Farang Pad Thai vendor charms local Thais

[kerrysum]

I did some Thai cooking at such things as events, and loved it! Actually found some things funny, the Thais loved it... Good going Bro... Actually the vendor that I volunteered for, made some good money. Just my thoughts....

[bchef2014]

Don't forget David Thompson

http://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/asias-50-best-restaurants/1-10/nahm.html

Taking it a bit further than street food!

[GeorgeO]

Its a really nice story, one we would hear more of if Thailand would tone down some of its xenophobia. Immigrants are capable of being part of the culture if they are allowed to have the same rights and are treated as equals. Sadly I think this story may cause trouble for this guy, as the rules about forbidden occupations and work permits may come into play because of the publicity.

Still I admire they guy and wish him all the best.

So do I, and I hope no one bothers him...!

[retarius]

Does he have a work permit?

[Thaddeus]

Isn't it interesting how so many posts tell us more about the state of mind of the poster rather than about the topic being dicussed?

Totally agree, There are some very unhappy individuals on here. I wonder if they realise making cynical and negative comments on an uplifting story won't improve their mood long term. They should have a sign outside of Suvarnabhumi saying "welcome to the land of smiles.....and cynical Westerners on Thai visa"

There is cynical, there is negativity and there is reality.

A few months ago I bought a new computer desk (flat-pack from Makro) my landlord saw me get it out of the car and he asked who was going to make that for me, and he was genuinely taken aback when I said "I am"

That attitude does get under your skin.

[oldsailor35]

Funny the locals are so impressed with his ability to cook possibly the world's easiest dish, no disrespect to him and I am also happy he has set a precedent in farang being allowed to do restricted jobs , a pioneer of sorts.

Yas! Boiled eggs are pretty easy to, but i have come across the odd Thai cook stuff that up from time to time .

[Krataiboy]

Great, let's prevent the people who actually bring money into the country (eg. offshore and freelance workers) from entering Thailand, while celebrating people who actually perform jobs on the list of occupations reserved for Thais.

Swiss Tony? He should be selling used cars, surely.

Seriously, though, I'd be amazed if cooking Thai dishes as a falang is not a proscribed job. Hopefully if and when the Thai authorities get on to the case, the Press will do a suitably prominent follow-up story to show how ludicrous these laws are. The fact that most of Tony's customers are Thais speaks for itself.

[oldsailor35]

I really don't get it. How is he able to do that and not get deported? He doing this for years and I'm sitting here in my house afraid to get fined and deported for washing my car.

Last year i read somewhere on TV an article about a Farang having his own mobile kitchen , about the wonderful Thai food he cooks. He seems to have disappeared , did he get the "work police" visit.

[spidermike007]

Its a really nice story, one we would hear more of if Thailand would tone down some of its xenophobia. Immigrants are capable of being part of the culture if they are allowed to have the same rights and are treated as equals. Sadly I think this story may cause trouble for this guy, as the rules about forbidden occupations and work permits may come into play because of the publicity.

Still I admire they guy and wish him all the best.

Yes, he could cause tremendous hardship to a local, by depriving them of the ability to cook noodles. Hope this does not cause this guy problems. Looks like some are looking for scapegoats. The immigration laws are designed to prevent job loss to the Thai people, correct? Well, who is being deprived of anything here? And the immigration laws may need to be redone. With unemployment at less than 1%, this does not seem to be an issue. Certainly not the issue they are making it out to be. Could be a smokescreen for other stuff. It does not appear to be what it is, on the surface. Other agendas may be at play here.

I think in general the Thai people are NOT xenophobic. I feel genuine affection from many people in the provinces. They are warm and friendly. I think many politicians have used nationalism over the years, and that has stoked some fears. That is pure evil, on the thoughtless politicians part. But, most do not seem to respond to that nonsense.

[nicolas18]

Great, let's prevent the people who actually bring money into the country (eg. offshore and freelance workers) from entering Thailand, while celebrating people who actually perform jobs on the list of occupations reserved for Thais.

Swiss Tony? He should be selling used cars, surely.

Seriously, though, I'd be amazed if cooking Thai dishes as a falang is not a proscribed job. Hopefully if and when the Thai authorities get on to the case, the Press will do a suitably prominent follow-up story to show how ludicrous these laws are. The fact that most of Tony's customers are Thais speaks for itself.

Street vending is a proscribed job. It doesn't matter if it's cooking Thai food, carving kebabs or selling handicrafts.

[oldsailor35]

Only ever had one Pad Thai and that was about 8 years ago from street cart in Kho San Road. Bloody awful mess like chewing glue. Never had one since, so i guess that there really is an art to cooking it.

[robert888d]

I sincerely hope he can charm the immigration officials for I doubt if he has a work permit !

[Thai at Heart]

The whole Big deal is about he is FARANG does an odd job that Thai people do not see a farang works at this level of job in Thailand. Thai people เห่อ ฝรั่ง are crazy about farang trend.

There is an old retired Japanese man who married a Thai woman who is a sidewalk food vendor. He helps his wife sell food but he sells Japanese food. People took pictures of him and posted on FB that how it started people to go watch him work, to take photos and buy his food. People rather buy food from him to his Thai wife when she cooks. Same thing with this Swiss man.

