Is Falang Food too expensive in Udon

[BobHelm]

As there were some (in my belief) inappropriate comments on a sponsors thread & because I am in the UK at the minute, I thought I would start a new thread - as it is a valid question for anyone considering Udon as a retirement place.
My comments will probably only be worthwhile to another UK citizen as other countries will have a different starting price 'base' and are also probably looking at a different range of products. USA, for certain, has a far lower general starting point on food stuffs.
Well at the minute I am in quite a small village - so only 1 general store, although, of course, transport to any of the 3 nearby large towns is readily available. It has been over 2 years since I have been in UK & I must admit I was rather surprised at the prices.
Yesterday I nipped out to the shop to buy a loaf of bread. I, generally, prefer wholemeal to white so paid £1-75 (so about 96 baht) for a large loaf. I can get a small (in number of slices) wholemeal loaf in S&P bakery for 55 baht. Two small S&P loaves would certainly be slightly larger than my 1 UK loaf. So 110 baht to 96 baht didn't seem much different to me.
Asda are currently selling unsmoked back bacon at £7.88 (433 baht) a kilo. Just before I came back to UK I bought a kilo of excellent back bacon from Tang Ngee Soon for 220 baht!!
I stopped in Swindon for the night on the way over (it was half way to home & so could get there at a good time, not for cultral reasons). In the morning I had a stroll about town....Shop selling nothing but pies (with some nice fillings though). A pie was £2-20 (121 baht), so not bad in The Clock when you can have a cooked one with all the trimings for 150/170 baht!!

Just my thoughts......

[parrot]

Bob,
I buy fish sauce in the US for $1.50-$2.00 a bottle, the same bottle costs $0.75 here. Likewise, a can of US/Brit beer bought in Thailand will cost much more than it costs in the US/UK. Seems simple to me, don't know why people expect import items to be cheaper here than in the place of origin.

[LoongLee]

After checking many sources here Virginia,,,, I have always found the Thai beer Singha the most expensive of all the imported beers. I've seen it sold for $9.00 US a 6-pack. Still can't figure that one out. More expensive than all the premium imported beers.

[rick]

Prices in the UK went up a lot last year. Some items stayed the same, but others saw increases of up to 50% (ingredients imported?). if you want specific brands in Udon which are imported and have limited Thai appeal, obviously it will cost a lot more. Also i would expect it to be more expensive than Pattaya, because of the smaller volumes and extra transport up from the ports. If you really miss specific brands that much, you will pay.

I am willing to try local brands (within reason) and adapt my eating habits to match what is available; probably spent about 25% more on falang style items when i was last there compared to UK; but mainly eating out as no home yet. Actually, the lack of variety of falang style snacks (biscuits, crisps, sweets) is a god send for the waist line!

[Galee]

Have a look at the prices on this link:-

http://www.iceland.co.uk/page/view/frozen_food

Pizzas for 80baht, Lasagna for 55baht, plus lots of other cheap food. Eating in the UK can be cheap. If these products can be sold in the UK for these prices, why can't they be sold here for a similar price.? These items do not need to be imported and can be made locally. So, yes, I say we do pay too much.
The problem arises when the food has to be imported, and as Jon has previously pointed out, there are a lot of overheads included in importing Falang food.
We can't have it both ways. If we want imported Falang food we have to pay extra for it. For some other locally produced Falang food I think we are ripped off.

[arjay]

Yep, I'd have to agree with Galee on that one.

If things have to be imported then understood they are likely to be more expensive. But many things don't and should be cheaper here (in UT) than they are. Sandwiches for example.

[Roy]

My pallet has adapted to Thai cuisine and if I left Thailand I would undoubtedly miss it more than I ever have English food but that said I do have a weakness for Branston Pickle. Is it expensive compared to UK prices?, of course it is but it is one of the few things I don't really care about cost, I love it.
Bit like a dowry or g/f allowance, if you think its worth it, you will pay it and if you think its worth it must follow by definition that's its not expensive.

[beer monkey]

I have just purchased a Frey Bentos 'Classic' steak and kidney pie (475grms) at the grand price of £1 sterling....i said i would try another one so kept my word, will report on the quality as and when i consume it...will cook it as per instructions this time.

[banpaeng]

As no specific food item was mentioned that should be made locally, I will only comment in general. If a product has any kind of spice or grown ingredient, then the flavor will always be different. I will only say I feel it is the type of soil the product is being grown in. Fragrant rice is being grown in Texas that was imported from Thailand. It taste different if grown here and in my opinion not as good.

