River Market

[uptheos]

To be fair to them they had no idea what to charge and they were simply following standard procedure when someone orders a special order.

Dave can you clarify this please?

[theDukes]

To be fair to them they had no idea what to charge and they were simply following standard procedure when someone orders a special order.

Dave can you clarify this please?

It is what staff will charge when a customer creates their own menu or dish. For instance shrimp substituted for chicken in a fried rice would not cost the same as a chicken fried rice. Pat or his wife changed a Pak Ki Mau with Shrimp to Seafood Pak Ki Mau so staff charged them a seafood dish price. I probably would have left the price the same and allowed the substitution for a good customer.

I just checked with staff and they were aware of the complaint that they thought the dish was expensive and the waiter was instructed to change the price but he did not do so. His mistake and we did not follow through.

I would also like to point out that Pat dinned and enjoyed our Happy Hour at The River Market which runs from 4:30 to 6:00. He received a free Long Island Iced Tea, 20% discount for his wife's wine and they had 2 sushi rolls at half price. Total discounts of 383 Baht for a bill of 960 Baht or about 40% discount.

Happy Hour at The River Market runs from 4:30 to 6 and it's 1/2 priced sushi, buy 1 get 1 free cocktail, no sharing, and 20% discount on domestic beer and house wine.

Edited July 19, 2012 by theDukes

[uptheos]

To be fair to them they had no idea what to charge and they were simply following standard procedure when someone orders a special order.

Dave can you clarify this please?

It is what staff will charge when a customer creates their own menu or dish. For instance shrimp substituted for chicken in a fried rice would not cost the same as a chicken fried rice. Pat or his wife changed a Pak Ki Mau with Shrimp to Seafood Pak Ki Mau so staff charged them a seafood dish price. I probably would have left the price the same and allowed the substitution for a good customer.

I just checked with staff and they were aware of the complaint that they thought the dish was expensive and the waiter was instructed to change the price but he did not do so. His mistake and we did not follow through.

I would also like to point out that Pat dinned and enjoyed our Happy Hour at The River Market which runs from 4:30 to 6:00. He received a free Long Island Iced Tea, 20% discount for his wife's wine and they had 2 sushi rolls at half price. Total discounts of 383 Baht for a bill of 960 Baht or about 40% discount.

Happy Hour at The River Market runs from 4:30 to 6 and it's 1/2 priced sushi, buy 1 get 1 free cocktail, no sharing, and 20% discount on domestic beer and house wine.

Cheers

[CMNightRider]

I tried the River Market a couple of times. In my opinion, Dave needs to find a good Thai cook. He has the location, good staff, and a nice restaurant but is lacking in quality Thai food. Once Dave finds the right cook, that restaurant will be packed every night. I wish him well.

[fearless1]

To be fair to them they had no idea what to charge and they were simply following standard procedure when someone orders a special order.

Dave can you clarify this please?

It is what staff will charge when a customer creates their own menu or dish. For instance shrimp substituted for chicken in a fried rice would not cost the same as a chicken fried rice. Pat or his wife changed a Pak Ki Mau with Shrimp to Seafood Pak Ki Mau so staff charged them a seafood dish price. I probably would have left the price the same and allowed the substitution for a good customer.

I just checked with staff and they were aware of the complaint that they thought the dish was expensive and the waiter was instructed to change the price but he did not do so. His mistake and we did not follow through.

I would also like to point out that Pat dinned and enjoyed our Happy Hour at The River Market which runs from 4:30 to 6:00. He received a free Long Island Iced Tea, 20% discount for his wife's wine and they had 2 sushi rolls at half price. Total discounts of 383 Baht for a bill of 960 Baht or about 40% discount.

Happy Hour at The River Market runs from 4:30 to 6 and it's 1/2 priced sushi, buy 1 get 1 free cocktail, no sharing, and 20% discount on domestic beer and house wine.

Actually Pat is a woman. I was with her and I did have a Long Island Ice Tea, and I have no complaints.

