Sumati Huber ponders what would happen if our problems were publicized.
By: Sumati Huber
If Our Problems Made the News…
Local Woman Feels Annoyed at Hair Salon
PHROM PHONG – Staff at a beauty salon were left stunned when a regular customer was unhappy with her blow dry. The middle-aged lady, who asked to remain anonymous, had frequented the venue every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past 15 years. This was the first time she complained that her hair was too flat and didn’t have the signature curls at the bottom to add volume. She summoned her driver to collect her from the parlour in a huff. The salon employees stood around gossiping for a good 10 minutes after this ordeal, and for the rest of the afternoon while tending to other clients. Before the irate customer exited the salon, she told the hair stylist that she would not be coming back, only to return again for her next appointment.
House Cook Does Not Come Back to Work From Day Off
SUKHUMVIT – A small family were scrambling to prepare their own meals when their new cook failed to show up to her job without any notice. Shruti Kapoor, a 31-year-old working mother, had just hired the helper about one month ago and believed everything was going fine. “I don’t understand what happened,” she recounts. “She went for her weekend holiday as normal. But then she didn’t return or answer any of my phone calls. Why couldn’t she inform me that she would not be coming back?” The busy mum will currently be spending her free time searching for a replacement while the cook could not be reached for comment.
Secretly-Dating Couple Runs Into Other Indians at Restaurant
SATHORN – After scouring a list of unfamiliar restaurants, Preeti*, 28, and Sanjay*, 29, (*not their real names) decided to boldly venture out for a dinner date on Saturday night. To their horror, they saw a table of other Indians seated near the entrance when they walked in. The couple has been dating for eight months now without their family’s knowledge. Preeti and Sanjay were not sure if the other Indians knew who they were and would tattle on them. They reported feeling nervous because the people at the Indian table stared directly at them when they walked in. “It was unnerving,” Preeti describes. “I didn’t know what to do because I walked in holding Sanjay’s hand so they definitely saw that.” The couple chose to stay on for dinner but requested a table in the back and cannot confirm if they enjoyed themselves.
Auntie Who Thinks She Got A Good Deal Finds Out Otherwise
YAOWARAT – Bindu Rajpal, 56, left the fabric store feeling pretty fantastic about herself last Thursday. She had managed to negotiate a THB 200 discount per yard of cloth in order to make new curtains for her house. When sharing the good news with her friends who came over for chai and samosas, she was shocked to hear that the shop across the street offers even more of a price reduction. “I really thought I was the best at bargaining,” Bindu wailed to reporters over the telephone. “I know that all prices are just a starting point. Now I’m questioning if I’ve been overpaying for vegetables, spices, clothes and everything else I’ve ever bought.” A friend of Bindu tried to comfort her by saying, “Don’t feel so bad. Everyone knows I’m actually the one who is the best at bargaining.”
An unreformed party girl and mother of two,writer, editor and observer Sumati Huber tries to make sense of our unique Thai-Indian society and the aunties that she will one day become.
