Making Thai contacts in Australia

Menus I picked up from Local Thai restaurants

I went walking down a local shopping strip getting menus from the restaurants where we can get takeaway or home delivery. Out of about 8 restaurants, 2 of them were Thai. I hesitated outside the one Thai restaurant which was open. I wanted to go in and see if the owners spoke Thai or not but I was afraid of looking like a fool. I walked passed the restaurant but then turned back and went in. I heard the cooks speak Thai so I felt a bit braver. I asked the cook whether she spoke Thai and said that she did. I ordered a Larp Gai (minced chicken dish) not that I was hungry or wanted food but to order something. She said that it would take about 10 minutes. During that time I was able to chat with the 3 ladies working behind counter cooking food in Thai. One of the ladies had just arrived from Thailand and couldn't speak much English but the other lady spoke English quite well. The ladies invited me to come back with the children.

Later in the afternoon I went to pick up the kids from their first day at preschool and I went past so many Thai restaurants. I wondered whether real Thai's worked in these restaurants or not. It might be a great outreach opportunity just visiting different Thai restaurants in Sydney.