[theDukes]

To be fair to them they had no idea what to charge and they were simply following standard procedure when someone orders a special order.

Dave can you clarify this please?

It is what staff will charge when a customer creates their own menu or dish. For instance shrimp substituted for chicken in a fried rice would not cost the same as a chicken fried rice. Pat or his wife changed a Pak Ki Mau with Shrimp to Seafood Pak Ki Mau so staff charged them a seafood dish price. I probably would have left the price the same and allowed the substitution for a good customer.

I just checked with staff and they were aware of the complaint that they thought the dish was expensive and the waiter was instructed to change the price but he did not do so. His mistake and we did not follow through.

I would also like to point out that Pat dinned and enjoyed our Happy Hour at The River Market which runs from 4:30 to 6:00. He received a free Long Island Iced Tea, 20% discount for his wife's wine and they had 2 sushi rolls at half price. Total discounts of 383 Baht for a bill of 960 Baht or about 40% discount.

Happy Hour at The River Market runs from 4:30 to 6 and it's 1/2 priced sushi, buy 1 get 1 free cocktail, no sharing, and 20% discount on domestic beer and house wine.

Actually Pat is a woman. I was with her and I did have a Long Island Ice Tea, and I have no complaints.

Sorry we missed the price change. Stop on by and we'll make it up.D

[SwaziBird]

I don't frequent the pretentious Nimmanhaemin area.

I found this Thai sausage stand at the corner of my street in the Nimmanhaemin area, they sell a meal of sticky rice and "sai oua" sausage for only 10-15 baht. (may be a perfect match for your 15 baht banana for dessert?)

Hello Aristide.

Not quite off topic. Perhaps at a tangent but I think you are misleading readers.

This vendor isn't selling sausages at all. Please read his sign again.

Cheers.

[ARISTIDE]

Sign says Thai Style sausages? I eat there sometimes

I don't frequent the pretentious Nimmanhaemin area.

I found this Thai sausage stand at the corner of my street in the Nimmanhaemin area, they sell a meal of sticky rice and "sai oua" sausage for only 10-15 baht. (may be a perfect match for your 15 baht banana for dessert?)

Hello Aristide.

Not quite off topic. Perhaps at a tangent but I think you are misleading readers.

This vendor isn't selling sausages at all. Please read his sign again.

Cheers.

Edited July 21, 2012 by ARISTIDE

[market trader]

For some reason, I can't bring myself to eat Thai food in a farang owned restaurant, when there are so many excellent Thai restaurants at much lower cost. However, that being said I still wish Dave all the best with his new venture, though I would have thought it was geared to the tourist trade.

Farang owned but Thai cooks and Thai cooks should be able to do a bang up job on Thai food.

[uptheos]

For some reason, I can't bring myself to eat Thai food in a farang owned restaurant, when there are so many excellent Thai restaurants at much lower cost. However, that being said I still wish Dave all the best with his new venture, though I would have thought it was geared to the tourist trade.

Farang owned but Thai cooks and Thai cooks should be able to do a bang up job on Thai food.

Wow only 2 months for a response.......I guess without dreambox people now have more time on their hands, to look back through all the posts.

Edited July 22, 2012 by uptheos

[SwaziBird]

Hello Aristide,

It's off to the optometrist for me !

Strange how every time I look at the sign I see that the vendor purveys Thai Style Sausangs.

I have presumed those to be not quite the same as Thai Style Sausages .... but then, I haven't tried a Sausang yet. They do look as though they have promise.

Have a good life.

Cheers

Sign says Thai Style sausages? I eat there sometimes

I don't frequent the pretentious Nimmanhaemin area.

I found this Thai sausage stand at the corner of my street in the Nimmanhaemin area, they sell a meal of sticky rice and "sai oua" sausage for only 10-15 baht. (may be a perfect match for your 15 baht banana for dessert?)

Hello Aristide.

Not quite off topic. Perhaps at a tangent but I think you are misleading readers.

