Culinary Racism (by Thais Against Farangs)

[ajarnmark]

If you cannot read a Thai language menu....eat Western food. Or, you could launch into a 8900-word diatribe in Urdu about the racism of Farengi against Vulcans on the star system XYZABD.

Do you know how to write Urdu?

[Etrigan]

.... I go REGULARLY because they know me and I have TRAINED them ....

Excuse me, what exactly are we discussing here? Your dogs or the unfortunate hard working minimum wage youngsters trying to work their way to something better by serving food (they probably couldn't afford themselves) to an aggressive and unreasonable alien who lives in their country who believes white is might and thereby never bothered to learn the language which caused all this conundrum in the first bloody place.

You are complete f*****g ignoramus and when karma gets you, hopefully you will realise what an arse you have been all along.

[madjbs]

this thread is sad, so sad.

Agreed, and these threads always come from the very same people.

Edited May 28, 2008 by madjbs

[Naam]

Ah, he's actually not a troll, troll-like yes, he see's conspiracies in every interaction, racism around every bend, and the baht bus mafia ... don't get him started, from art dealers that wouldn't let him use their pencil, to whether waiters were insulting him behind his back, his posts starting to reveal his growing paranoia, the baht bus cartel grows increasing annoyed Jing, RIP

there... there... whenever i'm through with the cartoons in my daily newspaper i look in ThaiVisa for new topics "Jingthing origin". he's not as good as Hägar the Horrible or "WeHo" but still... quite amusing.

until now i consider "culinary racism" his masterpiece

p.s. i hope there's more to come!

[TheDon]

I went to a Thai restaurant today and the had a fork and spoon? Why are they being racist to me?

I wanted to use chopsticks, asians use chopstick, Thai's are asian so why did they not give me chopsticks?

They must of been racist to me. Also they gave me a napkin and not a roll of toilet paper. How racist is that??

When I had to go to the toilet, there was a western toilet there? why do they assume I want to use a western toilet? must be that racist thing again?

[ludosiam]

First of all there are good and bad restaurants, like everywhere in the world, so choose one that serves your taste buds. Racism would be something negative but when a cook tunes food for western taste buds he does in his mind do you a favor. If you're telling the waiter that you like to have Thai food Thai style it should be ok.

[steveromagnino]

I went to the UK once and all the food other than Indian tasted very very average.

Those english are frigging racist.

And so are the Scottish.

They insisted on me drinking whisky like non stop with them all day.

I may have been on a whisky tasting tour, but the nerve to think that all Thai people are alchoholics. How racist.

Of course, I do have to admit I am 1/2 Kiwi as well.

The Kiwi half of me wants to get hammered on beer, the Thai side wants to be drunk on whisky, and both sides want the Aussie c&*t I went with to pay for it.

F&*king racist lot those Australians, never wanting to pay for anything.

OK....who else wants me to slag them off?

[Jingthing]

First of all there are good and bad restaurants, like everywhere in the world, so choose one that serves your taste buds. Racism would be something negative but when a cook tunes food for western taste buds he does in his mind do you a favor. If you're telling the waiter that you like to have Thai food Thai style it should be ok.

No, he is not doing a favor unless the "favor" is ASKED for.

To make the IGNORANT ASSUMPTION that just because a person has white skin, that they will prefer dumbed down food, is not a favor. It is an INSULT. Now, upon reflection I do acknowledge it is an overstatement to say that this is always racism. It is indeed a prejudiced, ignorant reaction solely based on a person's RACE and as such it is morally wrong, but OK not always racism. For specific cases, you would have to get into the heads of the perps, which of course is not possible. Good day and good eating!

To illustrate, let's say a ignorant prejudiced American believed all black people loved watermelon and NBA basketball and they were hosting a black guest. At breakfast, the host trying to be helpful and accommodating serves the guest a big whole watermelon and turns on some basketball games. Stupid? Yes. Prejudiced? Yes. Ignorant behavior solely based on RACE? Yes. Racist? Well, only if the guest hates black people, which is hard to tell by this idiotic "helpful" action. Now if the guest has ASKED for these things, of course a different story.

Food for thought?

BTW, to those who took the time launch personal attacks against me for bringing up this perfectly legitimate issue, how about this ... you worry about YOUR karma, I'll worry about mine. Deal?

