The discussion of eating

My lunch, pork labp, except with sticky rice

Today we all bought lunch at the market (I had the best pork Labp ever!) and ate it in the conference room, but I was really surprised by the Bangkok eating habits. My teacher's take forever to eat and snack while the Fulbright crew eats, chats a little, then back to work. I  love it because for this month I am not going to be forced fed food or have everyone comment on how much I eat or don't eat.

Trust me, I love my teachers and our conversations, but talking about food and how much someone eats is very, very different in Thailand. If I don't eat enough all my teachers say I am too thin and ask me if I am unhappy, while if I eat too much sticky rice my teachers will tell me I am fat. If my bowl is empty at any point during lunch someone will feel the need to place more food on my plate. I want to be polite, and I know all the talk about what I am eating is the Thai way of showing love, but this month will be a nice break from the food conversation.

PS: I feel I have become very socially awkward because I can actually contribute to a lunch conversation.