This vendor isn't selling sausages at all. Please read his sign again.

Cheers.

[daoyai]

Kan you get sausangs at Liver Mkt?

[ARISTIDE]

Oh sorry I missed the "Sausangs" it's me who need a visit to an optometrist!

Hello Aristide,

It's off to the optometrist for me !

Strange how every time I look at the sign I see that the vendor purveys Thai Style Sausangs.

I have presumed those to be not quite the same as Thai Style Sausages .... but then, I haven't tried a Sausang yet. They do look as though they have promise.

Have a good life.

Cheers

[naboo]

I thought I'd give River Market a go last night.

2 of us, as we walked in my girlfriend was pleasantly surprised that all the flora either side of the walkway was traditional Lanna. Greeted by staff who were polite, brought menus and glasses of water very quickly. The music playing was typical tourist location Thai stringed instrument stuff, sounded a bit like a Thai retirement home for my liking. Perhaps (tongue in cheek) they could add http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vypoVXNaUTo to the playlist to attract a younger crowd?

I went for the infamous 165B Pad Thai and my girlfriend had some Pak Ki Mao.

Now, I'm not one to complain about this normally, but given that we'd ordered food that's not really for sharing I was less than impressed that mine came a good 3 or 4 minutes before hers. The waitress brought plates over thinking we were going to share (we must look like we can't afford to eat there, we did turn up a bit scruffy in bin bags to protect from the rain, on her motorbike), and the wait for hers was long enough for one of the waiters to wander over to the kitchen area and ask where the other plate was.

My Pad Thai was a little bit as described by hellodolly above:

So I tried it and will definitely have it again. It was wrapped in a omelet with shrimp in it that were about one and a half inch to two inches in diameter and no tail on them.

The last time we were in there the wife had it and she as I will both have it again.

Mine was also wrapped in omlette, had 4 shrimps too. They weren't 1.5-2 inches in diameter though, maybe 1.5 inches in length. They were the best part of the meal, fantastic flavour, perfectly cooked, as far as I can see, some of the best shrimp I've eaten. Big thumbs up.

As for trying it again, no. The rest of the Pad Thai was pretty disgusting. I was disappointed it was such a large portion because it was a real struggle to get through. The amount of grease all over both the noodles and the ommlete was obscene. I had 3 or 4 mouthfuls before adding the chilli, and those 4 mouthfuls were absolutely tasteless. The chilli pot was the saviour, I could add some flavour to my greasy dinner. Big thumbs down.

My girlfriend had a few mouthfuls and politely asked for the food to be put in a box to take home. We met her friend, and she gave it to her friend, then went off to the Sunday Market and bought some food there. I did ask whether she enjoyed going there, she said she liked the vegetation on the way in and it was nice sitting by the river. I asked about the food and she changed the topic. She's not one to complain.

Would I go back? If elderly relatives come over, yes. Not for food, but maybe for an afternoon coffee (if they do one). Maybe I'd go with my gf again, but just for a drink.

One question for the owner:

Why is the deal on the cocktails "buy one, get one free, please don't share"? I do attend buy one get one free cocktail promotions at another place in town, we get two, one each, then we get another two of a different kind, one each again, then we buy another two of a different kind..... repeat until slightly sozzled. Now under your rules, we wouldn't be able to do that. I'd have a White Russian, she'd have a Mai Tai, then the next round we'd have to have the same again and I'd be left wondering how good the Mai Tai was. then if we wanted to go again, we'd need to order another 2 each, making it 4. She'd be totally sozzled on the 3rd and the 4th would go to waste, whilst I'd be sat there wanting a 5th, looking at hers and wondering whether or not I could sneakily switch glasses, risking being barred from your establishment.

Seems an odd way to try to increase revenue. 2 people sit down, order 2 cocktails on a BOGOF promo, if they're good, they'll have some more. I can only think you're not confident your cocktails are good enough to get people ordering another.

