Money matters: Thailand property boom or bust?
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
One of the hottest property investment markets in Asia
is Thailand. Growing numbers of expatriates living in Asia as well as
retiring Europeans have set their sights on Thailand because of its
quality of life, low cost of living, affordability in buying a property,
and the opportunity to have a base in Asia from which to work in the
region.
Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Samui are some of the main
destinations attracting foreign investors. Naturally, people will also
want to return to Southern Thailand – especially Phuket and Krabi –
although the markets there are still overshadowed by memories of the
tragic tsunami. Other destinations include Chiang Mai and Hua Hin, which
are also growing.
Compared to the prices for city property in other Asian
countries, it is easy to see why Bangkok has become so popular.
Residential condo prices are the most affordable and some of the lowest in
Asia when compared to Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney.
High-end condos in the Sukhumvit/Silom areas are
selling in the THB 90-100,000 per square metre range (US$2,300-2,600/sqm)
compared to Hong Kong (US$9,000/sqm), Singapore (US$6,000/sqm), Tokyo
(US$7,500/sqm) and Sydney (US$7,000/sqm) making Bangkok condos a
relatively cheap investment option in dollar terms, which is one of the
factors attracting overseas investors.
However, over the next two-three years there will be
quite a few new high end residential condo projects in the Silom and
Sukhumvit areas coming onto the market, many of which will be hard to sell
quickly in the current over-supplied market. Coupled with high oil prices
(which translates in to higher building costs for developers), a slowing
US economy, rising interest rates and falling rental yields, sales targets
will be hard to reach, especially in the buy-to-let investment market.
The good news for investors is that developers facing
rising costs, slower sales and more competition and will be forced to
offer more incentives in order to sell their projects. So if you are
thinking of a second home or a permanent residence in Bangkok wait for a
while as 2006-7 should be a good time to look for the best deals –
although in the second hand sector there are such variations in price that
there are bargains out there all the time, although finding them can take
time.
For those thinking of lifestyle opportunities, Phuket
has been a major destination for years. Even post-tsunami it will continue
to be dominated and driven by foreign investors looking for investment
property or a permanent address for residence. With excellent
infrastructure, direct flights to most cities in the region and a range of
resort style projects to choose from, starting from 8 million baht up to
40 million baht or so, demand is expected to remain strong.
For those looking for something a little more idyllic,
investment orientated and more affordable, Koh Samui is a gold mine of
opportunity for investors and home owners. With property values growing at
something like 20 percent a year driven by tourism and property
development, and land values still 40-50 percent lower than similar plots
in Phuket, there is still a lot of growth in the market.
However, compared to Phuket the number of good boutique
projects currently available offering professional management is still
small and buyers need to do their homework before buying. But over the
next five years local real estate agents foresee an increasing number of
new quality developments on offer that will bring greater investment
dollars into the Samui market and, with it, higher prices.
Coupled with the launch of more five star hotel
developments (Four Seasons and the Marriott) and new tourism projects such
as the development of a second golf course and a planned new marina,
larger numbers of investors and tourists to the island will follow.
In summary, the Thai market is one of the most
affordable and sought after in Asia, and it will continue to attract
strong private and corporate investors into Bangkok and established resort
areas.
As those of you who know me will attest to, I have been
eulogising the benefits of the Eastern Seaboard for many years now.
Business now seems to have fully recovered from the doldrums incurred
since 1997. More and more investment, both local and foreign, is pouring
into the region and the large industrial estates such as Hemaraj and Amata
are having to buy more land to build on just to keep pace.
International hotels are now either already building in
Pattaya or are looking to start in the near future. International
developers are doing the same. As the infrastructure to the region
improves and the new international airport is up and running more and more
people will be coming to Pattaya to live. There is even the chance of it
turning into a commuter town for Bangkok within the next ten years.
How long will this last? Nobody knows. However, one thing is for
certain, whilst prices remain as they are throughout South East Asia,
Thailand offers some of the best deals to be had anywhere in the region.
The above data and research was compiled from sources believed to be
reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its officers can
accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above article nor
bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any actions
taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For more
information please contact Graham Macdonald on [email protected]
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Snap Shots: Shooting neon made simple
by Harry Flashman
If you are ever in Pattaya, head up Soi Pattayaland 2
one night and just look upwards. The street is a veritable illuminated
forest of neon. There must be more neon tubes per cubic metre than
anywhere else in the world. Even visitors from Las Vegas stand and stare.
