True Thai Restaurant is open tonight, New Year's Eve, but will be closed tomorrow, New Year's Day. We will be open again at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
Have a safe and fun New Year's!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Ped's 40th birthday
Ped's parents are in Laos this Christmas visiting the village of Ped's birth, so we did not have a gathering at True Thai this year.
Christmas day would have been Ped's 40th birthday, and I thought about him a lot. I know Ped's mother was thinking of him, and how she gave birth to him as bombs were being dropped on their village, and how she carried him across the Mekong River when he was only a few days old.
People still stop every night to look at Ped's shrine and to read about him. I still celebrate his life and mourn his passing.
Christmas day would have been Ped's 40th birthday, and I thought about him a lot. I know Ped's mother was thinking of him, and how she gave birth to him as bombs were being dropped on their village, and how she carried him across the Mekong River when he was only a few days old.
People still stop every night to look at Ped's shrine and to read about him. I still celebrate his life and mourn his passing.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Closed for the Holidays!
True Thai Restaurant will be closed all day Monday, Christmas Eve, December 24th, and Tuesday, Christmas Day, December 25th, so our employees can be with their families.
We will reopen at 11 a.m., Wednesday morning, December 26th.
True Thai Restaurant will be open December 31st, New Year's Eve, and closed January 1st, New Year's Day.
Please accept our wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Delivery charges
Deliveries have been going very well. So well that we were surprised to find out that even with a $25 minimum order we weren't making enough money to cover vehicle expenses.
Effective immediately, there will be a $3 charge per delivery on all delivery orders. And, as always, the drivers appreciate your gratuities.
Thank you for ordering True Thai!
Effective immediately, there will be a $3 charge per delivery on all delivery orders. And, as always, the drivers appreciate your gratuities.
Thank you for ordering True Thai!
Friday, November 16, 2012
'Tis the season
I gave Korey a lot of power when I let him reorganize True Thai, and then I took a week off. So I was a little surprised that when I stopped in today it was already Christmas at True Thai.
You may think that Thai people do not celebrate Christmas, but you did not grow up just a couple of blocks from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (อาสนวิหารพระนางมารีอาปฏิสนธินิรมล), the largest church in Thailand. Originally the site of a chapel built in 1711, it has been rebuilt and expanded many times.
Thailand is very Buddhist, but Buddhists are very tolerant of other faiths and I was never ever discriminated against because I was Catholic. Of course I lived in a Catholic neighborhood and went to a Catholic school, so I spent most of my time with other Catholics. But our neighborhood was not a ghetto because there are no laws about where Thai Catholics can live or work.
So yes, some people will try to say Christmas is not a Thai holiday, and is not True Thai. The people who live in the Archdiocese of Chanthaburi would disagree with you. Respecting the beliefs of others is very, very True Thai.
Another reason why True Thai likes Christmas? Ped would have been 40 years old this Christmas. For me, Christmas is now about remembering the past and old friends. At True Thai, we like Christmas a lot.
You may think that Thai people do not celebrate Christmas, but you did not grow up just a couple of blocks from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (อาสนวิหารพระนางมารีอาปฏิสนธินิรมล), the largest church in Thailand. Originally the site of a chapel built in 1711, it has been rebuilt and expanded many times.
Thailand is very Buddhist, but Buddhists are very tolerant of other faiths and I was never ever discriminated against because I was Catholic. Of course I lived in a Catholic neighborhood and went to a Catholic school, so I spent most of my time with other Catholics. But our neighborhood was not a ghetto because there are no laws about where Thai Catholics can live or work.
So yes, some people will try to say Christmas is not a Thai holiday, and is not True Thai. The people who live in the Archdiocese of Chanthaburi would disagree with you. Respecting the beliefs of others is very, very True Thai.
Another reason why True Thai likes Christmas? Ped would have been 40 years old this Christmas. For me, Christmas is now about remembering the past and old friends. At True Thai, we like Christmas a lot.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thinking about your health?
Since I am a public health nurse, I think about health a lot. I exercise, I watch what I eat and I pay attention to what my doctors tell me. But I also know that even all this isn't always enough. It seems like every day we learn something new about our bodies, something that sometimes changes everything.
A new study from the University of Texas Health Science Center reveals shocking new findings about diet colas. They may be bad for your kidneys, they can mess up your metabolism and — you are not going to believe this — diet sodas can make you obese!
