1 minute ago, Adumbration said:

Problem here is that many of the places that do include service charge in the bill do not pass it on, in full or in part, to the staff.  Especially if they are Burmese.  So on many occasions it is a scam. Even where staff to receive a monthly service charge amount on top of their salary, that amount is often fixed, for example, an extra 2500 baht on top of their salary.  If the service charge is fixed then obviously there is plenty of opportunity for skimming.  The contrary argument of course is that a fixed service charge allowance is like a minimum charge guarantee...but would you trust the accounting of your Sino Thai owners?

To be true, I really do not care, and most of the time we also tip even there is a service charge if we are pleased. 

 

On the other hand, I like to think the best of people or like here restaurants, that they need to treat their staff good, to manage to keep them. The biggest problem in Thailand is to manage to keep the good workers staying with you, and a well run restaurant, need good staff. 

On 12/31/2021 at 1:36 PM, BritManToo said:

...improved the rabbit proof chain-link...

Wow.  You have a rabbit plague in Chang Mai.  Why not just set a trap line.  You could eat them and sell the skins.  I am, of course, assuming there is no mxyomatosis.  If you are worried about the soi dogs getting caught in the traps you will have to use ferrets.

You're living with her parents, and you want to go back to the USA and live with your mom ?

 

OK ...  and you are how old ?

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That might be preferable to being left to die as used to happen ( and might still ) in non welfare countries. In a certain country I believe just being born female was a death sentence at a time in history

Hmm.  Very interesting.  Can you please provide a link to a even a single example of a country where the male life expectancy is longer than the female.

55 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

My wife had extensive hotel and restaurant experience, and gathered a decent command of English by herself, when I met her working in BKK. But even at that time, several years before Covid, tourism had already been dropping off. So she then traveled with me throughout my teaching jobs in Issan, where she picked up odd jobs.

 

Then I landed a job in BKK, so we opened a stall in a food market. She raked in 150k baht over three months. She was elated. But when the Covid cases spiked this was brought to an end. One of those bodies in the street you saw in the news wasn't far from that market. Then I got tired of that disgustingly arrogant private school, and we both got tired of the BKK traffic and commutes, so now we're with the in-laws in Issan.

 

Less income, but also much less stress, and no BKK expenses. Our food stall in the market near our village is substantially less lucrative. A 500 baht take is a good day. Then during this harvest time she's expected to be out there with the fam, cutting the rice and sugar, as they can't take the hit in profit hiring more hands.

 

One of the Japanese students I teach online said this to me, "What's your wife doing cutting rice if she can speak English?" He really hit the nail on the head. Thus, our plans are about 2 more years of this LOS adventure, then back to my mom in the Midwestern US.

 

There I've been seeing numerous job postings for hospitality or retail, where she'd really shine. I'm real lucky to have found one that likes to work. She'd start at $15/hr, rather than the $15/day she's getting now, if she's lucky. And as a qualified ESL teacher, I'd get about $5k/month rather than the $2k here. Yes, higher costs in the US, which are mitigated by living in the Midwest rather than the coasts, and having a family home to go back to. Also benefits such as social security, retirement, and my own property, which I wouldn't get here.

Just don't forget that you will be significantly less handsome when back in the US.  And you wife will be a hard 10 among all those grain fed mid west lasses.

14 minutes ago, Hummin said:

To be true, I really do not care, and most of the time we also tip even there is a service charge if we are pleased. 

 

On the other hand, I like to think the best of people or like here restaurants, that they need to treat their staff good, to manage to keep them. The biggest problem in Thailand is to manage to keep the good workers staying with you, and a well run restaurant, need good staff. 

In my humble opinion the best restaurants are always family run because all staff have skin in the game.  

2 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

In my humble opinion the best restaurants are always family run because all staff have skin in the game.  

Or terrible, as nobody in the family has a clue how to cook or run a restaurant.

Just now, KhunLA said:

Or terrible, as nobody in the family has a clue how to cook or run a restaurant.

Darwin soon takes care of those...especially post covid.

4 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

Darwin soon takes care of those...especially post covid.

Yep, lack of their ignorant tourist customer base destroyed their market share.  Along with all the other vendors that price gauged and lived off the overflow of better, well priced vendors.

On 12/31/2021 at 8:48 AM, Isaanlife said:

I even lived in a house in NYC with a backyard for $300/month because the owner wanted to support struggling artists

 

Now that makes sense. I can see where your quality of life now might be better now.

 

What makes NO sense is the fact you claim to have done everything on a list I just made up.

 

1. You stayed in the backyard for $300. Struggling artist?

 

2. You stayed with rich people with a town named after them. But no house of your own? How do you compare your quality of life now to staying in someone's house?

 

3. You live in one of the world's best ski resorts, yet you claim to live in Thailand??????? Where is the evidence? Pretty sure you don't live in Aspen.

 

4. You live right across the street from the Beach in SoCal? Was this in another backyard? Where is the evidence of your house? Renting a backyard or apartment?

