Nong Khai Pizza Man

[marshbags]

I witnessed a farang physically selling pizzas off the back of a modified pick up last night.

Stuck out a mile on Prajak Road.

I was gobsmacked as to how he was able to do this and he obviously acted as if he was operating a hotdog stand in the U.K. or any other western country and was very open about it.

Selling them surely comes under the employment for Thai,s regulations.

I might be miguided on the situation but i thought, how is he able to do this legally without getting into trouble with the authorities.

I was tempted to ask him, while offering caution if it was not above board with permission from the authorities, diplomatically and friendly of course.

If he has managed to get legal to do this then good luck to him

marshbags

[chownah]

Was it good?

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I witnessed a farang physically selling pizzas off the back of a modified pick up last night.

Stuck out a mile on Prajak Road.

I was gobsmacked as to how he was able to do this and he obviously acted as if he was operating a hotdog stand in the U.K. or any other western country and was very open about it.

Selling them surely comes under the employment for Thai,s regulations.

I might be miguided on the situation but i thought, how is he able to do this legally without getting into trouble with the authorities.

I was tempted to ask him, while offering caution if it was not above board with permission from the authorities, diplomatically and friendly of course.

If he has managed to get legal to do this then good luck to him

marshbags

Does he deliver?

[Martin]

My guess would be that the business (and the pickup) is owned by his wife and he "was just giving her a helping hand".

I know that, technically, that can be held to be against the law, since 'work is work, whether there is payment or not'. But is it a law that is presently being enforced in Nong Khai?

The attitude of the local authorities and the Police where I live seems to be that laws are enforced if the breaking of them is harmful, or if Bangkok is keen on it and that is being passed down the chain of command.

When I first came here, I was a bit taken aback that my wife's motorbike seemed to have shed its number plate some years before. She explained to me that that sort of thing was OK since all the Police, whose Station is just along the soi from our house, knew that she only used the bike to putt-putt around our little town, or go a few kilometres to visit her cousins in her girlhood village.

There also seems to be the 'turning of a blind eye' to quite young children riding motorbikes to the primary and secondary school from the surrounding villages, but they mustn't go on the Highway.

It actually makes a lot of sense, since we all seem to drive very sensibly and cautiously once we are off the Highway and amongst neighbours on the country roads. But we all seem to change into 'boy racers' when we get on the Highway!

[Briggsy]

Cool, I bet he's tripping flogging his pizzas.

About 5 years ago, there was a German marched off to prison in Krabi for looking after his missus' melon stall. It made the Post. Dunno how much he had to pay to get out.

[leisurely]

Is that some sort of fancy Isaan double entendre 'minding his wifes melon stall'?

[marshbags]

Cool, I bet he's tripping flogging his pizzas.

About 5 years ago, there was a German marched off to prison in Krabi for looking after his missus' melon stall. It made the Post. Dunno how much he had to pay to get out.

The man was dressed up in a white chefs suit , or similar, complete with hat.

He sure looks out of place in Prajak Road and sticks out like headless corpse. ( did anyway )

I,m pleased this actually got a couple of replies from the humerous and yes i did raise a smile reading them,

to the more serious visa wise, thanks Martin.

Incidently, it reminded me of a certain unlucky bar owner in North Pattaya a few years ago.

He was putting a Carlsburg beer sign up on the wall above the entance.

He was arrested, escorted to Don Muang and kicked out for breach of visa rules.

This made me want to ask the guy in this case if he was legit ( i,m sure he wasn,t )

Even if he was only assisting his wife does not give him authority to work and i wanted to see if he was aware of this.

As in the above situation back in Pattaya.

It will only take one jealous Thai to report him and he,s in for a holiday im the monkey house, plus a big fine ( bribe ) at the very least.

Apparently a fellow bar owner tipped the police off and paid them to remove him on visa violations.

marshbags

[chownah]

Just out of curiosity was the pizza seller obviously gay?

[Jeff1]

Cool, I bet he's tripping flogging his pizzas.

About 5 years ago, there was a German marched off to prison in Krabi for looking after his missus' melon stall. It made the Post. Dunno how much he had to pay to get out.

The man was dressed up in a white chefs suit , or similar, complete with hat.

He sure looks out of place in Prajak Road and sticks out like headless corpse. ( did anyway )

I,m pleased this actually got a couple of replies from the humerous and yes i did raise a smile reading them,

to the more serious visa wise, thanks Martin.

Incidently, it reminded me of a certain unlucky bar owner in North Pattaya a few years ago.