Edited May 29, 2008 by Jingthing

[tw25rw]

When I had to go to the toilet, there was a western toilet there? why do they assume I want to use a western toilet? must be that racist thing again?

Bet you were relieved there was no paper.

[tw25rw]

To make the IGNORANT ASSUMPTION that just because a person has white skin, that they will prefer dumbed down food, is not a favor. It is an INSULT. Now, upon reflection I do acknowledge it is an overstatement to say that this is always racism. It is indeed a prejudiced, ignorant reaction solely based on a person's RACE and as such it is morally wrong, but OK not always racism. For specific cases, you would have to get into the heads of the perps, which of course is not possible. Good day and good eating!

They're trying to make it nice for you <deleted>. Tell them you want spicey same as Thai.

[HS Mauberley]

Jingthing: You're a f*cking bell-end but even bell-ends deserve a helping hand so how's this for a radical proposal: Learn the few hundred words of Thai necessary to order some food. The amount of time you spend coming up with crap like this could more profitably be spent preparing yourself for life in the country where you have chosen to stay.

They're trying to make it nice for you <deleted>.

Don't be so naive. It's all part of the huge racist conspiracy against Whitey.

Edited May 29, 2008 by HS Mauberley

[Jingthing]

Jingthing: You're a f*cking bell-end but even bell-ends deserve a helping hand so how's this for a radical proposal: Learn the few hundred words of Thai necessary to order some food. The amount of time you spend coming up with crap like this could more profitably be spent preparing yourself for life in the country where you have chosen to stay.

They're trying to make it nice for you <deleted>.

Don't be so naive. It's all part of the huge racist conspiracy against Whitey.

What makes you think these assumptions about food preferences are still not made even to WHITE fluent Thai speakers? The implication that you have to be fluent in Thai and specifically ask for the food to be prepared in a way a mute Thai person would get without asking, more or less PROVES MY POINT! If there was not rampant prejudice, ignorance, and sometimes culinary racism going on, any person of ANY race should be getting the same food as everything else, unless something specific is asked for.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Jingthing

[uptou]

i think the problem is the fear of delivering food too spicy,which then cannot be eaten,& so returned by the farang,who possibly could not communicate how spicy he wanted the food in the first place.blah.blah..

[Jingthing]

i think the problem is the fear of delivering food too spicy,which then cannot be eaten,& so returned by the farang,who possibly could not communicate how spicy he wanted the food in the first place.blah.blah..

To repeat, there is more to this than spicy or not spicy, as already detailed on this thread.

[Dont Panic]

I have often ordered food in restaurants/foodstalls here in Bangkok and had the order shouted to the chef plus a falang on the end e.g aow nam tok pet pet mai aow mun krap……….nam tok falang.

Bloody drives me up the wall…….

[wolf5370]

Your Chinese Restaurant story may have just been that on the busy day someone else helped cook and on the slow day s/he didn't. I go to a local Thai place to my Sister's house when in the UK. If they are busy I will not eat there because when I do their food is barely edible. On a slow day (or mid week) the owner's wife cooks and the food is great!

I have been served 'farang food' (for want of a better term) several times. I used to work with a load of Indians, and one day they invited me over for an impromptu dinner/get together (OK this happened more than once, but only the first time is relevent). They are all veggies, like me, so no problem there - though they were confused by that - however, they gave me a dish that was like wallpaper paste it was so bland. The other food they placed on the floor (we all sat on the floor as the tiny 1 room flat only had a bed an a floor space) and shared. I asked to try some and they were worriedit would be too hot for me. I explained I was married to a Thai and used to chilli and tried it. I never ate the wallpaper paste, their hot food was far from what I would call spicey Thai style, but they were nethertheless surpised I ate with a gusto.

When in the UK and eating in a Thai restaurant I always order in Thai (assuming a Thai waitress!) and tell them I want it traditional not farangrelevantworried itchili style. It generally works and I get good spicyneverthelesssurprisedspicy flavoursome food.

[Dont Panic]

Sometimes when waiters comment on whether I can eat Thai food I say ‘ no it’s rank, falang don’t like your food coz it stinks like that stuff they serve in India, we all eat falang food don’t you know, I only ordered all this Isaan tucker in Thai by accident, I meant steak and chips don’t it’

[uptou]

But surely with a restaurant,or any business for that matter its always going to be about the money,even for the most racist of countries its going to be money No 1 before any racism?

