Family-Owned Thai Restaurant in Texas Gets Racist ‘Speak English’ Note From Customer

[zydeco]

10 minutes ago, EricTh said:

BTW, the native language in America is Red Indian speech and not English so who should go back?

Perhaps the people who use a racist term such as "Red Indian."

[gk10002000]

10 minutes ago, Genericnic said:

Same with my favorite Thai restaurant in Austin, Texas. The owner and staff are all from northern Thailand. They get a good laugh when I talk to them in my  - very bad - Thai. 

 

David

 

Ha!  One lady here is from Roi Et.  She loves to chat and shows pictures from home, that all white Wat Thai etc.  The other place in Rancho Bernardo they are from Bangkok.  Known them for 10 years now.  Her little daughter is stunning, all grown up, done with Grad school but unfortunately living in Chicago now.

[fruitman]

38 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

I'm Merican and I speak English and Apache.

 

 

Yes and you also speak a lot of nonsense about dresscode.

[car720]

49 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I'll probably catch hell for this, but in a way I tend to agree with the sentiments of the note. I learned very quickly that to truly get by in Thailand I had to learn the language. If you are living in a country whose language is different than your own, it pays to learn it. 

Your hypothesis is basically sound.  However, the problem here is that they most probably speak an equivalent amount of English compared to what you speak Thai.  Don't take me wrong,  I also speak Thai.  What is glaringly obvious here is that the note writer wants them to speak American which is totally different from English.  

[papa al]

27 minutes ago, Yinn said:

 

Ps. I can not understand Scotland people 1%.

 

EZ compared to Welsh.

[ThomasThBKK]

53 minutes ago, malathione said:

Being that so much of Texas is Spanish speaking, I always find these kinda idiots to be especially idiotic. Wonder what the perpetrator would do upon visiting New Braunfels with so many street signs in German.

I lived in NYC, went to New Brunswick in NJ, on the way to Asbury Park (some beach weekend gateway) as i am from Brunswick in germany - i thought it's a fun visit.

Sit in cafe, on phone with my mom, talking in germany - got an equally dumb comment from some us redneck that could barely speak the queens language.

Goddamn <deleted>.

[NoBrainer]

Could it be that the Author of the note was most likely upset that most of the businesses employees were illegal immigrants from Spanish speaking countries, and were just speaking Spanish.

I would think it would be cheaper to hire Mexicans, or other South Americans, than Thais, to run the business.

 

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Yes and you also speak a lot of nonsense about dresscode.

yes and i will keep on having a great time in Thailand, at immigration and the banks with zero problems.

 

in fact going to immigration and being treated like a VIP and having a great experience there is something I look forward to.

 

learn about Thai culture. and don't dress like a slob. and in fact there is a dresscode. that is why they put the signs up at immigration so they don't have to keep looking at all the slobs. i don't blame them. 

 

[4675636b596f75]

There is nothing RACIST about the note.  People here and elsewhere should learn the proper meaning of words. 

 

Substitute the word bigoted for Racist.

 

Words have meaning.

[ThomasThBKK]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

yes and i will keep on having a great time in Thailand, at immigration and the banks with zero problems.

 

in fact going to immigration and being treated like a VIP and having a great experience there is something I look forward to.

 

learn about Thai culture. and don't dress like a slob. and in fact there is a dresscode. that is why they put the signs up at immigration so they don't have to keep looking at all the slobs. i don't blame them. 

 

The VIPs don't have to visit Immigration.

 

 

[Yinn]

15 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

yes and i will keep on having a great time in Thailand, at immigration and the banks with zero problems.

 

in fact going to immigration and being treated like a VIP and having a great experience there is something I look forward to.

 

learn about Thai culture. and don't dress like a slob. and in fact there is a dresscode. that is why they put the signs up at immigration so they don't have to keep looking at all the slobs. i don't blame them. 

 

Uncle is correct this one. Any government place should dress polite. You will get good service. 

listen to Uncle.

 

 

But, not ask Uncle direction how to go Ranong. Will be lost. Sure

 

 

[Ctkong]

52 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

Speak nicely and with respect - get treated nicely and with respect

If I was the Thai taxi driver - immediate stop, open door, remove garbage, close door, drive on

I think there was a recent such case with the taxi driver dumping his garbage on the expressway. Treat the service staff politely and you will be treated accordingly. You are not thai hiso thus the service staff will not accord you deferential treatment. 

[ilms]

I don't see anywhere where it says the restaurant staff couldn't speak English at all. It's just my personal experience, but having been to Thai restaurants in several English speaking countries (many in the US), I've never encountered a situation where the staff couldn't speak enough English to get the job done (many spoke much better than that too).

 

It could also be that the staff were speaking to each other in Thai and a customer didn't like that for whatever reason. 

 

Learning a new language is a process and it can take years to become proficient. Unfortunately, many people in the US have little or no idea about something like that.

[Yinn]

35 minutes ago, NoBrainer said:

Could it be that the Author of the note was most likely upset that most of the businesses employees were illegal immigrants from Spanish speaking countries, and were just speaking Spanish.

