Post Trip Reflections

In Singapore, the aptly named rat race starts the moment you are born. The best milk formula, the best hospital, the best pre-school. The list goes on and on.

So where does this all end? And what are we striving towards?

Sabai-sabai. Being happy. This forms the basis of the Thai lifestyle. It is so apparent in their way of life with every smile and every gesture of goodwill. Before the trip, I was so caught up in trying to hone my skills in conducting interviews and to take note of body language in order not to cause any offence. I had implicitly assumed that they would be cold and unwilling to provide me with my answers, and was mentally prepared to be shunned by people that would probably be annoyed with these salespeople again (the typical reaction of a Singaporean when approached by people who seem to want to ask questions). How very wrong was I. Every time I approached a Thai I was greeted by their warmth and hospitality. They absolutely had no incentive in helping us, even sacrificing their own precious time in order to help us. But they do it with such genuine love and compassion.

Also, we all get so caught up in the nitty gritty: the calories, the number of hours of exercise, the glycaemic index that we tend to forget why these all matter. It all boils down to our health, or for some, beauty. But I think that these are not the end, these are merely means to an end, and the end is that we all want to be happy. And it seems so elusive to us busy Singaporeans who seem to be always striving for something. Why the rush and why the chase?  Why not slow down, be mindful of our surroundings, and express gratitude over what we have. Of course, this seems overly simplistic. But often it is the simplest of things that makes us the most content, and fulfilled.

Well of course, I’m not saying that we should just slack off. In contrast, while thinking about another point I had made in my pre-trip reflection, I also learnt about the vastness of the world, and just how naïve I was back in sheltered Singapore. I had the impression that Chiang Mai, being located in the northern part of Thailand, was generally not well to do. What a surprise it was when I witnessed the development of boutique shops and the café culture there, and to top it all off the grandiose Maya Mall which was indistinguishable from Ion Orchard. The sense of security that we have in the ever-efficient, first world Singapore can be deceiving. The world is catching up. And if we start buying in to that false sense of security and rest on our laurels we would certainly be overshadowed by the world in the future.

Now, what I had just mentioned seems to be contradictory to my previous point about happiness. Didn’t I just beg all of us to slow down? Let me explain. In essence I feel that the most important thing is striking a balance. Yes, we should continue to work hard, but we should always constantly reflect on what is it that we are working so hard for. Yes, our livelihoods are important, but life is more important than that~

From a research standpoint, the trip has certainly enlightened me regarding nutrition in Chiang Mai, how it was traditionally and the trajectory in the future. The laid-back lifestyle of the Thai people certainly affects the way they view nutrition, and thus they are not particular about the nutritional labels as compared to the actual taste of the food for which they seem to place most emphasis on. The key takeaway is that taste and convenience still play the major role in their nutrition, and this seems to deviate significantly from that of Singapore where taste, though important, has decreased in relevance as we move towards being increasingly affected by western ideals of beauty and general well-being.

It is also interesting to note that the government in Thailand seem to not place emphasis on food education at all despite its many ramifications to the economy (in terms of how healthy the workforce is) as well as the general well-being of the people. Campaigns seem to not be well thought out and even when they are implemented, they only have temporary effect. This led me to reflect on how we have taken for granted of our own government. Of course our government has its own flaws, and we begin to lambaste them for so many other things without. We should feel blessed for the simple things that we take for granted, such as our security. More pertinent to my topic, we might also have taken for granted our health education.

Lastly I would like to end off by expressing my sincere gratitude to all who have made this trip possible, especially to Prof May, Prof Natalie, Lukpong, Patt, Mohn, my seniors Chloe and Yi Jin, and last but not least my wonderful group of nutritionists who, hell or high water, were always there to support me when I needed them most.

Brave on Nutritionists! An A+ awaits! (hint hint to professors XD)