A Turkish guy got arrested for selling kebabs where I was living.

[nicolas18]

Yes, he could cause tremendous hardship to a local, by depriving them of the ability to cook noodles. Hope this does not cause this guy problems. Looks like some are looking for scapegoats. The immigration laws are designed to prevent job loss to the Thai people, correct? Well, who is being deprived of anything here? And the immigration laws may need to be redone. With unemployment at less than 1%, this does not seem to be an issue. Certainly not the issue they are making it out to be. Could be a smokescreen for other stuff. It does not appear to be what it is, on the surface. Other agendas may be at play here.

I think in general the Thai people are NOT xenophobic. I feel genuine affection from many people in the provinces. They are warm and friendly. I think many politicians have used nationalism over the years, and that has stoked some fears. That is pure evil, on the thoughtless politicians part. But, most do not seem to respond to that nonsense.

OK, I'll bite.

Granted, the guy seems like a nice guy. And, yes, I do agree that, in an ideal world, he should be allowed to cook his damn noodles.

But, as you may have noticed, there are, at this very moment, people (offshore workers, freelance workers, etc...) who are at risk of being denied entry into Thailand the next time they try to enter the country. Those people do not take the job of a Thai. Instead, they bring foreign money into the country to spend it. And, since Thailand is still a developing country, it can only benefit it.

The only reason these people may soon lose their home, their car and everything else they have in Thailand is because the Thai government wants to crack down on people working illegally, in other words on people who take jobs away from Thai people. That includes the Russian tour guides, the Western bartenders on the islands, and hundreds of others. And, yes, that also includes foreigners working as street vendors. I hope these people sleep soundly at night, knowing that they are responsible for the much stricter visa regulations and their impact on the lives of the many foreigners living here.

[garrya]

Nice change - A simple uplifting story.. Then you start reading the comments to dampen your spirits.

What is uplifting in it? Being able to cook a simple dish and working illegally are things to admire?????

[SOMeTOM]

In Pattaya a friend of mine got arrested by immigration for "illegally working" in Thailand, by simply sitting down a sofa inside the cafe' his lady works on and because he was telling customers going in or out, things like "hello" , "goodmorning", "bye", etc....

He had to pay 30.000 to get released which was a bargain compared on the fine they wanted him to pay.

Then they told him he could not sit down inside that coffee-shop again or they would come back and arrest him without any other discount been made........so he had to follow what this police's captain told him.

Welcome to Thailand chaps! (i hope i don't get arrested now, i just welcomed you!!! what a massive crime that is....)

[surfinglife]

Good on you mate:-) Please note "speaking in fluent Thai" part. The refusal of most expats to learn to speak respectable Thai is partly responsible for the xenophobia.

I was recently in London and heard more Polish, Russian and Urdu spoken than English. All I heard from the English people was muttering "Why don't they speak bl....y English?!" That's exactly what the Thais say about farangs here for years and not bothering to learn Thai. Are YOU one of them?

[orc]

Cooking an easy dish they way people like it over an other cook ones shows skills. So don't need to do a souffle for that.

On the other hand yes, completely racist quotes from the thais. As if only thais could do something and the rest of the world is not capable. It's maily their lack of education(and training of the brain) that makes them so ignorant. No light in sight, young generations are not improving on that. They should welcome more foreigners and be open to learn from them, while keeping up the thai culture of course.

[iReason]

"mastered the skill to cook pad thai"

[Rorri]

nicolas18, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:17, said:

Great, let's prevent the people who actually bring money into the country (eg. offshore and freelance workers) from entering Thailand, while celebrating people who actually perform jobs on the list of occupations reserved for Thais.

What a nasty so n' so you are. Actually you are wrong.. it's not "Thailand" that is "celebrating this guy, it's only a news article.

[Rorri]

KuhnPaen, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:32, said:

So,he dated a Thai, learned to cook from her, and he takes the credit? just because my Thai gf taught me how to make really good pad see ew, I would never claim it was my recipe.

Like the rooster taking credit for the sunrise, IMO.

Maybe he has changed a few things, I make chicken green curry, but put potatoes, peas, onion and baby corn in, which replaces the Thai vegetables... and guess what the Thai family, including inlaws, love it better than the Thai version. So, can I take credit...you bet I do.

[Rorri]

BKKSnowBird, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:41, said:

KuhnPaen, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:32, said:

So,he dated a Thai, learned to cook from her, and he takes the credit? just because my Thai gf taught me how to make really good pad see ew, I would never claim it was my recipe.

Like the rooster taking credit for the sunrise, IMO.

You are jealous?????

Wow. Some of these posts are sad. People saying pad thai is easy blah blah blah....

Very sad bunch....

You're right, what I don't understand why many comments focus on pad thai, when I was more interested in his attitude to his customer, and the returned attitude of his customers. Good on him...

[Saan]

Nice story but Tony Smith can probably expect a visit from the Labour dept any day now!!

Secondly, this guy is Swiss, with a name like Tony Smith. Excuse my ignorance but it doesn't sound very Swiss.