 

I would think it would be cheaper to hire Mexicans, or other South Americans, than Thais, to run the business.

 

 

Is thai restaurant.

i think the taste will be better if thai do it.

 

if Mexican, they Mexican cook will taste better.

 

If McDonald’s, the clown can cook it.

[Ctkong]

I am a Malaysian Chinese educated in the local English school and in all my travels overseas to Europe, England ,Scotland ,America never once had I any incomprehensible  dialogue with the English speaking locals. Perhaps they took their time speaking slow and simple to non native English speakers. 

Only one time, when my midlands friend took me to his regular pub during one of my visits and his pub friends spoke gibberish English among themselves. Definitely it was not queen’s English.Upon enquiry, I was told they were speaking cockney English!

[sqwakvfr]

I lived in Texas.  In Lubbock this may not be a hoax.  West Texas between El Paso and San Antonio is like another place and time.  It has been like this long before a guy named

Trump left the golf course.  Really surprised Lubbock has a Thai restaurant.

[johnc925]

Rest assured this ignoramus does not speak for the majority of American citizens who appreciate hard work (and great Thai Food). If this was a publicity stunt (which I doubt); karma always has its day... 

[NanLaew]

Ah Lubbock... drove there all the way from Houston with my then fiancee back around 1995 to attend her family reunion. Only after we got there were we told that since I wasn't married to her or kin, I wasn't allowed to participate, meet any of the 'tribe' or allowed anywhere near the event at some <deleted> diner next to a Motel 6. After a couple of hours doing nothing in a town where doing nothing is called employment, I hauled ass. Alone.

 

Seeing my truck missing, the (soon to be ex-) fiancee called me around 6 p.m. and asked if I was hungry. I told her I had just finished eating.

 

"Where?' she asked.

"Applebee's" I answered.

But there isn't an Applebee's in Lubbock" she suggested.

I said, "I know, but there's a good one right here in Dallas."

[Radar501]

The restaurant's Facebook reply to the rude note read as follows:

 

'Someone left it at the counter at lunch today.Who ever you are,I apologize for that which I wasn’t born with.'

 

Not exactly Oxford English, but comprehensible.   If the restaurant staff's spoken English ability is equal to their written skills, then as a TOLERANT PATIENT native English speaker, I would understand what the waitress really meant when she recommended the 'FLIED LICE.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dougiemac52]

2 hours ago, zydeco said:

Could easily be a hoax. Free publicity already achieved. Not to mention sympathy patronage soon coming up.

How do they actually operate if they cannot speak English?

[Tayaout]

Nothing wrong with the message except it should have been signed. Yinn probably agree since she keep saying it's wrong for foreigner in Thailand not to speak Thai. 

[KKr]

Ignore it, sign of the times unfortunately, and unbelievably seems to be stimulated by Donald Dump.

If guest comes back serve free side dish, ped ped by Thai standards.

Water and beer "no have" finish already.

 

In  Chinese restaurant answer would likely have been " you not like here ok no come. do not waste my time"

[Regyai]

Couldn't have been penned by a true English speaker

 

They'd have writers cramp giving these out in America 

[cardinalblue]

3 farangs on table 7 and then the 2 nippon on table 5....Spoken out loud 

 

very common....

[zhounan]

two+two= fo...     RACIST!

[Scouse123]

2 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

To open a business in Thailand you must give 51% control to a Thai

 

For each work permit you must employ 4 Thais

 

but someone frustrated that nobody in an American business can speak English is racist?

 

Yeah,

 

But we do not have to bring ourselves down to the low level of those who make the xenophobic and racist laws in Thailand?

 

There are plenty from the USA working in Thailand who cannot speak Thai that rely on Thai translators to get by, yes or not? I bet they also speak English to any fellow co workers in the office who are from the States?

 

Be fair, or do you want all immigrants to sing the star bangled banner every day?

 

You are a probably a descendant from immigrants.

 

Having said all this, I find the article hardly newsworthy.

 

 

 

[steve187]

2 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

To open a business in Thailand you must give 51% control to a Thai

 

For each work permit you must employ 4 Thais

 

but someone frustrated that nobody in an American business can speak English is racist?

the only native race in the USA do not speak English, a lot of the settlers came from non English speaking countries, The USA is made up of immigrates, be they long term settlers of newer ones.

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

Is it possible that the author of the napkin note is a member of KKK? 

More likely someone who got deported from Thailand.

[Sheryl]

It is very unlikely that they do not speak at least basic English, at least most of the family.

 

We really don't know what sparked the note. Did the writer actually  have difficulty communicating with the waitress or did he jusy overhear the staff speaking Thai among themselves and resent it? If the latter, pretty mean spirited/xenophobic.

 

If the wait staff have limited Englush then that is worth being addressed by the owner (though hardly justifies the nasty tone in the note).

[LawrenceN]

2 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

...nobody in an American business can speak English is racist?

You have drawn an incorrect conclusion which is not supported by the facts stated iñ the article. The response from the business is clear and grammatically correct. At least one person there is fluent in English. It also shows hurt and confusion. Have some empathy once in a while.