I’ll have some Pepsi, and my pants hemmed please!

Continuing my journey through the secret lifestyle of Thai’s, I encounter another “only in Thailand” moment. Picture a normal monday afternoon, heading out to lunch we eat in a traditional family run Thai restaurant. Which consists of a strip row of business where a roll up door opens to a spacious sparse floor area of wooden tables and chairs.  Unlike western furniture, the wood is thick and sturdy, clearly made to last decades.  The only decorations adorning the wall are pictures of the King and Queen from various stages of their life.  After finding a seat of our choice we choose our dish and order lunch.  In a few short minutes our meal, made with only the freshest ingredients is set before us, it arrives in Thai style which means it comes to the table as it’s prepared, and a gap of 10 minutes or so exists between the first and last plate to arrive at the table. Up to this moment everything is par for the course, but this is where it changes. One minute the matriarch of the family is preparing the meal that is then served to us by her daughter.  The next she quickly walks up to our table, ensures all the food is in order and then sits down to her sewing machine.  Which is located directly in the middle of the dining area.  The design of this machine, or any of the parts used in it clearly has not changed for decades. It could have easily been built in the 60’s from its classical design floor model design.

I ask my Thai friends if this is normal? They glance back at the sewing machine and nod their heads.

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