Ambience 4/5 (would be 5/5 if the music wasn't so typical)

Staff service 4/5 (lost 1/5 for one dish being late, everything else was top notch and they were onto the late dish before I'd reached for the chilli)

Food 1/5 (Shrimps, good, everything else, fail).

Overall 3/5.

Edited July 23, 2012 by naboo

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Why is the deal on the cocktails "buy one, get one free, please don't share"?

Farang management. They always manage stuff to death, spending time on policies more than on being hosts and just letting things go; most things actually happen just fine by themselves. I like River Market by the way, but it is something you have to take in your stride a little. I could mention some other places in town that I like, but that are mildly affected by the same over-management and over-policing bug. That said, some big Thai corporations do it too. Of course they're not very good hosts either.

I do attend buy one get one free cocktail promotions at another place in town, we get two, one each, then we get another two of a different kind, one each again, then we buy another two of a different kind..... repeat until slightly sozzled. Now under your rules, we wouldn't be able to do that.

Ehm.. surely you can have different kinds.. I'm sure they're not that retarded? I think it just means that if you have a cocktail and your partner has one, then the next one isn't free. And yes, I know of a Thai run place in town where it actually DOES work that way; I get a Long Island Ice Tea, the Mrs gets a margarita or something, then my next LIIT is free. And by that time I'm a lot more than slightly sozzled. And I've spent 200 baht. (During happy hour)

Ambience 4/5 (would be 5/5 if the music wasn't so typical)

Hard to please everyone with music, but yes.

Edited July 24, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Ricardo]

Are "Sausangs" made to the original Sweeney-Todd recipe, out of stray out-of-money farangs culled by the TAT, to keep their spend-per-tourist figures up, I'm not sure I'd want to know the answer !

[keo]

Why is the deal on the cocktails "buy one, get one free, please don't share"?

From my understanding/experience it means you order a cocktail, you drink it, and then the next cocktail you order is free (which doesn't have to be the same as the first cocktail, but which you can't give to someone else to drink).

I agree, it seems a bit over the top.

[theDukes]

The "no sharing" was put in place so that we would not have to argue with the 5% of customers, particularly the backpacker tourist, no member of Thaivisa, who wanted to abuse the promotion. We always let them have the 2 drinks for 2 people but the promotion is there to drive business and not just to give drinks away for free. Anyone can order a drink and get any other drink for free. It does not have to be the same drink and the drinking all or any part of any one's drinks are not a problem. As long as both people pay for a drink. While it may appear on the face to be "over the top," the bickering, the crying and the complaining made it a necessity. That or lose the promotion.

As far as Naboo's review goes, I'd like to thank him for the input. As with any of my restaurants I am always looking to improve and appreciate the feedback. That being said it is always preferable to let someone know when you are in the restaurants what the problem is so that we may address it. We are working diligently on the food and the service and are still a long ways away from being perfect.

D

[tfc]

I've had great food there 3 times and just average food there twice so I figure that the things are being worked out. Once river market gets as consistently good as the Duke's it'll be a winner I think.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I've had great food there 3 times and just average food there twice so I figure that the things are being worked out. Once river market gets as consistently good as the Duke's it'll be a winner I think.

It's pretty good already, incredible for some dishes. But I think the communication (through the menu, etc.) could be better on exactly what a dish is. It's almost a lottery sometimes, especially when the interpretation of a dish is different from most other restaurants. I appreciate and encourage being different, but it needs to be communicated in some way, even if that means resorting to pictures. (I dislike picture menus, but.. a pictures does say more than quite a number of words)

On the 'no sharing' message, can that be more effectively worded as:

" Buy One Get One Free

(per person) "

(Can probably be better still, but in general I would always avoid having any message that starts with 'No', or any kind of negative. It's just not nice in the hospitality industry, and usually it can be easily reworded into a positive.)

[hellodolly]

I thought I'd give River Market a go last night.

