Rules of the Thai deli counter (are there any?)

[Jingthing]

My local deli counter guy may want to knife me.

There is an item I order regularly.

100 grams of smoked salmon.

That's what I want.

100 grams.

Not 150 grams.

100 grams.

The stuff is expensive and that's all I want.

100 grams.

I realize it comes in slices so it's not going to be exact.

But I want it a little bit under or a little bit over.

Three times now without ever asking me if it's OK they've wrapped it up with portions over 30 percent more than 100 grams.

If you're wondering if they couldn't help it, actually they can. The slices aren't that big.

Anyway, I wasn't raised to be a patsy so of course I'll accept a little bit over (it's NEVER under) but if it's much more than I wanted I hand it back to them and repeat what I originally asked for, 100 grams.

Each time I do that the looks I get could could be in dictionary as the OPPOSITE of the "Thai" smile.

Angry. Mad. Annoyed. I may be projecting, but I'm feeling ... crazy farang / cheap farang / farang rich, why he care? Etc.

It's never accepted gracefully.

Now the behavior I would hope for is that BEFORE they wrap it up and price it that's if it's over they just show me price and ask OK? Then it's much easier to deal with before it's wrapped and priced.

But this place never does that.

Today it was even worse.

The usual I want to kill you now looks but when they fixed it and THIS TIME actually did ask me if a little bit over was OK (of course) then the dude DROPPED the fish onto his bare butcher's hand ... so I refused the order. Who knows what raw meat that hand has been messing with?

Not sure if I'll shop there again but I like their fish.

So the POINT of this thread? There's a point? Funny you ask, yes there is.

Is there such a thing as rules of the Thai deli counter?

Or would that kind of crappy customer service be expected everywhere at Thai delis and directed both at Thai and foreign customers.

Here is some info on Boston deli rules:

When I get to the meat/fish/poultry counter and ask for, say, 0.75 pounds of ground beef, 0.75 pounds of ground beef is what I want. Unfortunately, I’ve been offered everything from 0.20 below to 0.25 above. When the butcher says, “Oh, is this amount OK?” at what weight difference is it acceptable for me to say, “Actually, no.” Also, does it depend on the item?

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2015/03/01/advice-rules-deli-counter/WEnhwnFQQmj46vzyFqm5sI/story.html

Cheers.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[GuestHouse]

How are your Thai language skills?

[pedro01]

Well there are very few hard and fast rules to anything in Thailand, so dont expect the sort of accuracy back home.

I use delis here all the time and i have never had the issue. Mind you, i've never ordered 'just 7 olives' from one.

Its not worth blowing a gasket over. Thailand would be a miserable place to live if you got upset at all the crazy stuff you see here.

[petermik]

Turn round walk out and never return....easy

[Honkie]

Do you have to pay there and then ? What I would do .........walk around a bit and just leave the item in one of their cold display freezers and go back again , and again until I get the right weight that I specified.

[sunnyjim5]

Smoked Salmon comes pre-sliced(usually)

How do you expect to receive an exact weight ? Do you expect the Deli staff to hack bits from a slice to make it meet your demand ? What happens to the wast you have caused ?

The slice should be weighed, priced and then trimmed to your requirement but charged at the same price as the untrimmed slice !

Scraps could probably not be sold and certainly not at the price asked for whole slices.

edit

remove typo

Edited February 19, 2016 by sunnyjim5

[Don Mega]

I find losing my rag at them helps immensely. For added effect sometimes I throw the incorrect goods at them.

[Jingthing]

Smoked Samon comes pre-sliced(usually)

How do you expect to receive an exact weight ? Do you expect the Deli staff to hack bits from a slice to make it meet your demand ? What happens to the wast you have caused ?

The slice should be weighed, priced and then trimmed to your requirement but charged at the same price as the untrimmed slice !

Scraps could probably not be sold and certainly not at the price asked for whole slices.

You obviously didn't read the OP.

It comes in slices.

They aren't large slices.

Of course I don't expect them to cut up existing slices. DUH!

I expect them to weigh the order as they're making it and the first slice that hits the number, a little under or over ... then WRAP IT UP.

When they present the wrapped over order they have ALWAYS been able to adjust it down by removing some slices.

So your post is meaningless in this case.

You're acting like I'm the unreasonable one.

That's total BS.

They give me over orders that weren't needing to be over orders, and then when I ask them to fix it, it gets nasty.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[harrry]

Try seing what you get when you ask an australian butcher for 450 gm of meat. He will give you 700. After an aprenticship and years in the trade I guarantee that he could judge to 10 gm..

[Jingthing]

I find losing my rag at them helps immensely. For added effect sometimes I throw the incorrect goods at them.

I have not raised my voice ever there. But I get the feeling that just rejecting their over order and demanding they actually do their job correctly is more than enough to make them angry. Of course now that I walked out when they dirtied my order, it's at another level. I get that.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[onionluke]

How much does an average slice weigh ? Work that out and order an amount of slices to suit your needs.

[Jingthing]

How much does an average slice weigh ? Work that out and order an amount of slices to suit your needs.

