food orgy

I feel like a pig - and I'm not talking about my Vietnamese astrological sign. I am ordering more items on the menu. While excessive eating may be a sign of depression or stress, that is not generally my issue as I am one of the few who actually loses appetite during stress. No, my issue is the portion sizes.

While the US is known for its gluttony, obesity and large portion sizes, Vietnam seems to be the extreme on the other side of the spectrum. I find myself ordering more dishes, and while the prices per dish are significantly less, the total bill generally works out to be comparable to the US, in some cases. My friend once said that the cost of food/groceries in Vietnam are not comparable to the salaries and general cost of living, similar to real estate. Although I didn't quite agree at the time based on the initial sticker shock of cheap prices, in the overall scheme of things, she's right when you factor in the portion sizes and/or the ingredients that are used. Meat products tend to have more of the fattier rather than leaner parts of the animal. Fake eggs (the chicken or the egg dilemma) that are suspected of causing mental retardation after prolonged consumption are substituted in food in order to increase profit and/or contain rising costs. Free-range working cows and chickens have resulted in very chewy rather than tender and juicy meat.

So to get the comparable quality of ingredients or healthy dishes, one has to pay significant premiums, especially to get Australian or US beef. Whether its the additional dishes to make up for portion sizes or the unhealthy food products, I have to reign things in and modify my eating habits soon, lest I have to start working out for the first time in 20 years.