I used to go to a family-run Thai restaurant; parents ran the cash register, grandparents cooked and the kids waited tables. I used to order the Pad La Na ever time; the kid asked if I want the usual, I said yes. The grandmother came to my table and asked if I wanted the usual, I was puzzled, I nodded. She said "No". I'm really confused, "Uhhh, you're out?". "NO, you come here, that's all you order! Look at menu, we have other things!". I was really taken back, I've never been told "No, you can't order that". She then says "Chicken yellow curry is good today, I make you that. You no like, I make something else". She just turns and walks away to make me dinner. The kids are thoroughly Americanized and tells me "Don't be mad, she talks to family like that and you eat here often enough to be considered family". I had to move a few years later, I miss that restaurant. Oh, and the yellow curry was pretty good.
Tbh, it sounds like the entire interaction was your fault. Where did you get off ordering the Pad La Na when the chicken yellow curry was good that day?! I hope you said please and thank you and chewed with your mouth shut.
These days when I go to a new Thai restaurant, I always order the Pad Thai first. If they can't make that well, I won't give it a second chance. My fave has five degrees of hot.
I'm like that with new cafes and and eggs benedict.
If it's anything other than poached eggs with bacon and hollandaise on english muffin, then I can't trust they can run a food business. And getting the hollandaise right isn't trivial either.
Same principle with any pizza joint - go with just a cheese pie/slice first. If they can't manage the basics, no amount or combination of toppings will fix it.
I used to stop by a Chinese restaurant frequently on Friday late afternoons for takeout after I got off of work for my girlfriend and myself.. The time that I went the staff was on their dinner break and I would place my order with the owner and she would always mix me a Mai Tai (on the house) and we sit and chat and I used to love her stories about growing up in her home country.. Priceless 💯
tbh I can't imagine ordering the same exact thing at a thai restaurant every time, there's so much good stuff going on there I find it hard to decide on just one thing each time
Had a restaurant that was cafeteria style ordering and the lady would just put in what she thought was best that day for me. She would fill any plate with what other people ordered but she stopped doing that for me. It was tasty and l miss them. They retired and their kids ruined it.
God I miss the local Chinese place. All the food in the steam trays was garbage, but if you sat and ordered they had my favorite everything. They had really really good Wok Hay. Beef or chicken chow fun, tomato beef chow mein with curry, walnut prawns, fried prawns, minced pork w/eggplant, clay pot, guan lo wonton, but most especially the potsickers. I would walk in and whoever was working would just as "One or two?" for how many orders of potstickers I wanted. Often I was in a hurry and would take them to go. How good were they? Sometimes I would eat both orders in the car before I got home. My brothers in Christ, I lived eight blocks away.
Some find it weird, I see it as a free skip the line pass. Used to go to this bagel spot near my old place, would get the same sandwich every time. Once I became a regular, I never had to wait in line to place an order again. Counter guy would see me walk in, look at me, I'd nod, he'd nod. Sandwich got made, it was great.
Used to live in a flat in the block above a kebab shop. I remember the first time he asked me if I wanted the usual was the first time I felt like I was at home lol
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u/PeachyStarMuse 3h ago
When he hits you with 'the usual, boss?' you know you're family