I'm visiting with my dear friend Vivyan for the weekend here in Toronto.
We head out for lunch to her favorite Bistro which happens to be a Thai restaurant. I miss Thailand a lot so I'm excited to go.
When we arrive I feel like a stalker as I hunt for some unsuspecting victim to practice my Thai on. A lovely woman takes us to our table. She doesn't look 'Thai' to me but I give it a shot anyway. "Sawadee krup" I blurt out to her. "Oh nice to meet you" she replies. It turns out Lily is from Northern China; not Thailand. We get talking and find out that she is living with a Chinese family here in Etobicoke (a suburb of Toronto) but is looking for a place of her own, or at least a place to share that would give her more space. Before you know it, Lily and Vivyan are talking about sharing Vivyan's place. Vivyan and I start to feel guilty because Lily stays at our table, talking for twenty minutes even though she's on duty. 
Finally we order our food. It's very good but I wouldn't call it authentic Thai food. But the best part of our meal is when we are leaving. As we pass the kitchen, I see the twinkle in the eyes of the women preparing the food. There are five of them and I can tell right away they are Thais. "Sawadee krup" I exclaim on my way past. Suddenly I hear a sound that's a cross between a sigh and a shriek. All five women are suddenly talking at once and letting me know they are excited that I speak their language. I'm on a roll now, so I add: "Aroi mak mah krup!" to tell them I thought the food was delicious. Again the shriek and a collective gasp of amazement. "Khapt khun kaw" one of the ladies says (thank you). We're just about out the door but just as we exit I reply: "Mai ben lai krup" (don't mention it). These ladies made my day. I really needed that.
When we arrive I feel like a stalker as I hunt for some unsuspecting victim to practice my Thai on. A lovely woman takes us to our table. She doesn't look 'Thai' to me but I give it a shot anyway. "Sawadee krup" I blurt out to her. "Oh nice to meet you" she replies. It turns out Lily is from Northern China; not Thailand. We get talking and find out that she is living with a Chinese family here in Etobicoke (a suburb of Toronto) but is looking for a place of her own, or at least a place to share that would give her more space. Before you know it, Lily and Vivyan are talking about sharing Vivyan's place. Vivyan and I start to feel guilty because Lily stays at our table, talking for twenty minutes even though she's on duty. 
Finally we order our food. It's very good but I wouldn't call it authentic Thai food. But the best part of our meal is when we are leaving. As we pass the kitchen, I see the twinkle in the eyes of the women preparing the food. There are five of them and I can tell right away they are Thais. "Sawadee krup" I exclaim on my way past. Suddenly I hear a sound that's a cross between a sigh and a shriek. All five women are suddenly talking at once and letting me know they are excited that I speak their language. I'm on a roll now, so I add: "Aroi mak mah krup!" to tell them I thought the food was delicious. Again the shriek and a collective gasp of amazement. "Khapt khun kaw" one of the ladies says (thank you). We're just about out the door but just as we exit I reply: "Mai ben lai krup" (don't mention it). These ladies made my day. I really needed that.
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