In other cities you will also find meters of coloured neon lighting,
especially in the nightlife areas. Neon is universal, and unfortunately
universally misunderstood by most photographers.
These
are the tourists who have the camera slung round their necks and out it is
whipped to record this neon wonderland for the folks back home. With a
spitting flash, the auto-focus camera grinds away, but when the traveller
gets his prints back, he or she is going to be very disappointed. That
huge neon glow comes out as a thin thready coloured tube and nothing like
what they saw that night. Why? Did the photo-processor get it wrong? Was
it done on the wrong sort of film? Did the camera get it wrong?
Simple answer is no, none of the above. The failure to
record neon lighting was because the photographer believed the auto
camera’s suggestion that since it was night, flash must be used. In
fact, most auto cameras these days will automatically get the flash ready
by sundown. This, unfortunately, is where the modern cameras are just too
smart for themselves. A flash is the last thing you need when taking neon
lights. The reason for this is quite simple - the strong white flash burst
totally overpowers the weaker neon illumination and washes out all the
pretty colours (the reason you wanted to take the shot in the first
place!).
The first item you need to research in the auto
camera’s manual is how to turn the flash OFF. The reason for this is
again simple - when you photograph neon, you must make the neon tubes
themselves the light source. Not the flash.
So what shutter speed and aperture settings should you
use? If you have an auto setting on the camera, or you are using a fully
automatic point and shooter then you are already set up. No fancy
calculations are required. The camera’s meter will do it all for you.
For once, I am happy to let the electronic brain do its thing (but without
the flash).
However, since you are dealing with a low light
situation the shutter speeds will be fairly slow, often down around 1/15th
to 1/8th of a second. At these sorts of speeds you will not hand-hold and
get ultimate sharpness in your prints. This is the time to use a tripod or
hold the camera firmly on the roof of a parked car to stop blurring. Or
even one of those dinky little table-top tripods.
If you want to get technical and do it all manually,
then meter from the neon glow itself and then shoot not only at that
setting, but also from one stop below and one stop above. This the pros
call “bracketing” and it just simply increases your chances of getting
a good shot. In the photography bizz, a pro must come back with the goods
- no excuses are acceptable! Not even torrential rain, or polar bears out
without a leash.
Now, to really go to town with the neon sign effects,
get out your filters. If you have a soft focus one, then put it on for a
couple of shots. Another interesting variant is to tightly stretch a nylon
stocking over the lens. The result here will be a “halo” around the
neon and can make for a very attractive photograph. Try putting a
“starburst” or a rainbow filter on too. Just to get something
different.
And looking for something really different? Another
great visual effect is to put the camera on the tripod and use a zoom
lens. Select a shutter speed of around ten seconds and slowly “zoom”
in or away from the neon light while the shutter is open. You will get
something very different with this technique. Something like a 3D movement
effect.
Try some neon shots this weekend - just remember to turn the flash off!
Modern Medicine: Can you die from diarrhoea?
by Dr. Iain Corness, ConsultantYes
you can die from diarrhoea (also spelled as “diarrhea, if you come from
the left hand side of the Atlantic Ocean). Diarrhoea is that fun condition
where all of a sudden you get that urgency to go to the toilet which cannot
be denied! The last time I had this, after visiting the loo three times in
the first hour, being the well prepared doctor that I am, I went to the
medicine chest to grab some Imodium or Lomotil, those magic medications that
are the next best thing to a cork. Needless to say there were none as I had
not replaced the last lot! Consequently, that same urgency lasted all night,
with regular half hourly ensuite journeys.
The scenario, as painted above, is typical of a food
poisoning case. The body knows it has a problem and does its level best to
expel the problem. Noisily! (And with malodour!)
There are those that say you benefit from a good
“cleanout” but I am not so sure. Whilst I am certainly now sparkling
clean from the back of my tonsils to my back side it has left me feeling
weak and exhausted and decidedly not thinking that this episode has been
beneficial. As for those who front up regularly for a colonic washout -
Gentlemen, include me out, as Sam Goldwyn once said.
