Week 3

It is so crazy to realize that we've been here for going on three weeks now. In some ways it feels like I have been gone forever, and in others it seems like I just arrived here in Bangkok.

I am sitting in Coffee Today drinking my Thai Tea and eating a waffle, something that has become a vital morning ritual. They say that culture shock results from the interruption of every day routines, and the absence of things familiar; so I very quickly established some routines in my Thai life, and Coffee Today is an important one.

It is the little things that keep you going everyday. Starting each day with my waffle and a good hour of alone time is important; along with evening runs through King's Park, and the knowledge that there is a Dairy Queen within walking distance of my apartment. Too many nights have ended with an Oreo Blizzard from the DQ.

Rice has become an integral component of my diet; it's pretty much the foundation of every meal here. Sticky rice is pretty much my favorite, it's just like regular rice, but kind of clumped together, and somehow that makes it taste better.

Despite the DQ, I've definitely been losing weight since I arrived here. Yet, somehow I've never felt more consistently full on a daily basis. It has to be all the rice. It expands in your stomach.

The crazy thing is, whenever we have American food (2 or 3 times now) I always feel so gross afterward: sickly full; lethargic. I've been thinking a lot about food lately. Fastfood is just horrible for you; it's poison, and I don't understand why I ever eat it. You should check out this link and just read a bit about the fastfood industry. Anyone who sells food that contains the same chemicals as silicone caulk... well, they shouldn't be allowed to do business.

It just makes me sad to realize how toxic our food is becoming, and how much waste is created by the food industry; add in the fact that millions of Americans are dumping their unused drugs into their toilets and drains, thereby contaminating the water supply with hormones and chemicals... It is just overwhelming to realize it is almost impossible to be healthy in this day and age. We've decided we want everything as fast, cheap, and easy as possible, and as a result we are killing ourselves and our environment.

You guys know me; I am not some crazy environmentalist, but once you take a step back and look at our culture, you can see how ridiculous it really has become. I can't help but wonder what God would say about all of this mess. We know that chemical companies that dump their waste into rivers are wrong, and we prosecute them, and yet we do nothing as millions of food items are served with dangerous chemicals as ingredients. Did you know that the "bacon" served by McDonald's has 18 "ingredients"?

Sorry guys, I promise to post something more relavant soon. I'm not really sure how this turned into a thing about food, but it has just been on my mind for the last few days. I have been thinking a lot about Jesus, and his life and death, and what that means to me. I'll write about that next time. ;)