2 of us, as we walked in my girlfriend was pleasantly surprised that all the flora either side of the walkway was traditional Lanna. Greeted by staff who were polite, brought menus and glasses of water very quickly. The music playing was typical tourist location Thai stringed instrument stuff, sounded a bit like a Thai retirement home for my liking. Perhaps (tongue in cheek) they could add

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vypoVXNaUTo

to the playlist to attract a younger crowd?

I went for the infamous 165B Pad Thai and my girlfriend had some Pak Ki Mao.

Now, I'm not one to complain about this normally, but given that we'd ordered food that's not really for sharing I was less than impressed that mine came a good 3 or 4 minutes before hers. The waitress brought plates over thinking we were going to share (we must look like we can't afford to eat there, we did turn up a bit scruffy in bin bags to protect from the rain, on her motorbike), and the wait for hers was long enough for one of the waiters to wander over to the kitchen area and ask where the other plate was.

My Pad Thai was a little bit as described by hellodolly above:

So I tried it and will definitely have it again. It was wrapped in a omelet with shrimp in it that were about one and a half inch to two inches in diameter and no tail on them.

The last time we were in there the wife had it and she as I will both have it again.

Mine was also wrapped in omlette, had 4 shrimps too. They weren't 1.5-2 inches in diameter though, maybe 1.5 inches in length. They were the best part of the meal, fantastic flavour, perfectly cooked, as far as I can see, some of the best shrimp I've eaten. Big thumbs up.

As for trying it again, no. The rest of the Pad Thai was pretty disgusting. I was disappointed it was such a large portion because it was a real struggle to get through. The amount of grease all over both the noodles and the ommlete was obscene. I had 3 or 4 mouthfuls before adding the chilli, and those 4 mouthfuls were absolutely tasteless. The chilli pot was the saviour, I could add some flavour to my greasy dinner. Big thumbs down.

My girlfriend had a few mouthfuls and politely asked for the food to be put in a box to take home. We met her friend, and she gave it to her friend, then went off to the Sunday Market and bought some food there. I did ask whether she enjoyed going there, she said she liked the vegetation on the way in and it was nice sitting by the river. I asked about the food and she changed the topic. She's not one to complain.

Would I go back? If elderly relatives come over, yes. Not for food, but maybe for an afternoon coffee (if they do one). Maybe I'd go with my gf again, but just for a drink.

One question for the owner:

Why is the deal on the cocktails "buy one, get one free, please don't share"? I do attend buy one get one free cocktail promotions at another place in town, we get two, one each, then we get another two of a different kind, one each again, then we buy another two of a different kind..... repeat until slightly sozzled. Now under your rules, we wouldn't be able to do that. I'd have a White Russian, she'd have a Mai Tai, then the next round we'd have to have the same again and I'd be left wondering how good the Mai Tai was. then if we wanted to go again, we'd need to order another 2 each, making it 4. She'd be totally sozzled on the 3rd and the 4th would go to waste, whilst I'd be sat there wanting a 5th, looking at hers and wondering whether or not I could sneakily switch glasses, risking being barred from your establishment.

Seems an odd way to try to increase revenue. 2 people sit down, order 2 cocktails on a BOGOF promo, if they're good, they'll have some more. I can only think you're not confident your cocktails are good enough to get people ordering another.

Ambience 4/5 (would be 5/5 if the music wasn't so typical)

Staff service 4/5 (lost 1/5 for one dish being late, everything else was top notch and they were onto the late dish before I'd reached for the chilli)

Food 1/5 (Shrimps, good, everything else, fail).

Overall 3/5.

You have brought up some interesting points here. The one you did not mention probably because you were not aware of it is. They are new and still getting things down pat. They have changed some of the items on the menu and will probably do so in the future. But first they need the feed back. David is appreciative of that. It allows him to make changes geared more to the customers likes than his likes.

