Free lunch, the ballroom buffet and video clip...

OK, so the free lunch was free. But, and in my book this is a big but, there was a price to pay; entertainment, Thai style. The lunch buffet was at the Miracle Grand Hotel on Viphavadee-Rangsit Road. It was in the ballroom, all decked out in yellow, gilt and white and with a stage complete with speakers that any nightclub down town would be proud of. The Miracle Grand is more of a business hotel than a tourist hotel.


There were a few famous Thai singers of my in-laws generation singing old favourites throughout the meal at a deafening volume. In between such delights as Cliff Richard's Living Doll, played on a trusty old Hammond organ, there was a male/female tag team telling us all about various Miracle Grand promotions and the prizes we could win. To be fair there were loads of prizes but the noise, oh the noise! Conversation was off the menu due to not being able to hear oneself think, never mind anyone else talking. Still there was an impressive salad on the buffet which went down well with this vegetarian and I'm now completely stuffed.


I've often wondered how these hotels make a profit on buffets in Asia. I defy anyone to eat more than an Asian at a "eat all you can" buffet. The Chinese are the worst. Years ago when I lived in Hong Kong I got invited to a hotel buffet with a Chinese girl I knew and her family. I'd been warned but nothing could prepare me for the eating fest I witnessed. The food was being thrown down the gullet at an astounding rate with brief intermissions for burping, farting and smoking and then off they would go again, plate after plate until they were visibly uncomfortably full. Happy that we got our money's worth I was dragged along to a good old knees up at the karaoke. Hell, Hong Kong style.

[for clip check the site here]

Free lunch, the ballroom buffet and video clip ...