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but sugar would be better for you. True Thai sells both regular and diet pop but I am telling you the truth when I say you should drink more water. We stopped automatically bringing water to customers' tables (we ask if you want water) because it's not good to waste water, but water you drink is not wasted. The water you drink is good for you. The other beverages True Thai serves? They are not as good for you.
Yes, I am a lousy business woman. I would rather give you free water than sell you beverages loaded with sugars and chemicals. But I am also a lousy public health nurse and will sell you all the sugar and chemicals you want if that's what you like.
A new study from the University of Texas Health Science Center reveals shocking new findings about diet colas. They may be bad for your kidneys, they can mess up your metabolism and — you are not going to believe this — diet sodas can make you obese!
The more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%. Why? Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods, suggested an animal study from Purdue University. That means people who consume diet foods might be more likely to overeat, because your body is being tricked into thinking it's eating sugar, and you crave more.Wow. Even more wow, if you mix diet soda with alcohol you will get "drunker, faster." Diet soda can rot your teeth and can impact your reproductive system. Read the article because it is kind of scary.
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but sugar would be better for you. True Thai sells both regular and diet pop but I am telling you the truth when I say you should drink more water. We stopped automatically bringing water to customers' tables (we ask if you want water) because it's not good to waste water, but water you drink is not wasted. The water you drink is good for you. The other beverages True Thai serves? They are not as good for you.
Yes, I am a lousy business woman. I would rather give you free water than sell you beverages loaded with sugars and chemicals. But I am also a lousy public health nurse and will sell you all the sugar and chemicals you want if that's what you like.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
What True Thai has in common with you
Like just about everyone else, True Thai is short on cash. This may surprise you. "Anna, how can you be short on cash when True Thai is always busy?!" That question is actually very easy to answer.
Like most people in this country, True Thai lives on a budget. So long as we stick to our budget, we do OK. We were doing OK right up until January of this year. That is when a clause in our lease with Seward Redesign that we had not noticed kicked in and suddenly our rent doubled to almost $16,000 a month. Divided by 189 (our seating capacity), that's $84 a month per chair.
I guess that does not sound like much if you're a landlord, but that is a lot of rent to pay. So much so we were having trouble paying it. By summer, Seward Redesign had a choice: evict us, or lower the rent. They chose to lower the rent a little, but we are still paying a lot of rent and that's why we're tightening our belts and trying to be more efficient. We even had to raise our prices, but that didn't really cover much more than the increase in food costs we've experienced.
So if you were wondering why Anna couldn't buy a food truck without a payment arrangement, now you know. Maybe I am sharing too much, but I think regular customers like to know what is going on with their favorite restaurant.
Like most people in this country, True Thai lives on a budget. So long as we stick to our budget, we do OK. We were doing OK right up until January of this year. That is when a clause in our lease with Seward Redesign that we had not noticed kicked in and suddenly our rent doubled to almost $16,000 a month. Divided by 189 (our seating capacity), that's $84 a month per chair.
I guess that does not sound like much if you're a landlord, but that is a lot of rent to pay. So much so we were having trouble paying it. By summer, Seward Redesign had a choice: evict us, or lower the rent. They chose to lower the rent a little, but we are still paying a lot of rent and that's why we're tightening our belts and trying to be more efficient. We even had to raise our prices, but that didn't really cover much more than the increase in food costs we've experienced.
So if you were wondering why Anna couldn't buy a food truck without a payment arrangement, now you know. Maybe I am sharing too much, but I think regular customers like to know what is going on with their favorite restaurant.
Friday, November 9, 2012
The food truck that didn't quite happen (yet)
I decided to get a food truck this summer. We found a used one I really liked. Good equipment and even a TV built into the side so you could change the menu from day to day.
Because True Thai is so close to St. Paul, I wanted to be able to use the truck in both cities. That may have been a mistake.
If you want your food truck to operate in Minneapolis, you must fill out the Minneapolis food truck permit papers, complete with drawings of the inside of the truck and a diagram of where you will park it off the street when not in use. As well as all your business information. And then you do the St. Paul applications which are almost entirely different.
It took a while but we got all our application information in order and started working on getting the graphics for the truck. Getting big decals with your restaurant name on them is not as easy as you might think, and that took a while longer. The summer was quickly disappearing but we kept moving forward and finally, in early September, we were ready to make an offer. And we learned that the original price was still what they wanted, but that we would have to pay for the truck with one check and not payments as we had discussed. I was very disappointed but cash is tight and that was that.