So what is this diarrhoea disease? Well, the first thing
is that it is not a disease - it is a symptom. Diarrhoea, that certain
looseness of the bowels can be caused by a virus, a bacterium, stress,
antibiotics and a host of other conditions, including cancer. However, the
vast majority of cases of acute diarrhoea are a simple infection and self
limiting - in other words, you will get over it (just as I did). An
exception should be stated here, as acute diarrhoea in young children should
not be ignored as it can be fatal. The reason is that children have a much
smaller circulating blood volume and can go into ‘shock’ or circulatory
collapse very quickly.
Chronic diarrhoea is a different matter. Recurrent
chronic diarrhoea should never be ignored as this can be caused by much more
important, and dangerous conditions. Blood with the diarrhoea makes it even
more imperative that you seek advice, diagnosis and treatment and not just
swallow a handful of pills every couple of days. The causes here may include
alcohol, thyroid problems, pancreatic problems, celiac disease, colonic
cancer, parasitic infections etc, etc, etc. Again, not the conditions you
would want to choose for yourself and definitely not cured by Imodium!
The investigations necessary to diagnose the cause of
chronic diarrhoea are as varied as the causes themselves. It will be
necessary to do complete blood testing, covering liver, pancreas and
thyroid, as well as the standard full blood count. Examination of the stool
is also required, both through the microscope and attempting to culture
(grow) any bugs. This is also not just one stool specimen, but generally one
a day for three days. It will also be likely that we will have to pass the
“black snake” up your bottom, more properly called a flexible
sigmoidoscope and probably snip a couple of pieces of tissue as well as
biopsy material to be examined under the microscope.
The treatment of chronic diarrhoea depends upon the
cause, though the simple symptomatic treatment (Imodium/Lomotil) can be used
while awaiting the results of the further testing, but I cannot stress
enough that all cases of chronic diarrhoea must be thoroughly investigated.
All cases! And never neglect diarrhoea in the little ones. It can be fatal.
Learn to Live to Learn: The Road Not Taken
with Andrew Watson
The path from the mystical poetry of Khalil Gibran’s
“Prophet” to Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” is a
beautiful one, lined with imagery and metaphor. Frost’s poem
celebrates taking the path ‘less trodden’ in life, which might be
easily written but is less easily achieved, when much of what we learn
through education and experience appears to be channelled towards
conformity.
A great deal of what we are taught and sometimes
learn, seems designed to maintain social, economic and political
equilibrium. It is natural to want to feel part of a group, where shared
beliefs and rituals reinforce our sense of well-being.
Equally, whilst new situations, new places and new
experiences can create a sense of expectation and excitement, they can
also be the source of anxiety, disorientation and fear.
Similarly, being asked to reconsider what we once
held to be true can be disconcerting, disturbing, and disruptive.
Revelation can be enlightening, but also discordant. Many resent having
their belief systems questioned, yet who amongst us can say that we
regularly examine our own motives, behaviour and actions? Our thoughts,
words and deeds?
Charles Handy (1993) writes that “New organisations
(International Schools fit into this category) need to run in new
ways,” which requires us to “learn new ways and new habits, to live
with more uncertainty but more trust, less control but more creativity.
To those reared in another language (such as conformity), it can be a
strange and frightening language, but I think that we have to recognise
that it is the right language.”
Some may feel that introspection is unnecessary, for
others it is a natural part of living. I think you need some courage to
undertake the former, for there is necessarily the probability that at
times you will feel lost, alone, afraid. You will make mistakes, find
yourself at fault and worse still, unhappy. To which I respond, don’t
be afraid of mistakes - make more of them - and don’t be unhappy about
it! (But try not to make the same ones repeatedly!)
If we are to arrive at the favourable condition which
Gibran refers to as “The threshold of your own mind”, then it
appears to me that taking the less trodden path will allow you to reach
this point, hopefully happy, wise and in good health. Sometimes, it is
only through the darkness that we can see the light.
Burnes (1996) suggests that too shared a culture,
such as one of conformity, can lead to stagnation and stifle
individuality and “be so powerful as to resist change”. Within a
school, this is dangerous indeed and as Burnes maintains, is a feature
of failing schools.
This is a culture where teachers are “afraid of
sharing their successes for fear of being perceived as blowing their own
horns” (Fullan & Hargreaves, 1998). Such a situation limits growth
and improvement quite fundamentally, because access to ideas and
practices that might offer better ways of doing things is limited. This
institutionalizes conservatism and creates cultures of mediocrity.
