Cuisine au Beurre.

[sglad]

What did you have for the main course ?

Meatloaf.

[Smiles]

That duck thing on that ghastly bluish plate looks positively proletarian. 440 baht? Say no more.
If you really MUST eat in Pattaya and environs, for god sake get thee to the heavenly 'Cafe Des Amis' for an exqisite meal, although the tiramisu left me wanting, for the price.
Better yet, slide down to Whore Hin for haute couture .... oops, I mean cuisine.

[sglad]

...She takes orders rarely and sometimes I have seen the main waitress go check with a customer after the girl takes the order to make sure it's correct or advise something, so i'm not quite sure why they let the kid do it in the first place.

The presence of a family member tends to keep staff on their toes. Kids are observant and will report back to parents what they see especially if they've been instructed/trained by their parents to keep an eye on things. When she's big enough she'll be put in charge of the cash register if she hasn't already. This is quite common in Chinese and other Asian businesses. The minions do the work under our tight supervision and we watch them like a hawk. The till and accounting we manage ourselves. It's about trust - family comes first. Very different from farang businesses. They spend a huge fortune starting a business, with much fanfare and spectacle, then leave it in the hands of some inexperienced buffoon or ex hoe and then go out whoring themselves. Business collapses, they get bitter and then blame the Thais for everything.

Another reason is training. The girl is being trained to take over during a future emergency. It builds discipline and communication skills. It gives her a sense of ownership in the family business. When you feel you have a part in something you will take greater care of it. We used to work/hang out at my grandparents' food and noodle shop after school and during school holidays. I learned a lot and it beat staying at home alone, with both my parents working full time.

[Jellybean]

Quote Originally Posted by gerefan2
What did you have for the main course ?

Meatloaf.

You may be surprised to learn sglad, that during a visit to Pattaya last year, while I was staying at the Avani Hotel & Spa and lying on my bed, reading a book and sipping a glass of wine, I spotted an envelope being pushed under my bedroom door. Inside the envelope was an unsolicited gold embossed invitation from the Sunee Plaza Meatloaf Club addressed to J Bean Esquire and inviting me to dinner at the Ting Tong Red Bar the following evening.

Dress code was said to be: Smart casual, but no shorts or flip-flops to be worn. It also said a motorcycle taxi would be waiting for me outside my hotel at 19:00 hours the next evening. And, it ended with a rather worrying warning – No riff-raff allowed. Oh my, I thought, would I really pass muster? But I thought, what the hell, in for a penny in for a pound and decided to accept the invitation. I therefore decided to put on a clean pair of pants and give my shoes a polish and hoped this would be sufficient to pass inspection by the eagle eyed club invitation secretary.

Honestly though, I can report that it was a thoroughly pleasant evening with around twenty invitees in attendance. Meatloaf isn’t part of my usual diet while in Thailand, but it was a pleasant change from my normal cuisine. But I must confess it was the company of my fellow invitees which really made the evening for me.

Now, I cannot recall being asked to roll the leg of my trousers up, bare my breast and swear on the bible not to reveal the history of my invitation. So I sincerely hope I have not inadvertently disclosed anything of a secret nature. When next I find myself in Pattaya, I certainly would not like to wake up to find a horse’s head in my bed as a punishment for any perceived indiscretion on my part. [Gulp!]

[francois]

Jellybean, You may have revealed too much detail regarding membership in the Meatloaf Club. Mum's the word !

[sglad]

Honestly though, I can report that it was a thoroughly pleasant evening with around twenty invitees in attendance. Meatloaf isn’t part of my usual diet while in Thailand, but it was a pleasant change from my normal cuisine. But I must confess it was the company of my fellow invitees which really made the evening for me.

And that's all that counts, JB! Great post.

I don't know why but I'm so tickled by this whole meatloaf thing. These Pattayans take their cheap food so seriously.

[francois]

I don't know why but I'm so tickled by this whole meatloaf thing. These Pattayans take their cheap food so seriously.

The food is inexpensive, not cheap.

[colmx]

I almost walked into CAB and PP on the last day of my trip... however I didn't like the look of anything on their blackboards and we ended up in Alt Heidelberg near BT instead

Are the blackboards just specials and do they both have full menus to choose from?

[gerefan2]

Are the blackboards just specials and do they both have full menus to choose from?

Yes have both.

[francois]

I almost walked into CAB and PP on the last day of my trip... however I didn't like the look of anything on their blackboards and we ended up in Alt Heidelberg near BT instead

Is there more than one Alt Heidelberg? The one I am familiar with is quite some distance from Boyztown (BT) on Jomtien Second Rd.