I have been, on occasion, accused of being rude because I cover up when someone sneezes around me. "Don't make them feel bad," one of my friends might say.Well, they shouldn't make me feel bad! You know I love to roam around and enjoy a coffee in the multitude of coffee shops here in Bangkok. I enjoy writing or reading while enjoying the company of my fellow Bangkokians; however, I just wish if people were sick they would stay the hell home. What right do I have to cover up? Well what right do they have to be out in public, especially in a place of consumption, with their nasty nasal sickness.
Yesterday I dropped by one of my favorite coffee houses to grab a cup of ice coffee for the road. I love this place, in fact I finished ECHO POOL sitting in this joint -- which is why I won't bring up the name -- but my experience was ruined by the sniffles and then spray of the coffee girl there.
It was a horror for me watching the girl make my coffee, her fingers glistening from some mucus as she went about scooping, pressing, and poring, and then I heard the sniffley raspy sounds of her trying to contain and restrain her bodily fluids. But I tried to act friendly and calm. Then, just as she finished the drink she dropped down, in an effort not to sneeze in my drink, and let out a blast of sinus fluids into her hands. She had succeeded in missing my drink and it was very nice of her to put in such effort. Feeling relieved I glanced over at a beautiful young lady entering the coffee house, but when I looked back I realized she had fished her mucus infected fingers into the bowl where the straws were and jabbed a contaminated straw into my drink.
"Fifty five baht."
I paid her. I stayed silent. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of the straw being jammed, no doubt contaminated, into my drink. I took the drink, walked into the parking lot, found the first trash can I could find, and tossed it away without a sip.
Should I really have drank it?
Come on food workers, I know you need your pay, but if you're sick could you please just STAY HOME and get better! Don't prove yourself the dedicated employee and spread your illness to everyone you serve.