So what is to be done when taking the path ‘less
trodden’ is discouraged? Take it nonetheless, I say! Fullan &
Hargreaves (1998) would agree. They advocate finding the time, the
courage and the commitment to “reach into our own inner selves; to
locate, develop and articulate our voice”. Or as Hamlet has it, “To
thine own self be true.” (Act 1, Scene 3, l 68)
Robert Frost was an American poet who was much
admired for his realistic verse portraying ordinary people in everyday
situations. He recognises that our everyday decisions have a huge impact
on our lives and alludes in no small way to the idea that it is our
choices in life that determine the content of our character. He is also
a generous and compassionate poet who implicitly acknowledges that the
less travelled road is not for all.
“The Road Not
Taken”
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
It is the privilege of teachers to be able to bring
students to the point where their roads diverge. If teachers can trust
themselves enough to trust their students and are ready to give of their
faith and their lovingness, then in the end, I believe that a student
can be trusted to take the path which is right for them.
A student’s success and happiness is after all, the
end to which all teachers should surely be aspiring. Sometimes, as Handy
declares, “It can take a lifetime to realize that true fulfilment is
vicarious.” We get our deepest satisfaction from the fulfilment and
growth and happiness of others and knowing this, can make all the
difference.
[email protected]
Next week: Reports
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
“Chocs and bubbly, lovely jubbly!” So says Derek Trotter of
Trotter’s Independent Traders (Bangkok and Koh Peckham) who has just
discovered a stash in his lock-up. Delchai will be on his way as soon as
he has found the dipstick for the van.
Mistersingha
Dear Mistersingha,
I didn’t know you drove a van.
Dear Hillary,
Why is it that song taew drivers all over Thailand are so rude and
ignorant? Is it part of their training course to be so surly? Don’t
they realize they are part of the tourism experience for many visitors.
They should be put to work sweeping the roads, not driving on them.
Vic the frequent Visitor
Dear Visitor Vic,
And what, pray tell, makes you think that road sweepers are rude and
ignorant, so much so that the song taew drivers would fit in
immediately? Where would the song taew drivers carry their five baht
pieces? And they would waste all that horn training too. Have you ever
seen the size of their left thumbs? Huge! No, Vic, let’s keep the
street sweepers as the friendly and happy folk that they all are. What
has to be done is to get rid of the song taews, a feat that successive
city mayors have found to be too difficult.
Dear Hillary,
Every day when I open up my email account it is full of offensive emails
from people I have never met and I find it annoying, to say the least.
Is there nothing we ordinary folk can do to stop this kind of thing? 90
percent of them seem to be sites with pornographic material and yet when
you try to send an email to them to stop further messages from these
people, you can’t get through. What do you suggest, Hillary? I’m
sure your email letterbox must get stuffed full too.
Tired of it all
Dear Tired of it all,
One certain thing is my letterbox is certainly not full of chocolates
and champers from that Mistersingha, my Petal! If you have an email
account that you open every day, you should also know that you can block
much of this spam before you download. You can also just bring down the
headers and trash the ones that are obviously rubbish before opening.
Most servers have a ‘block sender’ facility where you can stop that
particular pest or porn purveyor from ever reaching your in box again.
Dear Hillary,
I am very attracted to my mate’s wife. She is Thai and very beautiful
and she has been making it obvious that the feeling is mutual. I know
she has been seeing other guys while her husband is offshore. Should I
follow my heart? Should I tell my mate about her and me, or should I not
bother with her and tell him about the flings she has while he’s away?
Mate’s mate
Dear Mate’s mate,
With friends like you, who needs enemies? You should not write about
following your heart, you haven’t got one. One minute you are ready to
run off with your mate’s wife, or perhaps you’ll spill the beans
about her supposed infidelities. But if you do have a heart, it’s
“jai dam”, something you should not be proud of. I hope your mate
finds you and teaches you a couple of physical lessons. You deserve it.
If your mate is not of the physical type, tell him to contact me. I know
of a couple of underemployed Muay Thai exponents who’d love to help
him.