Perhaps it was a off day for you with the Phat Tha they have those days. Like I posted earlier both my wife and I liked it so well that we took one home for her mother who also liked it. If yours had been identical to mine you still might not like it as every one has there own sense of good or bad. Like I said they are still tinkering with the menu. I was in there Monday night and had my favorite Lemon Grass Chicken. They have changed it from what it was when I first ordered it. They have less veggies and I mentioned it to David and received some more like he says I have to ask for it if I want some thing a little bit different. They are now cooking the chicken different and in my opinion it is a step backwards. Or it could have been a mix up between me and the sever when I ordered. I will try it again and if it is the same I will not order it again I will order some thing else. There are lots of things I like on the menu and lot's I don't like so I don't order them.

One other thing I think people in general over look is that it is a fusion Thai food not just Thai. I don't think the sushi is a fusion Japanese. I have been accused of being a Dukes (River Market) supporter and I am. I know that he runs a clean operation the food is of a good quality it is not the cheapest available and the portions are good sized.

These are three things that are important to me.

Speaking only for my self the ambiance is a bonus.Occasionally during the day I will stop by and just sit there with a cup of teas or iced tea for 50 baht.

Considering the newness and still making changes I would consider your 3 out of 5 a good rating . Myself just about 4 out of 5 but not quite there yet. I the mean time I am just enjoying the trip. The music is not a big deal to me as long as it is played low enough for me to hear people talking

Edited July 24, 2012 by hellodolly

[Slappz]

The "no sharing" was put in place so that we would not have to argue with the 5% of customers, particularly the backpacker tourist, no member of Thaivisa

Are backpackers unwelcome patrons at your establishment?

[OriginalPoster]

The "no sharing" was put in place so that we would not have to argue with the 5% of customers, particularly the backpacker tourist, no member of Thaivisa

Are backpackers unwelcome patrons at your establishment?

Might depend upon how one defines "backpacker". I'd be surprised if many people traveling on a shoestring budget would even considered going in the place. Flashpackers might like the place though.

[uptheos]

The "no sharing" was put in place so that we would not have to argue with the 5% of customers, particularly the backpacker tourist, no member of Thaivisa

Are backpackers unwelcome patrons at your establishment?

Might depend upon how one defines "backpacker". I'd be surprised if many people traveling on a shoestring budget would even considered going in the place. Flashpackers might like the place though.

This backpacker thing gets me sometimes. Backpackers are doing what many people wish they had the guts to do when they were younger / fitter and not tied down to a nagging couch princess. These backpackers assets (money) in different forms is staggering sometimes and it don't come cheap to take a year off and do the world. Jealousy seems to be the gripe against backpackers.

[OriginalPoster]

The "no sharing" was put in place so that we would not have to argue with the 5% of customers, particularly the backpacker tourist, no member of Thaivisa

Are backpackers unwelcome patrons at your establishment?

Might depend upon how one defines "backpacker". I'd be surprised if many people traveling on a shoestring budget would even considered going in the place. Flashpackers might like the place though.

This backpacker thing gets me sometimes. Backpackers are doing what many people wish they had the guts to do when they were younger / fitter and not tied down to a nagging couch princess. These backpackers assets (money) in different forms is staggering sometimes and it don't come cheap to take a year off and do the world. Jealousy seems to be the gripe against backpackers.

I don't have a dog in that fight. I once thought the backpacker lifestyle romantic too and dabbled in it myself, but became less interested in it as I got older and realized that I no longer knew as much as I thought that I did was I was 20-something years old.

What business owners are up against though is that while in aggregate the backpackers might add up to a lot of revenue, the relentless emphasis on always paying the minimum amount possible makes it hard for them to make a living. It might be unfair, but lots of restaurant owners in CM will tell you tales of 4 or 5 backpackers splitting a coke and taking up a table in a packed restaurant for 4 hours during the World Cup final (or during some other event). The business owners that don't like backpackers don't like them because they'd far rather have Bill Gates and his entourage wander in than a bunch of over-privileged kids pretending to be vagabonds.

Edited July 24, 2012 by OriginalPoster

[theDukes]

Let me elaborate and I should have been clearer.

