Buddy, the Thai Guy Neighbor in Surin-part 6

[Central Scrutinizer]

Buddy, the Thai Guy Neighbor in Surin-part 6

 

 

Some Observations and Stories on Middle Class Thai Men

 

 

 

The same night that Buddy came to apologize I met another member of my neighborhood. As we had the new ?shop? set up in my house?s carport, a smaller version of the shop we were currently building across the street, I was able to meet many of the neighborhood as I sat at night at a table. Every day the wife and Sis would move the shelves of stock out from the house to the front where the shop was temporarily set up. We had four tables with chairs, the gas ?burners? and gas bottles for cooking noodles and rice dishes, a large red heavy duty plastic ?ice box? for beers and colas and such, provided by the ice company that delivered ice daily, and another large ice box filled with perishables, all lockable, and some of the ubiquitous glass shelves to display foodstuffs that could be cooked on the cooking tables/counters. It was all a smaller version of the shop that was being built, set up to showcase the foods and items for sale in the immediate future once the real shop was finished. It was an instant hit in the neighborhood, as the last shop had closed down, and because Sis and my wife cooked delicious foods that everyone raved over and wanted to buy and eat. Later in the day, usually the early evening when it was cooler, I would sit out in the shop and have a beer and chat with some of the customers/neighbors. It was how I had met Buddy that first day, doing the same thing. Every night a few of the local guys would eat some food and sit around having a chat and a few beers fresh from the ice chest. There were also cigarettes for sale, and bottles of Lao Khao, both of which could and are sold by the piece. Cigarettes in the LOS can be sold and bought separately and singley from the pack. The Lao Khao also would be sold by the glass, something of which you don?t see for other alcoholic beverages such as beer and whiskey and brandy. Only the Lao Khao is sold by the glass, all other booze is sold by the bottle. So a lot of the people would show up and buy a ?shot? of Lao Khao, which is placed in a small plastic bag, much the same as you see Thais selling cola and such.

 

This one guy, Oak, had a small empty glass bottle that the vitamin drinks come in to have Sis pour his allotment of Lao Khao into. Easier handling for him this way, with less chance to be spilled. I saw this done many times by other customers too.

 

Now Oak is a ?hansum? man, not too old, around thirty. He was sitting at another table when I came outside that first night I met him. He was apart from the other Thai guy neighbors sitting around a table laughing, drinking and talking. Oak didn't seem a part of the other guys. He wasn't included in most of the conversation, although at times he inserted himself into the conversations it was as though the older men of the neighborhood dismissed him as not one of them. This became apparent over time, not immediately. I'm not that friggin' aware, but even in the first night I noticed he wasn't really, "one of the boys" so to speak. Oak introduced himself to me that evening. His English was minimal, but better than most. He truly did try to learn English from me, and constantly tried to make conversation with me, which I do appreciate from the neighbors. It's a give and take process when neither speak the other's language fluently. They learn English from me, and I Thai, and Lao, and Khmer from them.

 

Oak seemed to know a lot about music. He was an afficianado of Rock and Roll music. I found out through our conversations that he played guitar, used to play in a band, and had a nice and pleasant singing voice. I found this out because he made a game over the months that I was there of singing American and English rock band hits to me and asking me to guess what the name of the song was, and who the band was that sang them. I'm pretty good at Rock trivia, having been a bass player in rock bands myself, garage bands, and a lover of music myself. I usually named the song and band, much to his pleasure and amusement. His singing voice was very good, if not his pronunciation of the English words used. I taught him the correct pronunciation to the song's words that he knew, and even gave him a few CD's to listen to that contained rock hits of the sixties, seventies, and eighties that I had. To borrow of course, not keep, as I cherish my CD and older tapes collection I've managed to bring over on each trip there for my own listening pleasure when I get tired of listening to mostly Thai and Lao music. Oak seemed a pleasant, amusing, intelligent, engaging and gregarious fellow. I had no problems with him, although the other Thai gents there nearly every night treated him as though he were beneath them. Not openly with contempt, but it became clear he induced little or no respect from the neighborhood gentlemen. Over time I came to realize why.

 

That first night though I had a pleasant time chatting and goofing about with him.

 

(To be continued)

 

 

 

Cent

(The Central Scrutinizer)

 

 

[Guest]

Great stuff

 

More, please, if you will sir. (something a little Oliver Twisty about that phrase )

[Central Scrutinizer]

Laohuli,

 

Thanks LHL. I just put up part 7 for you and JJ. (Who was telling me I had to stay in the Stories section and not come out until I finished a couple more parts! Friggin' slave driver!) :-)

 

Cent

[JJsushi]

Sorry Cent but my momma always told me to finish what you start. Now we can't allow you to start slacking off when you capture our attention with riveting stories. I must tell you that I have been reading your material ever since you started your forum on the old Dephi board. An author has a responsibility to satisfy his fan base. Now back to work !!!

[Central Scrutinizer]

JJ,

 

Thanks. Glad you enjoy the stories. Bought a laptop recently to make it easier to write them. I'm not online much anymore. It's great to be so mobile with the laptop. Working on finishing the Butterflies Are Free To Fly" story, which when I started it I thought would be a short one. It morphed into something much more complicated and much longer than I'd anticipated. On chapter 18 now. I can see it going to maybe 30 chapters. Thankd JJ. BTW the Delphi site lapsed quite a while back. Didn't have the time to keep it up.

 

Cent