 

5. Most of those so-called rich people inherited their wealth. What does this have to do with YOUR quality of life?

 

6. The happiest people in the world are often the poorest. I am pretty sure I could find 100 folks in Isaan right now that would dispute this fallacy. 

 

7. Most millionaires inherited their money and they in fear of losing it? Did a bunch of millionaires tell you this personally? I don't think so, stop making things up.

 

8. They ate spaghetti and a cheap salad for dinner. Is there a guide that states rich people can only eat certain foods? Donald Trump eats McDonalds, so what?

 

9. Give me a break with your dumb cliches. Is it odd, you claim to have done everyone of these dumb cliches?

 

10. Yes, I've eaten many times in BH at one of the world's best chefs. God, you're not very bright. If you ate a chef, you are not the bright one! What does this have to do with quality of life is better in Thailand?

 

11. Benz? That's for stupid people who want you to think they're rich? You told you this? Do you have any factual evidence? 

 

12. Most rich people drive Toyota or Hondas. You claim to have eaten in Beverly Hills. Did you see the rich, elite driving Toyota's and Honda's or Ferrari's, Bugatti's and cars you cannot even pronounce?

 

Your whole excuse is shot to h*ll

 

Instead of telling tales you have done all these DUMB CLICHES, maybe you should have posted exactly HOW the quality of your life is better in Thailand and how exactly your life is day to day?

 

PS How is the food at LaScala in Bangkok? I know you said spaghetti is poor man's food, but at 3,800 baht at LaScala, I would like your recommendation it is good enough for poor people like me? You seem to have done everything else in the world, so this would be nothing special?

 

Or maybe a recommendation at a rich person's restaurant, (since you look down on spaghetti and salad) like Le Normandie by Alain Roux. @$215 US dollars?

 

Is your quality of life up to par with eating at Le Normandie by Alain Roux, or street food?

 

 

 

 

 

Quality of life is purely subjective, but by following materialism, you're playing a game that's impossible to win. If you don't change your mindset, you might find yourself miserable one day.

10 minutes ago, misterworldwide said:

Quality of life is purely subjective, but by following materialism, you're playing a game that's impossible to win. If you don't change your mindset, you might find yourself miserable one day.

Nr 1 for quality life is Health, when you have the health you can manage to have wealth. But it doesnt necessery connect, and either of those two can give a good life, but without both, nope

 

wealth can subsidise for health, and for me, that I can live in Thailand because of my wealth gives me better health. 

 

Being in my 50íes and still live in a cold inviroment, would give my life less quality. 

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

You're living with her parents, and you want to go back to the USA and live with your mom ?

 

OK ...  and you are how old ?

Yes, I forgot that's a key point. We're both 45. I could see how this plan wouldn't be as viable if you're already of retirement age. My wife can still do 10 years of work in the US to get social security, as well as likely a 401k. And teaching in the US gets me a pension, versus the meager Thai social security I'd get here.

 

Haha, yes, living with parents both here and there. We're a generation doing such. Home prices, mortgages, out of reach of today's avg salary. I gave up worrying about this ages ago. What initially brought me to the LOS was giving up the rat race and keeping up with the Joneses, worrying about how big my place and car were, the American women turning their noses up at such, as well as my career choice in education. Yeah, living with mom. I'll take it over being homeless any day, seeing what's now filling the streets of America. Most of them, like members of my own family, burned their bridges with drugs and alcohol, while I didn't.

 

Yes, I realize certain cultures also turn their noses up at living with the 'rents, and prefer putting them away in homes, while others honor the multigenerational household and the fam taking care of each other, one of the several parallels I've found with the Asian culture and my own. Being handed down the house ain't such a bad deal either. Yeah, didn't score the corporate job, the stock options, my own mortgage, yadda yadda. I'm not dead, in prison, or on the street either, like others I know. I'll take it.

Just think if you never came here, and 25 yrs of equity building, and then you could come here now and retire comfortably.

 

Hindsight's a bitch

33 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Just think if you never came here, and 25 yrs of equity building, and then you could come here now and retire comfortably.

 

Hindsight's a bitch

I did 35 years of work hard party hard, great life full of fun experiences 

I am retired as comfortably as I need to be here, with the big bonus of not having to be concerned about a Thai lady milking me for all I haven't got ????

 

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

I did 35 years of work hard party hard, great life full of fun experiences 

I am retired as comfortably as I need to be here, with the big bonus of not having to be concerned about a Thai lady milking me for all I haven't got ????

 

Ditto, though only 25 ish yrs of fun there, so I could retire and have fun elsewhere.  Retired the same age as CrunchWrapSupreme, who I replied to ... ????

On 1/4/2022 at 7:08 PM, KhunLA said:

Just think if you never came here, and 25 yrs of equity building, and then you could come here now and retire comfortably.

 

Hindsight's a bitch

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555

 

I only retired in LOS BECAUSE of my time there before I retired.

On 1/4/2022 at 7:08 PM, KhunLA said:

Just think if you never came here, and 25 yrs of equity building, and then you could come here now and retire comfortably.

 

Hindsight's a bitch

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555

 

I only retired in LOS BECAUSE of my time there before I retired.