Growing up in Thailand I remembered our family never having to buy rice, consider rice is the largest consumed calorie source in every meal. We would eat rice along with our meal at least two times a day, lunch and dinner. We were very lucky to have a grandfather that own and run rice farm. By supporting the local economies, the rice, after harvested were then sold at the town market throughout the year. As for the husk and the bran layers (which removed from the rice grain), some portion of the husk were use as food source for cows and water buffalos. The rest of the husk were treated as fertilizer or sold to the mushroom farm. As for the bran layers, were fed to the livestock such as pigs, chickens and ducks. This is consider as waste as resource. Since my grandfather past, all his properties were then divided to all of his children (eleven of them including my mother). Part of the rice field are now an alcohol brewing factory, thank to all of my uncles’ contribution to the social capital gain and so much with the cultural preservation. At some point when I go back to Thailand, I would have to buy rice to eat but I may not have to pay for the alcohol.
If anybody would like to read up on other culture preferably Thailand, I would suggest checking out Thai-blogs on website below. The blogs was written by a gentleman name Bill Grimson. Bill is an Australian man when to Thailand back in 1977 and fell in love with the people and the culture. The particular part of Thai he is talking about is called Issan which is northeast of Thailand, the same area I came from. In his blogs you will see where he talks about social equity, community, fundamental needs, cultural preservation and more…
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