Wednesday Food Chronicle and Other Things

Firstly, I wanted to comment on a cultural phenomenon the team has witnessed so far in Bangkok. The Thai students we have been working with seem to eat a lot, and very frequently. Yet they remain slim and in shape without working out much. This has become the the envy of all Americans on the trip. Today was the first day that I truly felt Thai in my eating habits. The following is a chronicle.

10:00: two banana bread muffins
12:00: 1 lunch set with rice, boiled chicken, and spicy sauce; 3/4 of a lunch set with pork, vegetables and sweet and sour sauce
1:00: 1st Thai iced tea with milk, or Chai Nom Yin
4:00: 1 leftover lunch set with spicy fried chicken, rice and vegetables
8:00: Hoi Tod, or seafood pancake;
8:30: 2nd Thai iced tea with milk
9:00: 3rd Thai iced tea with milk
11:30: Pad See Ew with Beef

Hoi Tod seen on many streets.
Source: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/13751044145_efaa461234_h.jpg

From my observations, this might actually be on par with what Thai people eat on a daily basis. After about half a month in Thailand, my eating habits seem to have become "Thai-ified." Let's hope my metabolism has also increased a few times.

Going back to the progress the team has made on our project. Today, we started the day by reviewing the roadmap for our progress and decided that we will need to conduct a SWOT analysis, along with market segmentation in order to determine the 4P's (Place, Promotion, Product, Price) needed for launching crocodile oil products in the markets we have identified the previous day. Cornell students once again teamed up with Thai students in groups of 2 and started working. At the end of the day, after a bit of miscommunication and confusion, most groups are well on our way and are almost done with the SWOT and market segmentation. In addition, the whole team got together to prepare questions for an interview we will conduct tomorrow with Dr. Veerawat Teeranachaideekul, a professor who previously worked for an OEM company and is well versed in cosmetics marketing.

At the end of the day, we are excited for our excursion to the crocodile farm tomorrow!