You CAN't Beat Them!!!!

[MikeFisher]

The same lousy food is eaten in the DR by both rich and poor. Arroz y Habichuelas is the staple everywhere you go.

I've been to many wealthy homes. These people could easily afford a chef but instead preferred to hire
maids that made the regular meals and they ate it with gusto.

Hiring professional chefs is a matter of preference.

and IF they would hire a professional Chef,
what ya think they would Order him to cook?
yeah,
exactly the same what they order from their cheap cooking Maid.
so they have the better deal by saving on money and the Chef would not wipe the floors and make the beds anyways, lol.
hey,
I like rice and beans,
once a week, twice as the max, i really like 'em.
and i eat several times per week chicken(it does NOT come with rice and beans, lol), i loved chicken before i hit da Isle.

Mike

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

so we are installing a new kitchen. the old one has been completely gutted, nothing left. the fridge is connected in the living room and the stove have been moved to the corner. basically, the whole house is a mess.

the maid came in today and asked if you could prepare herself ramen for breakfast. i said ok because all it requires in a pot of hot water. i went to the bathroom, came back, the maid is standing in the dining room with a burning torch made out of the newspaper.
me: what is that?
maid: it's to turn on the stove.
me: put it out.
maid made a step towards non-existing sink, stopped. sink is gone. she tried to blow the fire off which resulted in small strips of burning paper spreading around. as she attempted to throw the newspaper outside, to our dried up garden i pointed that she can put it out on a rubble left in the kitchen.

our stove has automatic ignition and i showed her how to turn it on but she is too dumb to identify the burners anyways. and we have god damn matches too. all she had to do was ask. i have no idea what goes on through the abyss between her ears.

What did she use to light the newspaper?

His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

 

[AlterEgo]

and IF they would hire a professional Chef,
what ya think they would Order him to cook?
yeah,
exactly the same what they order from their cheap cooking Maid.
so they have the better deal by saving on money and the Chef would not wipe the floors and make the beds anyways, lol.
hey,
I like rice and beans,
once a week, twice as the max, i really like 'em.
and i eat several times per week chicken(it does NOT come with rice and beans, lol), i loved chicken before i hit da Isle.

Mike

Not really true Mike. My sister-in-law's sister and her husband are well-to-do in SD, and they pay quite a bit for their cook because she can prepare gourmet meals. She doesn't clean, etc., her sole responsibility is maintaining the kitchen, the pantry, do the shopping and cook the meals. She also doesn't get paid a typical salary, she makes about 20K a month.

Even in DR you get what you pay for.

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

You're right, in the scheme of things it is a very minor issue. I'd much rather open the cans for her than have her open them with my knives. It works for us.

Thats my point. Not the minor issue but that it is easier on the whole household to put your foot down and say "If you want to continue working here you must do things MY way". Working for gringos is more preferable than anyone else. And even bribery could work. Technological parasitism, you will give her a can opener or a microwave or coffee maker or something as a benefit, a reward in doing it your way. Until they break it or steal it they will be the most sophisticated family in their barrio.

Now if she cant see all of that then you have to fire her and tell her to work with a Dominican boss.

His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

My parents taught me and I taught my kids...

You cannot appreciate the value of something unless you have worked long enough to earn the money to buy said thing. Many Dominicans know that a Lexus is a "nicer" car than a Volkswagen but have no grasp of the difference in quality and price. The same can be said when comparing a run of the mill chef's knife with a Wusthof. Cheap pharmacy store digital camera and a Canon etc.

It will be a while before the cost to replace things if they break them creeps into the mental process of deciding if it is a good idea to go swimming with a camera or open a can with a filleting knife.

Everything that isnt a name brand they have seen on TV or heard a peer mention is garbage. Fujitsu digital camera and a Nikon or a Polaroid are all the same if the only thing imported is Kodak.
So when they break it it is YOUR fault for buying a cheap one.


His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

the upper echelons of Dominican society are every bit as normal as anyone else from any other country. they recognize good stuff, and they can appreciate it when they see it. they have had enough exposure to be able to tell the difference between a decent knife and a piece of crap.

sadly, the everyday guy has never been exposed to anything, and it is sad to see how uninformed they are. there is such a colossal gap between Dominicans who have exposure and those who have none.. simple things, which we take for granted, are mysteries to them. i have had girls who , when they see my spice rack, just look at it for long periods of time, trying to figure out why someone would have so many different spices, in bottles, and on a structure designed to organize them. then again, when your list of spices includes a sopita cube, salt, and cilantro, rubbed sage will leave you mystified.

And this I hate. All of these living an arrested development like children forever. Like my son in the 1st grade at Catholic school.

