – I love it.

The food in Singapore is much more to our taste, fresh vegetables, loads of tofu and a choice of 50 types of noodles/ rice – and we’re happy to shovel it in too. They still have the squirty bum wash thing but I get the feeling that’s more to accommodate tourists, correct me if I’m wrong. Chinatown Hawker Market was the cheapest place to eat, we got 4 meals for $8 (£4.50).

Thailand – forks and knives are for tourists, they seem to mainly use a fork and spoon, the fork is to push the food onto the spoon, of course the kids love this too – anything that’s opposes my “Use your bloody knife & fork” chant. We still have the squirty bum wash too – heavenly on a 30* day.

Now I think we can all agree on the deliciousness of Thai food so we are in nirvana here, loads of fresh veg and fruit, rice and noodles if you want it but there’s really no need for us veggies as there’s so much choice. Everywhere we’ve eaten has been fantastic. We’ve eaten posh and we’ve eaten from a pancake stall on the street touted from a motorbike with a trailer on and both were great. A meal out at a Thai restaurant in the UK would set us back an easy £50, here it’s nearer to £20, with a street stall Pad Thai costing around B100 = £2.25.

In all 3 countries so far the foods have been extra salty and extra sugary but I think our family tastes it more because at home we never eat (added) salt and are so tight with the sugar that are kids will be calling Childline once they’ve figured out how to use the phone.

So I’ll finish this post with a healthy gut, clean digestive track and a spotless bum.