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buad hai

Met an old friend at the Irish Pub last night. This is a very nice bar located right next door to the Sima Thani hotel. It has the nicest interior of any bar in Korat, a fine sound system, powerful air conditioning and a passel of lovely ladies. What it lacks is customers.

I go in there about once a week for a few beers, but rarely anything to eat.

We ordered some finger food last evening and I hate to say it was disappointing. The Neua Dad Diaow was quite bland, as were the seafood satay and Kai Jiao (what do you want for Chinese food?). At least the Yam Talay was properly spicy.

Anyway, my buddy was impressed with the bar and furnishing and agrees with me that it could be a great spot with the proper management....

peterpan

Does it get many punters ?

MeMock

buad hai

I generally go at 5 PM when it opens and leave by 6 PM as I'm on my bicycle and like to get home before dark. It is very rare for me to see another customer in the bar; I'm almost always the only one.

The only exception to this is when foreign military guys are in town. The place is very popular with them. Cobra Gold is on now, so there are quite a few short haired American teenagers about. Do they qualify as "punters"? (Frankly, I'm not sure what that word means, anyway.)

peterpan

I believe, "A punter" was originally a gambler laying a bet on horse & dog racing, now its sort of evolved into a general term for a customer.

buad hai

In that case, very few punters, at least at the time I'm there. However, given the fact that one waitress could easily handle the drink orders the presence of the other 11 implies activity beyond the delivery of beverages.

peterpan

OK I see mmmmmmmmmm, you think they could be persuaded for a bit of horizontal dancing ? provided with sufficient incentive of course.
I gotta say thast not normal for a Irish Bar as everyone knows Irishmen (like Marmite) are too drunk to fvck.

buad hai

^I suspect that's why most of them are there. It also may account for the fact that the babe population at this Irish Bar increases significantly when the flyboys are in town.

peterpan

Yup, Same here, Just goes to show Not everyone Hates Americans

peterpan

^ Ok MM, you will be a dopey 'ol bastad too some day

jizzybloke

Good to hear your getting out and socialising BH!

I thought a punter was something else entirely, here you go

punter

peterpan

JB see above ^^

buad hai

That's why I said I wasn't sure what the word meant.

MeMock

This is the punter

hillbilly

Still do not understand the word punter.

However, this place does sound like a good place to stop by.

Morden

The usage of the word seems to have been broadened over the years. My earliest recollection is of it being used to describe people who place bets with bookmakers, typically on horse races. It was an acceptable word even used on the BBC weekend horse racing programmes.

Later, I was aware of it being used in a slightly derogatory way to describe the customers of prostitutes. In a sense, they were gambling that they would get value for money and not something that needed medical attention.

Later still, I heard it used to describe customers of a large business. They were perceived as people who bought, in that example, a service contract, hoping to get something in return for there outlay. The provider, of course, would be looking for a different result, as would the bookmaker and pimp.

So, I guess a punter is someone who pays for something to a business or individual hoping to get value for his money.

There is another use. On the River Cam in Cambridge, England, there is a kind of boat that look a bit like a flattened canoe. It's propelled by a guy in a straw hat using a long pole. His passengers pay for this experience and often take a picnic and champagne and get lashed. Some go so far as to dress in Edwardian costumes. The boat is a punt and the guy with the pole is punting. The scene is so bizarre that a local poet penned a piece entitled, 'Watching the Stunts of the ****s in the Punts'.

I hope that helps.

Marmite the Dog

Agreed.

klongmaster

Eh..what..eerrr?

Marmite the Dog

Ahh, ok.

caller

Just caught up with this thread.

I've been in the 'Irish' Bar several times and agree with BH (as I did on another thread), that its a nice place. Don't know what's Irish about it, though?

I've never seen many people in there, early or late, apart from as said, when US military are in town. When staying at the Sima Thani in April, the Thai air force and military were staying and some ventured into the pub, followed by the ladies....

As for the burger and chips at the Sports bar? It was fine, frozen burger cooked okay that even I could manage to do. The chips were like doorsteps, half potato, half chip. The missus wasn't keen, but I was.

When looking at developments around town, I mentioned to an English guy I talked to that I had been to the bar and I was then asked if I had the chips and what I thought of them? Seem to be a hot topic! Such is life in Korat I guess?

Paul was a great host and explained that he felt he'd achieved as much as he could at the bar. There were only two other customers in that night.

Hey BH, I like the development where you live and the area, you could have had me as a future neighbour!!!

But tell me, do you know anything about the barber shop place around the corner from the Irish bar facing the hotel? When previously there, I could see it from my bedroom window and people were sitting outside drinking, went to have a look and there was some drinking inside as well. Never did bother to find out more?