It varies too much. They can see on the scale as they add slices. That's their job. If it's way over they can ask if it's OK or not before wrapping. It's not like they're pork chops where you order by number or specific chops.

I might add one reason I'm asking is the specific market this happens at is quite infamous in Pattaya for hostile customer service, and no manager ever around to complain to. I can't mention the place, of course. So I'm wondering if it's just the culture of that store.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[colinneil]

Stop moaning. You are lucky you can afford smoked salmon, i cant.

[Jingthing]

Stop moaning. You are lucky you can afford smoked salmon, i cant.

Not even 100 grams? Sorry.

[Thian]

In Foodland they show the price of their meat, but when i order it has another price many times. Then i give it back and they call the manager. Fine with me, learn to show the right price for a kg.

Also they hand me the bag with the glove he used to grap the meat, then i won't touch it and he has to put another bag....with the same glove! Then again i won't touch it untill he does it right.

Salmon i bring from europe, perfect quality 200 gram for 120 baht...beat that.

But i won't go to foodland anymore, Makro is much better.

[lannarebirth]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

[sunnyjim5]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

Lox is not "smoked salmon" but rather cured un-smoked salmon.

Delicious !

[Don Mega]

In Foodland they show the price of their meat, but when i order it has another price many times. Then i give it back and they call the manager. Fine with me, learn to show the right price for a kg.

they do show the right price per kg, it is displayed in 100gm increments.

[lannarebirth]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

Lox is not "smoked salmon" but rather cured un-smoked salmon.

Delicious !

Yeah, I know, but I was just guessing that Jingthing may have been purchasing the smoked salmon as a lox substitute.

[lannarebirth]

In Foodland they show the price of their meat, but when i order it has another price many times. Then i give it back and they call the manager. Fine with me, learn to show the right price for a kg.

they do show the right price per kg, it is displayed in 100gm increments.

There's a thought. Rather than ordering by weight maybe he should order by price.

[Jingthing]

In Foodland they show the price of their meat, but when i order it has another price many times. Then i give it back and they call the manager. Fine with me, learn to show the right price for a kg.

they do show the right price per kg, it is displayed in 100gm increments.

There's a thought. Rather than ordering by weight maybe he should order by price.

I've tried that too. Same results.

[augustwest]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

Lox is not "smoked salmon" but rather cured un-smoked salmon.

Delicious !

Lox is the Jewish term for smoked salmon,it's the same thing!

Gravlox is cured unsmoked salmon. Btw Dean and Deluca had really good Gravlox but that was in SoHo. Curious if the Dean and Deluca in Bangkok carries it

[Thian]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

Lox is not "smoked salmon" but rather cured un-smoked salmon.

Delicious !

Lox is the Jewish term for smoked salmon,it's the same thing!

Gravlox is cured unsmoked salmon. Btw Dean and Deluca had really good Gravlox but that was in SoHo. Curious if the Dean and Deluca in Bangkok carries it

You mean gravad lax?

[rak sa_ngop]

Jingthing, just order 70 grams next time.

Problem solved!

[sunnyjim5]

NO LOX FOR YOU !!

Or you could try making your own:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/recipe/how-to-make-your-own-lox/

Lox is not "smoked salmon" but rather cured un-smoked salmon.

Delicious !

Lox is the Jewish term for smoked salmon,it's the same thing!

Gravlox is cured unsmoked salmon. Btw Dean and Deluca had really good Gravlox but that was in SoHo. Curious if the Dean and Deluca in Bangkok carries it

You are mistaken !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox

[chicowoodduck]

The Deli? If that happens to me I usually go off my nut and pull the gun from my belt and starts shooting in the air while hollering at the top of my voice....gets their attention all the time and the service speeds up for some unknown reason? ?

[Jingthing]

Jingthing, just order 70 grams next time.

Problem solved!

Not bad but I think they would think that's a weirdly small order.

It might work if I wasn't already persona non loxa at that place given the recent incident.

[bark]

How are your Thai language skills?

You say you asked for 100 g and he always gives you 30 % more. 30 % is 130 g not 150 g.

And if you keep fighting with him; he will give you some of his special sauce, or something .

[mogo51]

Get a life, if you cannot work it out, ask for number of slices and hope he can count that far.

[Jingthing]

How are your Thai language skills?

You say you asked for 100 g and he always gives you 30 % more. 30 % is 130 g not 150 g.

And if you keep fighting with him; he will give you some of his special sauce, or something .

At least 30 percent more. The point was the percentage over wasn't tiny and it's never been necessary to go over so much as it can always be corrected by removing entire slices.

The 150 gram was given as an example of how absurd it is to get a large overage when ordering 100 gram.

No, I'm not going to "fight" with them anymore.

That is if you call asking to get what you ordered fighting, that's a pretty low bar for that word.

Most likely I won't go near that counter unless I notice a change in staff.

I like the idea of asking for less than wanted. That would probably work for a virgin there. But like I said, they know me and hate me now and not subtle about it.

Not only did I demand they actually do their job I have questioned the cleanliness of the bare hands of a man who cuts up dead animals.

Mercy!

Edited February 19, 2016 by Jingthing