A "This is Thailand" T.I.T Moment, Isaan Thailand.

You have probably heard the saying, “This is Thailand” (TiT) saying if you have been in Thailand a little while. I often use it in some situations and will say T.i.T. I had a real doozy last night.

I was at home working away on the computer when I thought about dinner, it was after 9pm and I thought of something easy and different being porridge. I hadn’t had it for a while so I started getting everything ready.

I opened the fridge and the milk was nearly empty, no worries I thought. Nong Ja will need milk tomorrow so I just jumped on my motorbike and headed over to Big C shopping centre.

It is a minute away from my house. So I arrived and it was easy to park as most people have gone home and the car-park market that takes place every day from mid afternoon till 9pm, most vendors were mostly packed up and gone.

So I wandered up the escalator and grabbed a basket on the way into Big C. Made my way to where the milk is kept and was met with empty shelves, not a single bottle of milk. WTF?

I thought a joke, maybe a hidden camera show seeing how people react to empty shelves. I wandered off to grab a few other things before returning and hopefully seeing a Big C employee to ask what happened to all the milk. I already had an idea.

So I returned to the milk section, and there is a young guy packing the yoghurt and other products into crates. I asked the guy in English first, “where is the milk?” but was met with “what did you say, in Thai.”

So I asked in Thai and he happily with a big smile explained that it had been put away. So I enquired to, ‘why is it put away?’ and the reply was, ‘to keep it cool.’

He was just an employee and I smiled and said thank you. I made my way back to the entrance of the store and then down to where the managers usually congregate. Of course there was not a soul to be seen.

I waited a few minutes and saw some checkout people looking funnily at me. Eventually I made my way to one and asked, “Doo Jat Gaan Tee Nai Khrap?” or Where is the manager?

She replied with, ‘I don’t know!’ and then asked me to wait a minute the classic “bpeep neung”.

So after a few minutes a lady turns up, the manager and I ask if she speaks English, “Phoot Mai pben” or I cannot speak English.

So I asked her, “What time do you close?” ‘11pm,’ she answered. It was just after 9.30pm.

“Why is the milk all put away?” She replied, ‘To keep it cold, we do every night.’

“Why do you put away before closing time?” This was met with a stupid and blank stare.

She then asked, “Would you like some milk?” To which I replied using the ‘never mind,’ Thailand’s most popular saying.

I pressed on.

“Do you think it is stupid the milk is put away before closing time?” She replied, “I can get milk for you!”

I repeated the question again and again was met with a blank face, and then she said, “we do this every night.”

Now, I wasn’t angry, not at all. I was very calm and if anything found it amusing.

So I offered some advice.

I think it is a good idea that you do not put the milk or anything away until the store closes.

I asked, “What do you think?” This was met with ‘I don’t know.’

I could see that she was uncomfortable so I gave up; I said ‘thank you’ and was getting ready to leave when she asked, “would you like some milk?”

Now I appreciate her thoughtfulness but I politely declined and left and made my way around to the 7eleven and bought a small bottle.

So, what did I learn from all of this? I learnt that if I want to buy milk from Big C shopping centre I have to be there at least two hours before closing time.

I would have liked to ask why they put the all the dairy products away each night. I understand that they probably turn off the large refrigerated cases, but wouldn’t it be easier to have covers or pull down shutters and then just turn the fridge temperatures down.

But that is my T.I.T story that I thought was funny, I don’t know if you found it funny but I did and if you have a T.I.T story, please share and I would be more than happy to post if you wanted me too.

Brunty