And even for somebody who speaks very little thai it ain't that hard;

May waan-not sweet

May phet-not spicy

May ow phom challot-no msg

Ow phet-want spicy

[HS Mauberley]

What makes you think these assumptions about food preferences are still not made even to WHITE fluent Thai speakers? The implication that you have to be fluent in Thai and specifically ask for the food to be prepared in a way a mute Thai person would get without asking, more or less PROVES MY POINT! If there was not rampant prejudice, ignorance, and sometimes culinary racism going on, any person of ANY race should be getting the same food as everything else, unless something specific is asked for.

Are you paid to come out with <deleted> like this? Surely nobody could actually believe something as asinine as that. "Rampant prejudice, ignorance and racism" - get a f*cking grip man.

[realthaideal]

JT, I get that you're a foodie. And I get your point. I've read a few threads of yours...'Pad Thai better in USA' or something like that comes to mind. And usually you've got a good grain of truth in there, but it's provocative and irks alot of people too. It's easy to bash you and the topic, and I won't. But as a chef I will defend those that cook for you. Take a chef, or a Mom, and ask them what it's like to cook for a bunch of people day after day hoping they're gonna like what you serve them. It can be maddening. Your best dish can be disliked, and something thrown together with little care be declared brilliant. In either case (of the cook) you want to see the ppl fed and the food not returned or left on the plates. That makes a cook happy, and then in a Thai restaurant, it can save the cook's arse if uppity Farangs keep returning food because it was 'made incorrectly' - here the staff takes the loss, not the owner (Unless they're one n the same). I'd chalk your racism up to playing the odds, and trying to find the middle ground - hedging their bets. As for the Chinese Thai place, often in many restaurants you come back another day and you get cr@ppy rendition of something great the last time, or you get a $hitty cook who wouldn't know good food if it hit him in the head. So.... you know, I'll grant you your rant, and something like it happens, sure. You've got a point. But there are reasons, and I bet if you really got to know your cooks well, you could find out what they do and why, and it's not 'cause they're out to get you. If you're ever in CM, I'll take you where they serve the good food consistently!

And you keep going..... you sure get ppl talking!

[cophen]

BTW, to those who took the time launch personal attacks against me for bringing up this perfectly legitimate issue, how about this ... you worry about YOUR karma, I'll worry about mine. Deal?

How about you worrying about the karma of those minimum wage waitresses you choose to humiliate? That's really shabby behaviour.

[Jingthing]

BTW, to those who took the time launch personal attacks against me for bringing up this perfectly legitimate issue, how about this ... you worry about YOUR karma, I'll worry about mine. Deal?

How about you worrying about the karma of those minimum wage waitresses you choose to humiliate? That's really shabby behaviour.

I am not into humiliating anyone so sorry if that is how that came across. I just wanted to get my point across that I was wise to what she did and did not appreciate it, and until she more or less admitted what she did, I didn't feel the point was communicated. I also wanted her to understand the reason for the below expectation tip I gave her hoping she might learn something and not insult any future farangs who visit the way she insulted me. I do wish to go back there sometime and of course next time I will have to make a big show about Give the food you would give a Thai, which I now know is the required obnoxious behavior there to not get dumb food.

And you keep going..... you sure get ppl talking!

Thank you.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

But surely with a restaurant,or any business for that matter its always going to be about the money,even for the most racist of countries its going to be money No 1 before any racism?

And even for somebody who speaks very little thai it ain't that hard;

May waan-not sweet

May phet-not spicy

May ow phom challot-no msg

Ow phet-want spicy

I speak much more Thai than that.

Are you getting my point ... or NOT?

We should not AUTOMATICALLY because we have white skin be given dumbed down food if we do not ASK for dumbed down food. We should AUTOMATICALLY be given the default cooking style for the dish exactly the same as if an Asian person ordered it. Yes, in some but not all cases we can assume they are going to be ignorant prejudiced people and act DEFENSIVELY demanding that we not be stereotyped as to what they think a typical farang is, but we should not have to do this. There is no defense for this widespread IGNORANCE by Thai restaurants. You can attack me for pointing it out, but it is them who are showing prejudice against us.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Jingthing

[Chaimai]

But surely with a restaurant,or any business for that matter its always going to be about the money,even for the most racist of countries its going to be money No 1 before any racism?

And even for somebody who speaks very little thai it ain't that hard;

May waan-not sweet

May phet-not spicy

May ow phom challot-no msg

Ow phet-want spicy

I speak much more Thai than that.