Also, the comment...... "I have never seen any other foreigner with such talent."....what a strange thing to say.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong but is that not like saying "I've never seen a foreigner who can cook," insinuating that only Thai people can cook Thai food??

I wonder how many of the worlds Michelin star chefs are Thai compared with how many are 'foreigners'?

The world's best Thai chef, who has also won a Michelin star, is an Australian. David Thompson's restaurant Nahm, in Bangkok, is consistently voted as one of the best restaurants in the world and the best Thai restaurant in the world.

Nice! And name 3 famous female chefs.... hmmm not impossible but also not so easy compared the plethora of famous male chefs around the world... Apparently men can do women's work better than women when they choose to...

Easy to do in Australia - Philippa Sibley, Stephanie Alexander and Karen Martini. I could go on but these three can match it with the best male chef's in Australia.

[Rorri]

DinoSabanovic, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:58, said:

franzs, on 04 Aug 2014 - 09:51, said:

Patje, on 04 Aug 2014 - 07:57, said:

And then his problems started....... No working permit !!

there will be no problem,

I worked many years in my wife's company, with my skills I could help her in the business without a work permit,

also no show of money for the one year visa, we needed to show business and tax papers

Are you sure about this?? I ask because my wife have small shop and I want to help her but I'm afraid of getting fined and deported.

I seem to recall about 2 years ago an elderly farang being fined for helping his wife, at closing time, to simple put away the tables and chairs.

[spidermike007]

Yes, he could cause tremendous hardship to a local, by depriving them of the ability to cook noodles. Hope this does not cause this guy problems. Looks like some are looking for scapegoats. The immigration laws are designed to prevent job loss to the Thai people, correct? Well, who is being deprived of anything here? And the immigration laws may need to be redone. With unemployment at less than 1%, this does not seem to be an issue. Certainly not the issue they are making it out to be. Could be a smokescreen for other stuff. It does not appear to be what it is, on the surface. Other agendas may be at play here.

I think in general the Thai people are NOT xenophobic. I feel genuine affection from many people in the provinces. They are warm and friendly. I think many politicians have used nationalism over the years, and that has stoked some fears. That is pure evil, on the thoughtless politicians part. But, most do not seem to respond to that nonsense.

OK, I'll bite.

Granted, the guy seems like a nice guy. And, yes, I do agree that, in an ideal world, he should be allowed to cook his damn noodles.

But, as you may have noticed, there are, at this very moment, people (offshore workers, freelance workers, etc...) who are at risk of being denied entry into Thailand the next time they try to enter the country. Those people do not take the job of a Thai. Instead, they bring foreign money into the country to spend it. And, since Thailand is still a developing country, it can only benefit it.

The only reason these people may soon lose their home, their car and everything else they have in Thailand is because the Thai government wants to crack down on people working illegally, in other words on people who take jobs away from Thai people. That includes the Russian tour guides, the Western bartenders on the islands, and hundreds of others. And, yes, that also includes foreigners working as street vendors. I hope these people sleep soundly at night, knowing that they are responsible for the much stricter visa regulations and their impact on the lives of the many foreigners living here.

Yes, but the sheer ridiculousness of these policies boggles the mind. How many Thais speak fluent Russian, and can communicate with Russians who speak neither english, nor thai? What are the Russian tourists supposed to do? What are these government clowns suggesting, as a viable solution? As far as western bartender, so what? Maybe a western tourist loves the idea of being able to order a skinny margarita, and have the bartender know what he is asking for? How about asking a bartender if the Mclaren Vale Shiraz, at the 5 star hotel he is working at, that you are paying 700 baht a glass for, is of a more racy variety, with plump forward fruit, or a more reserved type, with elegance and good mouthfeel? How many Thai bartenders can answer that question. There is a time and a place for everything. There is a need for foreign expertise here. Especially with the branded hotels. Very, very few locals are truly qualified to do some of those jobs. With less than a 1% unemployment rate, Thailand has nothing to be afraid of, except maybe fear itself.

[Naam]

Some Thai guy:

"I have to admit, I am amazed by Tony's cooking skill ... I have never seen any other foreigner with such talent."

It's incredible what low esteem Thai people seem to hold farangs in.

Ever heard of a souffle? Bouillabaisse? A properly baked apple pie? Julia <deleted> Child?

As if pad thai is some sort of highly technical dish requiring wide ranging culinary skills. For Pete's sake.

making a good soufflé or an apple pie is an art. preparing a bouillabaisse does not require much skill.

[paulyd2k]

i see a farang working with his wife in pattaya, driving round searching for plastic bottles,lmfao,

[eeeya]

funny how the same story in the Thai forums is mostly praise for the westerner.

Here's a westerner who has integrated into Thai society!

yet on thai visa is just the usual negativity.

[Lancashireman]

Swiss Toni...

'...making Pad Thai, Paul, is like making love to a beautiful woman...'

(Fast Show...90s. Go to YouTube and dial Swiss Toni)

[Lopburikid]

I think this is a feel good story on Tony's side. It's nice to hear and see Farangs breaking the mold,so to speak.