8/8 Same Same (but Different): My First Taste of Corn

In Cambodia, there is a phenomenon of many things that are 'Same Same (but Different).'  Something is Same Same if it is an imitation that, on the outside, is a good replica of some brand but, on the inside, it is different.  For instance, I could get a pair of Same Same Birkenstocks for about 3 dollars.  If you looked at my feet, you would think that I was wearing Birkenstocks.  They have the same imprints on them; the soles look the same; everything looks like the real deal.  But if you care about substance rather than just style, then it's different.  Same Same soles are soft rather than hard, so they won't last.  The body isn't the same corky substance, so it doesn't mold to and support each individual foot.  In short, they're bad shoes.

My office took a vacation to the beach.  We were originally going to an island, but the weather didn't agree with our plans.  Also, I think the ocean gave me a fever (let's hope it's a light one).  However, one thing made it all worth it.  I had my first taste of corn.

In the US, we're taught to think that the yellow genetically modified stuff that they sell in stores is corn.  I have talked before about how much of the corn in Cambodia is the same GMO variety that comes from the US and about how the GMO stuff is worse than corn, but I never realized just how bad GMO 'corn' is. 

If I said that I was having a Coke for dinner, it would seem ridiculous because it's just sugar and water.  Well, that's what GMO 'corn' is.  The skin of each kernel tastes sweet, and there's some water inside.  That isn't corn.  It's Same Same corn.  It looks like corn -- when I first saw the cobs, I thought that it was GMO corn from the US.  But the substance of it is different.  It is stylish enough to fool consumers into eating it, but it isn't food.  It's an imitation. 

Some of the properties of GMO corn: it is high in calories and low in nutrition; it is hard to raise in climates like Cambodia that are flooded half the year, in drought the other half, and sporadically windy; it uses a lot of water, so it has high weight (and, thus, can be sold for more money).

The corn that I ate was real.  The kernels had meat rather than just water.  It was sticky.  It stuck to your teeth because there was something there.  It didn't taste like sugar.  It tasted wholesome.  I tasted corn for the first time, and it was good.