Are you getting my point ... or NOT?

We should not AUTOMATICALLY because we have white skin be given dumbed down food if we do not ASK for dumbed down food. We should AUTOMATICALLY be given the default cooking style for the dish exactly the same as if an Asian person ordered it. Yes, in some but not all cases we can assume they are going to be ignorant prejudiced people and act DEFENSIVELY demanding that we not be stereotyped as to what they think a typical farang is, but we should not have to do this. There is no defense for this widespread IGNORANCE by Thai restaurants. You can attack me for pointing it out, but it is them who are showing prejudice against us.

The restaurant (with the best of intentions, no racialism intended) made a mistake.

GET OVER IT.

[wolf5370]

Jingthing, I think you are being flamed becase of your conviction that it is because of racism or prejadice rather than the restauranter jut trying to gve you food that you will be able to eat. Sure s/he is wrong in your case, but in the majority of cases s/he isn't and the farang gets something they can eat. without making a sudden dash for the toilet or water jug.

I owned a Thai restaurant in the UK for a few yars abut ten years or so ago. We had to tame down the dishes, both in 'heat'and sweetness. We also had to pick and choose dishes to menu because people would send back Loas Sausage etc. Its just business. We had authentic dishes too and some sold (Phad Thai for example) - some just never would or would be sent back.

I have never experienced getting poor food compares to the others at my table after making it clear I want it Traditional.

[samran]

But surely with a restaurant,or any business for that matter its always going to be about the money,even for the most racist of countries its going to be money No 1 before any racism?

And even for somebody who speaks very little thai it ain't that hard;

May waan-not sweet

May phet-not spicy

May ow phom challot-no msg

Ow phet-want spicy

I speak much more Thai than that.

Are you getting my point ... or NOT?

We should not AUTOMATICALLY because we have white skin be given dumbed down food if we do not ASK for dumbed down food. We should AUTOMATICALLY be given the default cooking style for the dish exactly the same as if an Asian person ordered it. Yes, in some but not all cases we can assume they are going to be ignorant prejudiced people and act DEFENSIVELY demanding that we not be stereotyped as to what they think a typical farang is, but we should not have to do this. There is no defense for this widespread IGNORANCE by Thai restaurants. You can attack me for pointing it out, but it is them who are showing prejudice against us.

mate, it is just you. It is a consipiracy.

Obviously they are in it with the baht bus people.

It is all part of a national policy. As a Thai citizen, we are all distributed instructions that teach us how to "screw whitey". The instructions are on the back of our ID cards. Most of the time we ignore these instructions, but then people like you come along, and gosh darn it, it is too bloody tempting.

Here is a tip. Don't eat in a touristy resturant. Actually, just don't eat at all.

[steveromagnino]

It is all part of a national policy. As a Thai citizen, we are all distributed instructions that teach us how to "screw whitey".

Oh man, I lost my copy!

no wonder I am so even minded.

Jing Thing - offer still open; let's eat, my shout, I honestly have to see this with my own eyes.

[Jingthing]

The restaurant (with the best of intentions, no racialism intended) made a mistake.

Not sure what racialism even means, but if we are treated DIFFERENTLY based on our RACE, then surely this most certainly does have alot to do with race. I don't approve and I never will. I had the same problem at Chinese restaurants in the US and I do know right from wrong, and assuming that all people of the same race have retarded palates is WRONG.

[Prakanong]

The restaurant (with the best of intentions, no racialism intended) made a mistake.

Not sure what racialism even means, but if we are treated DIFFERENTLY based on our RACE, then surely this most certainly does have alot to do with race. I don't approve and I never will. I had the same problem at Chinese restaurants in the US and I do know right from wrong, and assuming that all people of the same race have retarded palates is WRONG.

I think you are being a tad oversensitive and its actually insulting to those that have to suffer "Real" racism.

Along with other posts about Baht Buses etc I think you may be having a case of culture shock - 3rd stage

You really need to take a step back and realise where you are in mindset. These are really small bait items you are concerning yourself with.

[Naam]

It is all part of a national policy. As a Thai citizen, we are all distributed instructions that teach us how to "screw whitey". The instructions are on the back of our ID cards. Most of the time we ignore these instructions, but then people like you come along, and gosh darn it, it is too bloody tempting.

:D