The backpacker trade is a good one. They spend a lot for food and drink. It's the World-Trash scammer that gets grouped with the backpackers that create problems and go from free meal to free drinks to free drugs to free sex.

The same group (the males) believes that bar girls and working girls should service them for free because they are young and/or manly. This in itself has created a bad scene in the last decade where, "up to you" has transformed itself to "you pay me now (before)."

[uptheos]

Let me elaborate and I should have been clearer.

The backpacker trade is a good one. They spend a lot for food and drink. It's the World-Trash scammer that gets grouped with the backpackers that create problems and go from free meal to free drinks to free drugs to free sex.

The same group (the males) believes that bar girls and working girls should service them for free because they are young and/or manly. This in itself has created a bad scene in the last decade where, "up to you" has transformed itself to "you pay me now (before)."

Thanks for that Dave and I know they spend a lot on food and drink. It's nice to see that you're not one of the restaurant owners in CM who continue with the urban myth of 4 or 5 backpackers splitting a coke and taking up a table in a packed restaurant for 4 hours during the World Cup final (or during some other event). ​I don't think any successful restaurateur will say something like this. It just shows their inability to be able to deal effectively with customers, or they need something to do until a customer walks through the door. A lot of places that are struggling need to blame someone other than themselves, but go look at the places doing well and there's never a gripe about groups of people sharing a bottle of water.

The trash scammer is a problem and should be dealt with accordingly, but as you say they are not grouped in with backpackers.

Edited July 24, 2012 by uptheos

[daoyai]

Let me elaborate and I should have been clearer.

The backpacker trade is a good one. They spend a lot for food and drink. It's the World-Trash scammer that gets grouped with the backpackers that create problems and go from free meal to free drinks to free drugs to free sex.

The same group (the males) believes that bar girls and working girls should service them for free because they are young and/or manly. This in itself has created a bad scene in the last decade where, "up to you" has transformed itself to "you pay me now (before)."

This would get my vote as crazy post of the day except it was made last night, Asked about a seemingly unwelcoming backpacker statement in an earlier post, the poster (David Duke?) then rants about Young "manly" dudes expecting free drugs, sex and booze, thus ruining the BG scene! ......reminds me of a statement made to me years ago by a local lady, "this is Thailand, everything cheap, nothing free". Edited July 25, 2012 by daoyai

[eyecatcher]

Let me elaborate and I should have been clearer.

The backpacker trade is a good one. They spend a lot for food and drink. It's the World-Trash scammer that gets grouped with the backpackers that create problems and go from free meal to free drinks to free drugs to free sex.

The same group (the males) believes that bar girls and working girls should service them for free because they are young and/or manly. This in itself has created a bad scene in the last decade where, "up to you" has transformed itself to "you pay me now (before)."

This would get my vote as crazy post of the day except it was made last night, Asked about a seemingly unwelcoming backpacker statement in an earlier post, the poster (David Duke?) then rants about Young "manly" dudes expecting free drugs, sex and booze, thus ruining the BG scene! ......reminds me of a statement made to me years ago by a local lady, "this is Thailand, everything cheap, nothing free".

what about your breakfast today at Raming Lodge???

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The backpacker trade is a good one. They spend a lot for food and drink. It's the World-Trash scammer that gets grouped with the backpackers that create problems and go from free meal to free drinks to free drugs to free sex.

Gee, if you put it that way: where do I sign up?

Anyway... and there I was thinking the term 'World Trash' was all I had to work with, and then this beautiful piece of red meat landed in our cage, as if from heaven:

The same group (the males) believes that bar girls and working girls should service them for free because they are young and/or manly. This in itself has created a bad scene in the last decade where, "up to you" has transformed itself to "you pay me now (before)."

... they confuse you with the young and manly to the point they require up-front payment!? I'd take that as a compliment, frankly.

To stem the tide, how about if someone requests something not on the menu, like having a dish with seafood instead of chicken and inquiring about the cost, you could just answer: 'up to you' ? I'd rather like that approach actually.

Edited July 25, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai