Most Baffling Thai Service

[WitawatWatawit]

A couple of favourites:

1 - My young daughter, who is clearly caucasian (but dark skinned), and I often go out for a meal to do a bit of father/daughter bonding. I do all the ordering in Thai. When the bill arrives, the waiter/waitress looks at us both (at which point you can clearly see the neurological thought processes grinding to a halt) and decides to give it to my daughter. Alai? Gives us lots of laughs. Same happened with my ex-GF - Singaporean Chinese. I explained very carefully to the Thai waiter that she can't speak Thai, so please talk to me. But the waiter refused to talk to me and kept directing his comments to my GF, while I had to translate. Very bizarre. Go figure that one out.

2 - In the very outer suburbs of Bangkok on a motorcycle tour, I stopped at a small shop to buy some things. The poor young lass behind the counter was clearly nonplussed at having to deal with a farang, so I tried to put her at ease by chatting to her in Thai. I got the usual monosyllabical answers, but there were no communication problems. Until I asked her for the bill in Thai. Oops. She then went running out the back of the shop and I had to wait for several minutes until she could find some guy to come out and say 80 baht in English. Again, go figure.

No wonder I don't want to go back to farang-land. Too predictable.

[yabaaaa]

The pre-sugared coffee is another one that gets me. No choice is offered . Happened again to me in S & P last week.This was the first time (and last) i will ever go there. I took a mouthful and almost spat it out everywhere. I called the waiter over and told him there was too much sugar in there and he just grins stupidly so my gf explains the problem so he calls another waiter over and the story is repeated. More stupid grins. Ask for the manager and explain again that we didn't order coffee flavoured sugar, just a cup of coffee and could we have it re-served with no sugar in it this time. The manager of S & P then tells us it was all our fault because we did not specify when we placed the order that we did not require sugar in the coffee.

Makes no odds what u ask for, I always ask for NO ICE in my drinks and my wife tells them again.................. ice usually comes

[yabaaaa]

<!--quoteo(post=3657285:date=2010-05-31 13:40:30:name=bangon04)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bangon04 @ 2010-05-31 13:40:30) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3657285"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=3655530:date=2010-05-31 11:58:48:name=Geekfreaklover)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Geekfreaklover @ 2010-05-31 11:58:48) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3655530"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Baffling: Explaining (in English,Thai and Hindi) to the mobile Indian nut peddler at On Nut market that I don't want any of his nuts as I am allergic to nuts on an almost daily basis for over a year drives me nuts. Almost.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Trouble is that Farang all look the same.....

Like refusing the TukTuk driver who offers a trip to a massage parlour - 4 times a day, every day.

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Persistance overcomes resistance....

This is true just keep standing there and asking for whatever it is over and over and over and over and ...........

[NanaFoods]

I find it amusing when going to a restaurant and sitting down the wait staff immediately comes standing at your table waiting for you to order when you have yet to look at the menu... If with friends I tend to just chat away with the friends without even glancing at the menu while looking at the wait staff until they leave.. Geez give me a few minutes to decide, what you got and what I want.

I think they are just too lazy to go and wait, them come back again.

I just go about my business as usual - converse with friends, casually take my time reading over the menu - completely ignoring them.

I won't even look them in the eye. Just basically reject their "pressure" to order quickly, until they figure out they should probably come back.

....and speaking of service, what do you all do when a Thai cuts in front of you while you are waiting in queue for something?

I'm on high-alert for this bit of BS every time I stand in a queue - most often at 7-11. As nonchalantly as possible, I'll position myself between the encroacher and the counter. If the encroacher somehow snakes their items onto the counter before me when my queue is up, I'll just sweep theirs aside and place mine on the counter, then look the clerk in the eye with a smile as if to say "you know what to do". If the clerk takes the encroacher's order before me, I just leave my stuff on the counter and walk out. I've had to do this twice.

Edited June 13, 2010 by ChefHeat

[NanaFoods]

The pre-sugared coffee is another one that gets me. No choice is offered . Happened again to me in S & P last week.This was the first time (and last) i will ever go there. I took a mouthful and almost spat it out everywhere. I called the waiter over and told him there was too much sugar in there and he just grins stupidly so my gf explains the problem so he calls another waiter over and the story is repeated. More stupid grins. Ask for the manager and explain again that we didn't order coffee flavoured sugar, just a cup of coffee and could we have it re-served with no sugar in it this time. The manager of S & P then tells us it was all our fault because we did not specify when we placed the order that we did not require sugar in the coffee.

I have had to re-learn how to order beverages here.

Example:

I love Thai ice tea, used to make it all the time in the States (got imported spiced Thai tea at the Asian market). When I first arrived in Thailand, i ordered "cha yen" (Thai ice tea). It came so thick and sweet that it could have been poured over pancakes.

OK, so next time I order "cha yen, mai wan" (Thai ice tea, not sweet). I received another sickeningly sweet ice tea. I thought &lt;deleted&gt;? I told the staff that I ordered "mai wan" but it still came "wan mak". After some back and forth babbling, it seems their concept of "mai wan" is "only" putting 4 tablespoons of sugar in it, instead of 5.

So, I finally figured out the correct way to order what I want is "cha yen, mai sai namtan" (ice tea, no sugar).

For the tea, this still does not mean "sugar free" - they just don't add the pure sugar.

There is still sugar in the sweetened condensed milk they add - but it comes out just right for me.

In your case, to get what you want, you must learn to order "cafae dam, mai sai namtan" (black coffee, no sugar).

Then you can adjust it to your liking, if at all.

Edited June 13, 2010 by ChefHeat

[actiondell4]

I'm on high-alert for this bit of BS every time I stand in a queue - most often at 7-11. As nonchalantly as possible, I'll position myself between the encroacher and the counter. If the encroacher somehow snakes their items onto the counter before me when my queue is up, I'll just sweep theirs aside and place mine on the counter, then look the clerk in the eye with a smile as if to say "you know what to do". If the clerk takes the encroacher's order before me, I just leave my stuff on the counter and walk out. I've had to do this twice.

Actually if someone pushes in before at a 7/11 like they did recently in Pattaya,A young thai male and his gf ,i just let them go.

The alternative was to get into an argument with him and its possible i would have got violent with him,but was it really worth it.

Had it been more than 15 years ago when i was young and stupid i may have retailated which just got me into trouble..........a lot.

In your in another country and someone pushes in at a 7/11,dont think of it as like they had a victory over you,think of them as either rude or someone that is extremely lucky you are there and possibly someone like me several years ago who may have stabbed them.

Obviously if someone pushes in front of me in a queue in a post office it would be different .

You must remember that to someone who pushes in front of you in a queue ,it may be their only "victory" for the day.

It may have made their day so dont be bloody heartless and take the pleasure off them.

[NanaFoods]

I'm on high-alert for this bit of BS every time I stand in a queue - most often at 7-11. As nonchalantly as possible, I'll position myself between the encroacher and the counter. If the encroacher somehow snakes their items onto the counter before me when my queue is up, I'll just sweep theirs aside and place mine on the counter, then look the clerk in the eye with a smile as if to say "you know what to do". If the clerk takes the encroacher's order before me, I just leave my stuff on the counter and walk out. I've had to do this twice.

Actually if someone pushes in before at a 7/11 like they did recently in Pattaya,A young thai male and his gf ,i just let them go.

The alternative was to get into an argument with him and its possible i would have got violent with him,but was it really worth it.

Had it been more than 15 years ago when i was young and stupid i may have retailated which just got me into trouble..........a lot.

In your in another country and someone pushes in at a 7/11,dont think of it as like they had a victory over you,think of them as either rude or someone that is extremely lucky you are there and possibly someone like me several years ago who may have stabbed them.

Obviously if someone pushes in front of me in a queue in a post office it would be different .

You must remember that to someone who pushes in front of you in a queue ,it may be their only "victory" for the day.

It may have made their day so dont be bloody heartless and take the pleasure off them.

"Bloody heartless"??

Don't be such a bleeding heart, mate.

And don't assume I am indiscriminate.

If it's an obviously mentally ill bag-lady, or children, etc....of course I let it go.

It also depends on whether or not I am in a rush, or the whether the queue is long or short.

But, If while I am waiting in line, I see some Thai hi-so drive up in his BMW, and immediately cut in line...

Homey don't play that.

Clearly, this is not his only "victory" for the day.

It's not about "teaching the rude people a lesson" - more about training the clerk.

I'm reasonably sure I'm not the only one who objects to the encroachers.

My local 7-11 clerks now seem more watchful of the queue, and actually seem to keep order on their own.

I've witnessed them telling encroachers to "law sakroo" lately.

Edited June 13, 2010 by ChefHeat

[Hawkup2000]

A couple of favourites:

1 - My young daughter, who is clearly caucasian (but dark skinned), and I often go out for a meal to do a bit of father/daughter bonding. I do all the ordering in Thai. When the bill arrives, the waiter/waitress looks at us both (at which point you can clearly see the neurological thought processes grinding to a halt) and decides to give it to my daughter. Alai? Gives us lots of laughs. Same happened with my ex-GF - Singaporean Chinese. I explained very carefully to the Thai waiter that she can't speak Thai, so please talk to me. But the waiter refused to talk to me and kept directing his comments to my GF, while I had to translate. Very bizarre. Go figure that one out.

That is maybe somewhat similar to what I often expirience when I'm out with my girlfriend. I talk to the waitress/seller and pay but most times they give the change to my girlfriend.

[loong]

That is maybe somewhat similar to what I often expirience when I'm out with my girlfriend. I talk to the waitress/seller and pay but most times they give the change to my girlfriend.

One time in Big C the checkout girl handed my change to the woman in line behind me. If the next in line had been a man, would she have given him my change?

[mca]

Years ago I turned up at Khon Kaen bus station for a bus to Bangkok. Ticket paid for in advance. The bus I was supposed to take was being repaired so I was informed I would have to buy a ticket for another bus. Inconvenient but mildlyacceptable one might think but the cherry on the trifle was they refused to give me (and all the other passengers) a refund for our original journey. So in fact we'd be paying twice.

As it turns out this "wasn't a Thai thing" as the local passengers were as irate as shit and it only got solved when one of them called the police who came and made the bus company lay on another bus using the original ticket.

[mca]

One time in Big C the checkout girl handed my change to the woman in line behind me. If the next in line had been a man, would she have given him my change?

I has that in 7-11 once. The weird thing was as I gave a grin expecting the girl to give an embarrassed smile or chuckle as she realised her mistake she looked at me as if she'd never seen me before in her life despite me handing her the money approx. 20 seconds before. Plus we were the only 2 customers.