Next year we will have a food truck but for right now we will have to wait. Why? That is a story for Sunday's post when you may be surprised to find out where True Thai's money goes.
Because True Thai is so close to St. Paul, I wanted to be able to use the truck in both cities. That may have been a mistake.
If you want your food truck to operate in Minneapolis, you must fill out the Minneapolis food truck permit papers, complete with drawings of the inside of the truck and a diagram of where you will park it off the street when not in use. As well as all your business information. And then you do the St. Paul applications which are almost entirely different.
It took a while but we got all our application information in order and started working on getting the graphics for the truck. Getting big decals with your restaurant name on them is not as easy as you might think, and that took a while longer. The summer was quickly disappearing but we kept moving forward and finally, in early September, we were ready to make an offer. And we learned that the original price was still what they wanted, but that we would have to pay for the truck with one check and not payments as we had discussed. I was very disappointed but cash is tight and that was that.
Next year we will have a food truck but for right now we will have to wait. Why? That is a story for Sunday's post when you may be surprised to find out where True Thai's money goes.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
More about those changes
Yesterday I told you how much more quickly our kitchen gets food to you, the customer. Today I want to tell you what we are doing with our extra time.
First and most important, True Thai now delivers! If you read my blog you already knew that, but if you are new to Anna's True Thai News, we have been delivering to local hospitals and colleges. We will also deliver to your home if you order at least $25 worth of food.
Now let me tell you the catch: You have to live within 5-6 miles of True Thai. Sorry, no deliveries to Wayzata or Woodbury!
Deliveries have been going very well, and even though we haven't done much to publicize our deliveries, we keep getting more calls. And I suspect that after I publish this post, we'll get still more calls and that is a good thing.
Deliveries have been going very well, and even though we haven't done much to publicize our deliveries, we keep getting more calls. And I suspect that after I publish this post, we'll get still more calls and that is a good thing.
Now you may be thinking, Anna Anna! Why don't you get a food truck?! That is a story for another day. Tomorrow, as a matter of fact.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Our new kitchen manager
One of Korey's most important recommendations was that we get a new kitchen manager. Ever since Ped died, different employees have tried to fill the gap but Korey saw that it was not working well. Too much inefficiency, too much running to the grocery store for produce we should never run out of.
Jason Dorweiler is our new kitchen manager. Formerly with Big Bowl, Jason and Korey have already transformed our kitchen. I think you know that when you have all your ingredients ready to go, Thai food is very quick to prepare. Nothing cooks better than a hot wok if you know what you are doing. But you need prep people and alert wait staff so that food gets to the table as quickly as it leaves the wok.
It's hard for customers to see this difference, but you will notice it. Takeout orders now take fifteen minutes or less from the time you call in until your food is out front waiting for you (OK, if we're really busy maybe 20 minutes but we're working on that). Even I could not believe it. Jason keeps things running smoothly and Korey has found new staff who take their jobs very, very seriously. True Thai is not fast food, but we now serve quality food quickly.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about what we are doing with all that time we are saving.
Jason Dorweiler is our new kitchen manager. Formerly with Big Bowl, Jason and Korey have already transformed our kitchen. I think you know that when you have all your ingredients ready to go, Thai food is very quick to prepare. Nothing cooks better than a hot wok if you know what you are doing. But you need prep people and alert wait staff so that food gets to the table as quickly as it leaves the wok.
It's hard for customers to see this difference, but you will notice it. Takeout orders now take fifteen minutes or less from the time you call in until your food is out front waiting for you (OK, if we're really busy maybe 20 minutes but we're working on that). Even I could not believe it. Jason keeps things running smoothly and Korey has found new staff who take their jobs very, very seriously. True Thai is not fast food, but we now serve quality food quickly.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about what we are doing with all that time we are saving.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Fish sauce revisited
Thank you to my friend who showed me this link about how ketchup is a variation on fish sauce!
[picture credit]
Ketchup actually started out as a fish sauce and somehow evolved into the much more widely-consumed condiment we know today. Early recipes of ketchup contained sodium benzoate -- which was banned in the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act. That ban led to other formulations which contained vinegar as a preservative and used ripe tomatoes.Between this and the true history of Worcestershire sauce, I am feeling very culturally superior today, culinarily speaking!
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| Ketchup Fish! |
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