Screaming Crazy Hunk Waiters at Staneemeehoi in Bangkok

  

Photo from facebook.com/staneemeehoi

Staneemeehoi is so famous for its eccentric theme and service. It employs a team of muscular young men who wear skimpy female costumes or clothing, and try their very best to act girly, and funny, as they serve, and entertain customers; that includes imitating a girly scream, dancing provocatively, and puckering their lips as they pose for selfies.

Photo from facebook.com/staneemeehoi

Staneemeehoi (which means Shell Station) is just one of many seafood restaurants here in Bangkok. As the name suggests, it specializes in shellfish and judging by the hundreds of reviews on TripAdvisor, Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and Blogs. The dishes and dips served here are above average, but that’s not why tourists are eager to visit this astonishing place.

My college friend, Sarah booked a trip to Thailand with her children on the 1st week of February for a short vacay, and our college reunion coincidingly. My other friend, Rizza, and I are both Filipino ex-pats here in Thailand. The three of us were classmates at Centro Escolar University in Manila. We took Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, batch 1994-1998. It's been ages since we last met in the Philippines (due to Covid19), along with our classmates/friends. We finally agreed to meet up, and visit this very unique restaurant, as suggested by Rizza. 

This image was taken on the 4th of February 2023 (Saturday)

I must say that the food was very scrumptious and the service was great. No dull moments. Celes paid our bill amounting to 1,080 Thai Baht. We ordered a set of shellfish on a plate, a large plate of crab fried rice (large chunks of crab😘, so sorry not in the picture because we ate it first😅), a big fried fish with crunchy garlic, papaya salad with slices of salted eggs (som tum), and drinks (beer, mineral water, three soft drinks). It’s not too pricey, to be honest. We really enjoyed the treat! Thanks to our most generous friend, Celes😘.

Menu

Somtum with Salted Eggs

Seashells on a large plate

Fried and crunchy fish with garlic 

Here is my review rating; 

1. Food/Drinks - 10/10

2. Service - 9/10 

3. Venue - 7/10

4. Bathroom - 4/10

5. Show - 10/10

6. Theme - 9/10               

7. Entertainers - 7/10            

The food was appetizing and very affordable. Our orders arrived on time. The large plate of crab-fried rice is good for 3-4 people. The location of restaurant is inside the Huamom Night Market. The size of the venue is quite small, it’s indoor but non-air-conditioned. You must get in the queue before getting in, and if you're unlucky, you'll need to wait about 1 hour or more because the venue is full. or reserved. They open at 6PM. It was 8pm when we visited, and we needed to wait for an hour. We saw many tourists from Korea, China, Hongkong, Macau, Japan, and the Philippines. There are no walls, so the show can be seen from outside. If I were the owner of this restaurant, I'd rather build a closed door with an air-conditioned venue, so that people would really have to get in and order something. It will create more mystery and will generate or motivate many customers. There are parking spaces in the market. While we wait in our queue, we walked around and checked out other restaurants and shops because it was really quite boring, standing there and waiting to be allowed inside. There were also so many bystanders and customers, just like us. The bathroom or toilet is outside of the restaurant, it’s actually a communal use for shoppers and customers in the market. A few steps away from the restaurant. You'll need 3 Baht coins to get in, and no available tissue. I guess it's just okay than nothing at all. It's not very dirty though (so-so). They probably should have one inside, too. My overall restaurant review is 8/10. With little improvements, it’ll be 10/10.

Happy Hour

https://youtu.be/DvUu4yOdeHU

If you're interested to visit Staneemeehoi, you can check their Facebook website to contact them. Here is the address: 1 Prasert-Manukitch Rd, Lat Phrao, Bangkok 10230.

SWN Sports Day 2023

This is the last day of January 2023. I was still amazed at how our Sports Day had turned out, notwithstanding the obstacles I encountered this year. I think it's getting worse and I only have control over myself and my reaction. 

I was assigned to practice for Years 4-6 students to dance "Survivor", originally sung by Destiny's Child. But, the song's got a different rendition of it that it took me a while to think of the steps and formation. It's not like I can readily get any music videos that have dance steps that are easy to follow. If you've been teaching Thai students to dance, you'll get what I meant by saying this. My students don't give their heart and soul to dancing. When they dance, they only move their hands and feet, not their hips, waist, or shoulders. 

Here are the problems that I encountered:

1. I was only given 3 days to practice with my students. (My students aren't professional dancers)

2. There's no budget for this activity. (I was really shocked 😮 why would you organize or conduct any activities without any budget?)

3. I was told not to let students buy a costume. (Really? I found it contradicting when I saw my co-teachers prepare their student's costumes. Some parents provided the costume. I've never seen a Sports Day without any preparations, not to mention the costume😳)

4. I didn't get reimbursement for 350B that I spent on the paper props/costume. (and it won't happen again!)

5. There's no proper venue to practice. Considering 26-30 students is a huge group to fit in a small size classroom.

6. I had to use my own sound system.

7. My effort was useless when the director saw it, she said she didn't like it, she didn't want the steps and change everything. That was Day 1 of practice and 1st general rehearsal at the same time.

8. I was the only one who thought of the steps from Day 1. While other groups had got 3-5 teachers to teach students. It's difficult to manage students with different age groups. The outdoor was crowded with students and teachers from all grade levels, sections, and departments (Bilingual from KG-HS and  IEP PP3-Y9) practicing for Sports Day. The timetable was a disaster because we needed to practice altogether at the same time creating chaos. It was super noisy during practice.  

9. The lack of support and encouragement in the office made me really furious. (They wanted to have a spectacular event without a budget, without anything to worry about if we needed something, or if we were having problems. It's like we have to always solve our own problems by ourselves!🤨)

10. The double standards that it's okay for others and not okay for me. They can, and I cannot.  It's like wishing me to fail every single time. 

The video below was taken during our Sports day, this month.

I'm so proud of my students; they did their best to perform on Sports Day. Though they didn't thank me and acknowledge my efforts, I feel good about just looking at them in this video. This is what it looks like when you got only 3 days to practice. I created the dance steps and formation in 3 hours! 

Did I change the steps and formation on Day 1 when I was told? Yes and No. Yes, because I agree that the students had to be facing the stage not against it. So, instead of the circle formation, I changed it into the "U shape" so the students are seen by everyone on stage. No, I didn't change the steps only the formation because we're running out of time, then. I just figured it will be fine, regardless of what the director might say.

What did I learn from these experiences? I have to be in control of my own emotions, in front of insensitive, ungracious people, and those who lack common sense. Patience is indeed a virtue. Even if this presentation turned bad, I should probably be okay because I know in my heart that I had done my best. Thank God, it was great and I received compliments from my co-teachers💕