His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

 

[MikeFisher]

Not really true Mike. My sister-in-law's sister and her husband are well-to-do in SD, and they pay quite a bit for their cook because she can prepare gourmet meals. She doesn't clean, etc., her sole responsibility is maintaining the kitchen, the pantry, do the shopping and cook the meals. She also doesn't get paid a typical salary, she makes about 20K a month.

Even in DR you get what you pay for.

of course that exists, but is here the same rare as a hired Chef in a american or german etc household.
it is a big exception of the norm.

Mike

 

[the gorgon]

And this I hate. All of these living an arrested development like children forever. Like my son in the 1st grade at Catholic school.

His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

it is as if they stop maturing at 12, if that much. i used to operate 2 dvd players, one for movies, and a rather higher end player for my audio. a girl once saw them both, and cavalierly asked me if i could give her one. i asked her why i should do that, and she said she asked me because i had two. trying to explain that i had two, because i needed them for two different reasons could not penetrate her skull.

i spent the next few minutes wondering if she was going to ask me for one of my nuts, since i had two. worse yet, she did not own a single dvd.

 

[dv8]

What did she use to light the newspaper?

i had a pot with rulos cooking on the stove already. she just put the rolled newspaper to the burning fire.

 

[AlterEgo]

of course that exists, but is here the same rare as a hired Chef in a american or german etc household.
it is a big exception of the norm.

Mike

I absolutely agree with you, but I'll bet the percentages are MUCH higher in Santo Domingo.

As JD mentioned, even upper middle class, not the really rich folks, often have multiple help in their homes. When our kids were small, one sister-in-law had one woman for only the 2 kids and their laundry, one for the housecleaning and adult laundry, and one just for the kitchen. They weren't "rich".

 

[dv8]

I've been to many wealthy homes. These people could easily afford a chef but instead preferred to hire maids that made the regular meals and they ate it with gusto.

there are few people in miesposo's family who gad gastric bypass or similar procedures. they are all fat again. at the beginning they lost weight because they could not eat large quantities. but none of them made any adjustments in their diet as such. and thus they continue eating greasy and salty crap. each day a bit more than before. in no time the stomach was able to fit as much as before. and they all seem surprised it did not work. eh.

 

[AlterEgo]

i had a pot with rulos cooking on the stove already. she just put the rolled newspaper to the burning fire.

All I can do is shake my head and laugh.

She was saving you a match.

 

[dv8]

All I can do is shake my head and laugh.
She was saving you a match.

she would have used the match but she could not find them on the account of the kitchen renovation. but she could have asked me where i put them. hulk is a never ending source of fun, i'll give her that.

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

They light the newspaper with a match. They use newspaper so their hand doesn't get too close to the flame when it ignites.

How long you been here anyhow??? lol

If she can use a match to light the newspaper she could have used the same match to light the burner on the range.
Even if I use a piece of paper to light thr stove I wouldnt use a WHOLE NEWSPAPER. That is cooking on the fogon, outdoor thinking.

His Royal Majesty Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong

 

[dv8]

yeah, i was, like, hulk, you want to burn down my whole house? come here, i'm gonna burn your hair...

 

[bronzeallspice]

there are few people in miesposo's family who gad gastric bypass or similar procedures. They are all fat again. At the beginning they lost weight because they could not eat large quantities. But none of them made any adjustments in their diet as such. And thus they continue eating greasy and salty crap. Each day a bit more than before. In no time the stomach was able to fit as much as before. And they all seem surprised it did not work. Eh.

lol!!

 

[william webster]

I have a question: how many of you posters speak Spanish?
Not defending the clumsiness of the Dominicans but I reckon a language barrier might cause quite a few of the problems, just speaking from experience.

Good point Frank.

I have really had none of these issues.... had some small ones, but everybody uses a can opener etc.

Oh, and we don't use a towel on the fridge door...........

Let me reverse frank's question..........

How many of these employees acn read/write? Are educated?

All mine are.

I think that makes a difference too.

 

[dv8]

my maid considered her education completed when her "husband" took her in. she was 15 at a time. i doubt she can read/write. it took her few months to memorize my name because she considered it to be strange (this statement was accompanied by throwing her hands in the air and calling mary and all saints as witnesses). she is dumb as a rock but she is honest and likes animals.

 

[william webster]

15?
I know some who had 2 children by then.... on purpose !!

dumb can be good in some jobs...
try assembly line work........ ugh !!

 

[AlterEgo]

Oh, and we don't use a towel on the fridge door...........
.

We have a lovely solid blue bandanna tied to the fridge door in DR.

I pick my battles.