Spices really show up in taste if grown in different regions. We tried to cook Mexican food using locally grown spice. It was not the same. I brought jalapeno pepper seeds to Thailand, grew them, but they tasted good but not the same. Yes somethings move and some don't.

Here is the US wife and I watch the Food Network channel on TV. We see may times where one of the chefs will highlight that a certain spice came from a special place to make the taste he is trying to come up with.

I have not eaten a Branston Pickle but will ask if one imports the spice form where these are made, could they be made or would the locally grown cucumbers affect the outcome.

[wiking]

yes, farang food is expensive - but the farang and his wife need more money, as if it was only own by thai,
therefore, they has to calculated very high

water buy 7 baht sell 20-25 thai sell for 10
beer buy to 20 sell 50-60 thai sell for 25

and then most take crazy 30 baht for a cup coffe, cost 5 baht

and than they wunder, that their place are empty

why has no farang who open, try to sell to a little bit more than thai price and get both thai and farang in.

[Prenders88]

Yes Falang food is more expensive, then I realize the logistics involved which bump up the price.

I don't really care, and don't think about the price, I just apprieciate that I can get some of my favourite foods in Thailand.

[BobHelm]

I forgot to mention that on Friday, while in Cheltenham, I dropped into a pub for a bite to eat.
Chose sausage & mash - that was what I got, 2 sausage, mashed potato & some gravy - £8.50 or 467 baht. It is of course the high cost of labour in UK, but still.....

[Roy]

Bloomin eck Bob 8.50 for sausage and mash and you didn't even get some peas or beans thrown in
Kinda puts things in perspective really.

[BobHelm]

and you didn't even get some peas or beans thrown in

Not a bean (as they say)
This is, so my sons tell me, one of the couple of places that actually seems to do good business in Cheltenham. The hotel I stayed in Swindon had breakfast (I was booked in room only) - at £15-00 (825 baht) I thought I would give it a miss....

[Galee]

I forgot to mention that on Friday, while in Cheltenham, I dropped into a pub for a bite to eat.

That was mistake No1 Bob.
Mistake No2 was not having sausage and mash at home for 50Baht.

[Roy]

I have not eaten a Branston Pickle but will ask if one imports the spice form where these are made, could they be made or would the locally grown cucumbers affect the outcome.

banpaeng Branston Pickle is a kind of chutney much revered by us English folk and is great with cheese or cold meats. I have been known to eat it by itself on the odd occasion
Sure Chutney is easy enough to make but IMHO it will never come close to the sublime taste that is Cross & Blackwell Branston Pickle

[pienmash]

After reading of a breakfast in the UK at 15 quid and sausage n mash 8 quid just put it in perspective that the Chern chim grill brekkie at 155bt and the cumberland double fatboy sub at 100bt are pretty good value.
I have stated on the CC thread the logistics of getting imported stock on the shelf in Udon its a nightmare and costs a fortune so yes farang food is expensive in Thailand but i do try to keep the prices as competitive as poss.

chz jon

[banpaeng]

Thanks Roy, I should have done a bit more investigation. My comments were only to say that making things locally that one is used to in their home will most likely turn up a bit different. To get what you are used to will cost a bit more sometime. As Bob has pointed out some are cheaper in Thailand.

[wazza]

Bob on the Run

Think its a no brainer now, some expat food is cheaper in Thailand, if its made here, etc, once imported by container or air freight, then we must accept to pay higher prices.

I can tell u that a BK angus double special with bacon, chips and a soda based coke, is 10 GBP ( 550 b ) at Gatwick, only 260 odd at Swampy, but the boof is probably local german / thai etc.

Dont suppose u got any tickets to the 1 dayers Bob ?? I need a price on what VB costs in the UK

[BobHelm]

Left the ticket concept for another day (like if England look like winning one). The batting has been dire - but that is another thread
VB is available UK - because of the Ashes.....story
http://www.talkingretail.com/products/d ... -here.html
Only place that is mentioned in the piece that seems to have it is Majestic on line - there it is £24 for 24 bottles of 375 ml. So £1 a bottle & not cheap, but about on par with the other beers they sell...In most pubs a standard lager (Fosters for example) is £3 a pint (165 baht). The quality stuff can be up around the £4 a pint (220 baht).