A foreign customer speaking fluent Isaan dialect, commonly used in Northeast Thailand, caught a Kalasin barbecue shop owner off guard after ordering Korean barbecue and asking whether the shop accepted the government co-payment scheme.
The amusing encounter took place on July 14 at a popular Korean barbecue takeaway shop in Kalasin. CCTV footage shared by the shop owner on Facebook quickly gained traction.
In the video, the foreign customer orders takeaway Korean barbecue entirely in the Isaan dialect, prompting the shop owner to burst into laughter at how he spoke like a local.
He then asks whether the shop accepts Thai Help Thai Plus, a government co-payment scheme that subsidises eligible purchases, before paying.
Many viewers were impressed by the foreign man’s fluent Isaan, although others questioned how he qualified for the government subsidy.
Amarin TV reported that the shop owner later cleared up the confusion, explaining that the subsidy belonged to the man’s Thai wife and that he had used her mobile phone to make the QR payment.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, July 16, shop owner Apinya said the customer asked about the prices before ordering two jumbo barbecue sets at 320 baht each to take home.
“He asked whether we accepted the subsidy scheme, and I couldn’t stop laughing because he ordered the barbecue in fluent Isaan,” she said. “I asked whose subsidy it was, and he told me it belonged to his wife. He then used her phone to scan the payment. The funniest part was that even a foreigner was using the scheme.”
In similar news, a British woman who suffered a stroke during a holiday in Turkey got the shock of her life when she woke up paralysed down her left side and speaking with a Thai accent.
The story Foreigner speaking fluent Isaan delights Kalasin shop owner as seen on Thaiger News.