Dear Hillary,
My maid drives me completely insane. She speaks little English and I am
not fluent in Thai; however, we usually get by with a few words and
mime. She horrifies me by putting all the dishes and glasses and pans
together in the sink and attempting to wash them with cold running
water. Or she will wipe the floor with a dishcloth. I patiently explain
and demonstrate the way I want it done, and it is fine for a while then
she will go back to the old ways. Most times she will put ironed clothes
away in right place but sometimes for no apparent reason will leave them
on the lounge room chair or dresser. Most of the time she does an
average to below average job infuriatingly slowly, though sometimes she
will do something bizarre such as leaving drying washing in kitchen. If
I want something in particular done which should just be routine surely,
like dusting the furniture or defrosting the fridge, I have to ask her
every single time. I truly do not know how to make her more efficient. I
already pay her 4,000 baht a month. Do you have any suggestions?
Jemima
Dear Jemima,
For a start you may have to lower your standards, which are probably set
a little too high for the local situation. To preserve your sanity
simply do not watch her doing the housework. Go out have fun, change
your focus and adopt a “mai pen rai” attitude. If you cannot simply
learn to put up and shut up, then pay more, approximately double, and
hire an English speaking trained housemaid. The other alternative is to
do it all yourself. The choice is yours.
Psychological Perspectives: Psychological Perspectives reflects on one year anniversary
by Michael Catalanello,
Ph.D.
The first installment of Psychological
Perspectives appeared in the Pattaya Mail on July 2, 2004. This
being the one-year anniversary of the column, I thought it appropriate to
review a few of the stories covered in this series, and reflect upon my
personal experience in writing on psychology for the Pattaya community.
Psychology in 2005 is a vibrant and vital social
science. Over the past 100 or so years, researchers and theorists in
psychology have generated an impressive body of knowledge and insights that
are, in my view, uniquely relevant to understanding many of the events and
issues that confront us in today’s world. Unfortunately, most of this
information is published exclusively within the pages of professional
journals, and is often obscured by technical jargon. For most in our
society, the fruits of psychological research remain largely intangible,
and consequently, irrelevant to the formation of public opinion and
policies.
My intention in writing Psychological Perspectives has
been to make a portion of this rich store of information in psychology
available to readers of the Pattaya Mail, while demonstrating its
applicability to the issues of topical and local interest to those of us
fortunate enough to be a part of this interestingly diverse Pattaya
community.
Over the past year there has been an abundance of local
and regional issues and news events available to examine from a
psychological perspective. The XV International AIDS Conference that was
held last year in Bangkok prompted a consideration of the psychological
issues raised by the deadly epidemic. In connection with World AIDS Day in
December, Asian University followed up by hosting an AIDS Film
Festival, free to the Pattaya community.
Another event that greatly affected the Pattaya
community was the tsunami that rolled across the Andaman Sea in December,
ravaging our neighborhood seaside communities. This regional tragedy formed
the background for a number of pieces on the psychological aspects of
dealing with the trauma produced by exposure to natural disaster and its
aftermath.
Pattaya’s reputation as a haven for a thriving
commercial sex industry prompted examination of a number of psychological
issues raised by the existence of this controversial local enterprise.
Related or, as some might argue, unrelated to the commercial sex industry,
are topics pertaining to love and affairs of the heart. Some interesting
psychological theories about the nature of love were examined here in
connection with Valentine’s Day celebrations. The Miss Universe Pageant
held last month in Bangkok also inspired a piece on psychological
investigations pertaining to human beauty and attractiveness.
International events, too, provided the occasion for
reviewing a number of relevant classic psychological studies from the dusty
archives. For example, the apparent failure of the mainstream news media to
properly assess the veracity of claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass
destruction prior to the U.S. led invasion, prompted a review of
psychologist Irving Janis’s notion of “groupthink.”
When incidents of prisoner abuse were uncovered at Abu
Ghraib, the U.S. run prison in Iraq, some U.S. politicians blamed it upon a
few “bad apples.” Review of some landmark experiments by Stanley
Milgram from the 1970s, however, illustrated the unpleasant fact that even
“good apples,” like you and me, can be induced by situations to perform
some very bad acts against our fellow man. Moreover, the decision of
cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church to appoint an ultra-conservative
theologian to replace John Paul II was revealed as predictable from the
standpoint of social psychological theory.
New and emerging research findings from psychology have
also been reported on this page. An example is the innovative research
project that is being carried out with people living with HIV in Northern
Thailand, to increase patient adherence to vital anti-retroviral
treatments. Also reported here was the conclusion reached by the American
Psychological Association, following a review of over 15 years of
prevention research, that comprehensive sex education is effective in
reducing the risk of HIV infection among young people. And let’s not
forget the findings reported here two weeks ago that the basis of the
female orgasm lies within the human gene.