He was putting a Carlsburg beer sign up on the wall above the entance.

He was arrested, escorted to Don Muang and kicked out for breach of visa rules.

This made me want to ask the guy in this case if he was legit ( i,m sure he wasn,t )

Even if he was only assisting his wife does not give him authority to work and i wanted to see if he was aware of this.

As in the above situation back in Pattaya.

It will only take one jealous Thai to report him and he,s in for a holiday im the monkey house, plus a big fine ( bribe ) at the very least.

Apparently a fellow bar owner tipped the police off and paid them to remove him on visa violations.

marshbags

The whole thing is kind of sad really.

[Martin]

Thinking about it, there is a huge grey area of whether one is engaging in work in a prohibited profession without a work permit, or not, when helping your Thai wife with her business.

For instance, it was threshing day for us yesterday. We now have our rice grown for us, on my wife's land, by a landless family, and we 'pay' them with half the crop. At the end of the day, my wife and I come home with me driving our (grossly overladen) 20-year-old pickup. (This is the only real job that the old pickup does each year. Otherwise it is just a 'motorised wheelbarrow' for running garden rubbish to the dump, and suchlike).

Since, on my extension-of-stay application each year I put (as instructed by the Immigration Police Officer) "To support Thai wife", in the space for the reason for the application, I think bringing home the rice should be acceptable. But I can see that I could possibly be accused of engaging in farming, technically.

I doubt that the accusation would be accepted and pursued, though, unless I was also generally behaving in a manner that was seen to be making me a bad neighbour etc.

However, the pizza man would appear to be running a much bigger risk.

[marshbags]

Thinking about it, there is a huge grey area of whether one is engaging in work in a prohibited profession without a work permit, or not, when helping your Thai wife with her business.

For instance, it was threshing day for us yesterday. We now have our rice grown for us, on my wife's land, by a landless family, and we 'pay' them with half the crop. At the end of the day, my wife and I come home with me driving our (grossly overladen) 20-year-old pickup. (This is the only real job that the old pickup does each year. Otherwise it is just a 'motorised wheelbarrow' for running garden rubbish to the dump, and suchlike).

Since, on my extension-of-stay application each year I put (as instructed by the Immigration Police Officer) "To support Thai wife", in the space for the reason for the application, I think bringing home the rice should be acceptable. But I can see that I could possibly be accused of engaging in farming, technically.

I doubt that the accusation would be accepted and pursued, though, unless I was also generally behaving in a manner that was seen to be making me a bad neighbour etc.

However, the pizza man would appear to be running a much bigger risk.

I,d like to think the authorities would apply common sense here and see the differences between exploiting immigration laws, and running a commercial business as against supporting the family by growing your own food.

In your case you are obviously not doing it commercially and have only grown rice for your family needs and are to congratulated for also taking care of a less fortunate family.

The Pizza man in my humble opinion is definitely breaking the law as he looks to be doing both of the above relating to law.

I take the question from Chownah as a serious one and will observe if he appears effeminate next time if he,s still there.

I,m certainly curious about the reasons why or if there is little light hearted fun going on here.

Either way i,m up for it even if you are taking the " pizza " ( extracting the urine ) he he he............................

No offence on anyones preferences by the way, so long as they are legally acceptable and private.

marshbags

[mosquitoman]

Maybe Pizza Man has a work permit

Good luck to him

MM

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Maybe Pizza Man has a work permit

Good luck to him

MM

My my, you are an optimist!

[taxexile]

I,d like to think the authorities would apply common sense

[marshbags]

I,d like to think the authorities would apply common sense

Thanks for that T.E.

I must admit i was tempted to put a after this part of my post, but didn,t want appear to make it a cynical statement while trying to be positive on Martins situation.

marshbags

[Aujuba]

Could be the guy has citizenship. There are chefs working in hotels in Thailand. he may be a 'chef' but then again he could be married to the chief of police's daughter.

[Martin]

"I,d like to think the authorities would apply common sense "

Common sense is a very rare commodity!!

But, even where it exists, it is often overuled by "What the boss expects of me". And if an administrator is trying to exist without displeasing either of two bosses, who have different and opposing viewpoints, s/he may well make decisions beyond our comprehension.

I am just reading a collection of papers on "Money and Power in Provincial Thailand" (edited by Ruth McVey, of Cornell University). In her Introduction (which is entitled "Of Greed and Violence and other signs of Progress") she points out how administrators are squeezed between the power of authority (amnat) of Bangkok and the power of influence (ittiphon) of the local leaders (chao po).

