Ordering coffee without talking
By Bangkok Post:
The rule is simple. Customers of the new coffee stall in downtown Nakhon Si Thammarat can sit, sip and chat. But if they want to order, the most effective way of getting their drink is through hand gestures. No spoken words are needed. This may seem weird to outsiders. It would probably irritate staff at other coffee shops.
However, hand and body language is most acceptable etiquette when communicating with the owners and staff of The Silence, a coffee stall in front of Wat Chamao.
Tinnakorn Jaruchai, 42, one of the co-founders of the stall, is the former chairman of the provincial deaf-mute association.
He and his friends opened the coffee stall two months ago after employers in the province refused to give them jobs because of their handicap.
As all the staff, approximately 20 people, are also deaf-mutes, body language and hand gestures are the best way customers can order.
And their efforts have been a great source of laughter for many, and have attracted new customers.
To order a glass of cold milk, some customers simply point to their nipples and do a body shivering act, as if they were caught by a cold spell.
To order hot drinks people should make gestures about the hot weather, one customer at the shop said.
It seems The Silence has found its selling point, which does not necessarily depend on the taste of its coffee.
''In fact, our regular customers are deaf-mute people,'' said Mr Tinnakorn, using sign language. ''Other customers come to our stall because they sympathise with us.''
Mr Tinnakorn used to work as a volunteer for the Tai Tek Siang Tueng Foundation, an emergency rescue organisation.
His Tai Tek Siang Tueng colleague Sutep Manop said they tried applying for jobs in Nakhon Si Thammarat township, but nobody would give them work because they could not communicate with their bosses.
With his family to support, Mr Tinnakorn discussed the idea with other deaf-mute people before deciding to open The Silence with another friend, Adisak Anupan, 32.
The stall is open from 7pm to midnight every day, selling drinks at low prices.
''Please don't look down on us,'' Mr Tinnakorn said.
''It's true we're deaf-mute, but we've never caused problems for society like some 'ordinary' people do.''
Related tags: 
28C°