I have personally found it both challenging and gratifying to examine
and write about current events and topics of local interest from a
perspective provided by psychological theory and research. I am always
happy to receive comments on my stories, both favorable and unfavorable,
from my readers. I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who
meet me here each week to explore topics in the news, and issues of
interest to our unique Pattaya community.
Dr. Catalanello is a licensed psychologist in his home State of Louisiana, USA, and a member of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Asian University,
Chonburi. You may address questions and comments to him at [email protected], or post on his weblog at
http://asianupsych.blogspot.com
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What’s Hot and What’s Not in F&B:
What are the key ingredients that make a dining experience complete?
Dylan
Counsel
F&B Manager,
Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa
In my job, I often find myself assessing and reassessing
what are the key ingredients that make a dining experience complete. High
quality food and creative simplistic recipes are important. A good wine list
with an interesting cocktail selection is also important, together with a
good restaurant ambiance and atmosphere. There are many other small factors
that combine to make or break your dining experience. However, I am
convinced that the one important factor that will either urge you to spread
positive or negative word of mouth about your experience is waiter service,
service, service. This week’s edition of What’s Hot and What’s Not is
dedicated to the many waiters and waitresses who have provided us with some
of the most memorable dining experiences for both good and bad reasons.
The thing about service is that every customer is
different. Some like to be left alone, some like to talk, some like to order
from the menu, some like to take the waiter’s recommendation. Some
customers are impatient; some customers have all the time in the world. Some
like to tip, some don’t, some are willing to try new foods, some like
comfort foods. The point is that all customers are different and need to be
treated differently. To ensure guest satisfaction, a modern day waiter needs
a diverse range of skills over and above taking an order and serving food. A
modern day waiter if doing their job properly, needs to be a diplomat, an
entertainer, a financial controller, a psychologist, an artist, a food and
wine guru, a comedian and an expert on current news.
What separates good waiters from great waiters? Some
waiters may say the good to great difference is measured by tips. Some
waiters may say punishing customers who don’t speak their language is
important, other waiters may say proving they know more than the customer
about food and wine is important. Others may say rushing the customer
through a three-course meal in less than 30 minutes so they can go and have
a cigarette is a measure of success. I believe the real measure of good to
great for a waiter is far more personal and is closely related to primary
motivation and passion.
Having been a waiter for many years myself and having
worked with many outstanding waiters, some common characteristics of truly
professional waiters are as follows:
* A great waiter works with passion for service, food and
wine.
* A great waiter understands the value of putting a smile
on the customer’s face.
* A great waiter spends the first 15 - 30 minutes of
their day reading the paper and getting up to date on current issues, news
and politics. You never know what the customer will want to talk about.
* A great waiter knows when to shut up and leave the
customer alone.
* A great waiter never lets the chef say ‘No’. ‘If a customer wants it
we can do it’.
* A great waiter feels as if they are the owner of the restaurant.
* A great waiter understands that service of food and wine is a performance
not a delivery.
* Great waiting is a profession and art form, not a means until the end of
the month.
* A waiter knows the story behind every ingredient
backwards. What sea was the sea bass caught in, what are the origins of the
olives in the olive oil, what part of the world are the grapes grown for the
wine, what kind of soil are the grapes grown in and how old are the vines.
* Great waiters can tell a story behind each dish on the
menu.
* A great waiter uses and remembers the customer’s name
and what they ate previously.
* A great waiter often eats in other restaurants, for
ideas and to keep up to date with the competition.
* A great waiter never makes the customer look foolish.
If the customer says their dish is snapper, when it is really sea bass -
then the dish is snapper.
* A great waiter sells many coffees. Customers stay for
coffee if they have had an enjoyable dining experience.
* A great waiter understands the importance of a fond
farewell at the end of the customer’s breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As valued customers of restaurants in Pattaya and as a
valued reader of this column, I would like to encourage you to write in or
email the Pattaya Mail with details of your most memorable, tragic or
professional dining experience. A food voucher for two at one of Pattaya’s
quality restaurants will be given for the most entertaining story.
For now Good Health, Great Food and Best Regards,
Dylan
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