To be safe, the pizza man needs to have ingratiated himself with the local Amphoe officials, the local 'chao po' (often seen by western eyes as a 'Godfather', but not necessarily that bad), the local police, the immigration police, and his wife's business competitors, as just a crazy but pretty harmless farang who adds a bit of local colour.

Then he might get treated differently than that farang in Krabi.

After all, there is a long way (metaphorically, as well as literally) between Krabi and Nong Khai, so common sense could justify a different view being taken of the same situation!

[marshbags]

I must also add in defence of the authorities at immigration that i have witnessed common sense being used on several occasions.

Paper work not exactly correct or worded as such being one that comes up many times with applicants.

One bad apple from either side can spoil the barrel

Not only in my situations, but in many others getting visa,s / legal documents ect.

At the end of the day i hope the Pizzaman is left in the clear after re education and awareness, if need be.

marshbags

[soihok]

Is he still there now, knocking out his pizzas?

I like his style.

[kevc]

I witnessed a farang physically selling pizzas off the back of a modified pick up last night.

Stuck out a mile on Prajak Road.

I was gobsmacked as to how he was able to do this and he obviously acted as if he was operating a hotdog stand in the U.K. or any other western country and was very open about it.

Selling them surely comes under the employment for Thai,s regulations.

I might be miguided on the situation but i thought, how is he able to do this legally without getting into trouble with the authorities.

I was tempted to ask him, while offering caution if it was not above board with permission from the authorities, diplomatically and friendly of course.

If he has managed to get legal to do this then good luck to him

marshbags

Going back to the pizza bit instead of the job Has anyone tasted them ?. In Nang Rong Sunday Market two pizza stalls have just sprang up ,looks like franchises as they have the same cookers and they same boxes to put them in, as for the pizza's I sooooooooh wanted them to taste even minutely like a pizza but my luck was out, I should have guessed when the meat toppings consisted of three kinds of sliced hot dog, six inch pizza's 49 Baht even the dog didn't like it, never mind ten out of ten for the effort by the way the cheese came squirting out of a bottle ( a sort of cheesy salad cream ) topped off with about twenty flakes of the real stuff.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

cheese came squirting out of a bottle ( a sort of cheesy salad cream ) topped off with about twenty flakes of the real stuff.

Apparently, real, authentic Italian pizza then...

[chownah]

So, is the farang still selling the pizza from the truck and does he appear to be obviously gay?

Chownah

[marshbags]

So, is the farang still selling the pizza from the truck and does he appear to be obviously gay?

Chownah

Anyone know among the local population or visiting.

He was working on Prajak Road near he Wat / garage.

Otherwise i,m going in a couple of weeks and if he,s still around i,ll use my descretion and try to ascertain it.

I,m a Yorky by the way regarding the descretion

marshbags

[chownah]

If its the person I'm thinking of he'll be quite flamboyant as this is his personal style and he has no qualms about being himself in public....which is the way it should be in my opinion. He's a long time Nong Khai person and has cooked professionally before.

Chownah

[opothai]

I,d like to think the authorities would apply common sense

[mikeybee]

hey did you get to try the pizza and if you did mark's out of 10,Did he have alot of custom from the local's and if he did then he will be saying goodbye to his pizza business,we all no how thing's end in los when someone get's a good idea.

[soihok]

So is he still around then ?

Not too bothered about the gay thing but a pizza would be good.

[PhilHarries]

Is that some sort of fancy Isaan double entendre 'minding his wifes melon stall'?

Very Frankie Howardesque. But if he were doing it in public maybe that's why he got arrested.

[marshbags]

I walked Prajak Road last night ( 14th ) but couldn,t see him. ????

I,ll try again next week as i have to visit again.

I hope nothing to serious has happened to him

marshbags

P.S.

Quite a few of the older established food stalls are disappearing now, especially around the WAt area. ??????

[Mai Krap]

This is not the place to be asking the kinds of questions posed here or to have a virtual witch hunt on A guy who is minding his own business up country in Thailand.

If you want some pizza from the guy by all meens, go get some and tell everyone if its good. If the pizza is great thats even better, If its not good then say you dislike it and move on. If youre gay and you think the guy is sexy take it to the gay forum, Its really nobodys business but his.

This thread was out off line when it was started and now its just outrageous, I dont know the man nor have I ever spoken with him but Im happy to defend him here and say he has every right to be left the hel_l alone to sell pizzas until such a time as the local Thais decide he is no longer needed.