If you know me, you know that I LOVE OREOS.
The reason why is because when I was little, we didn't have "junk food" around the house. Sure we always had cookies and a bowl of m&ms out "for guests" during the holidays but you could never find Cheetos or Oreos in our house.
That is why now a days, I have a few guilty pleasure foods. And all of them are the foods that were never in my house when I was little........hmmm spot a connection?
They don't have much "western food" here, but they do have Oreos. Which could be considered bad, because they're unhealthy for you, but also good because, well, because I love them.
So today I was eating Oreos. (Here they come in rolls of 10 or 12, instead of a package, which is actually super convenient.) And I was looking at the Thai writing on the package, thank goodness the nutrition facts are in Thai, and came upon some English writing. It read:
PRODUCT OF INDONESIA.
What? No! My favorite fatty- lard filled- sugar coated- artery clogging- milk loving cookie from America can't be non-America?!
But sure enough, as I read more of the writing on the once familiar blue packaging, I found out that my once All American cookie was made in Indonesia and the distributed in the Philippines.
This is almost as bad as when I found out that Nestle is a German company and not an American company.
I'm not upset, just shocked. And also a tad upset at myself for being shocked.
There comes a small sense of American pride when you walk in a store in Thailand and can spot American products. Even if they are fatty- lard filled- sugar coated- artery clogging- milk loving cookies. It's a reminder that your country has an influence on the world. And that maybe, one day, I can influence Thailand. Not in the sense that I'll be a celebrity or whatever but in the sense that my classmates, teachers and friends here in Thailand will remember me. That maybe when they walk into a store and buy Oreos one day, they will think of the silly yet awesome girl from America. Just maybe.
Or maybe they will think of Indonesia.
Hi Turi! I'm Molly's mom. She's in 3360 in Tak. She posted the link to your blog on hers. I wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog and will definitely continue to check back for more updates. You are making very sincere, thoughtful and insightful comments. I'm sure your family and friends are so happy to read your posts. Good luck with the rest of your exchange and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading my blog! I wish Molly the best on her exchange!
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