Vietnam's Low-tech Food System Takes Advantage of Decay

The food system in the industrialised world is based on mass-production, global distribution, and constant refrigeration. It requires many resources and produces a lot of food waste.

Aaron Vansintjan takes to the streets of Hanoi, where the Vietnamese practice a food culture based largely on fermentation.

Although food spoils much faster in a tropical climate, the Vietnamese will often store it without refrigeration, and instead take advantage of controlled decay. Vietnam's decentralised food system has low energy inputs and reduced food waste, giving us a glimpse of what an alternative food system might look like.

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http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2017/02/vietnams-low-tech-fermentation-food-system-takes-advantage-of-decay.html

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I haven't been able to convince my wife that we could live without a refrigerator and freezer, even though I've done so as a kid and young adult.

We live in a place where home heating and air conditioning isn't essential, so the Energy Star refrigerator in our kitchen and the Energy Star freezer in our laundry room tend to be the larger part of our electric bill.