Already in it deep

[Capstone]

And in Japan, there are hostess girls whose job is to sit and chat, tell you you are handsome, your jokes are funny, and get you to buy more overpriced drinks, overpriced smokes, and overpriced bar snacks.  If you get an itch for more, the mama-san can arrange someone to scratch your itch, but it most likely won't be the girl you were chatting with.  Hustling for drinks and scratching your itch are two different skill sets.  The hostess could very well still be a virgin and future good wife material, just earning some college money.  But would she not still fall under the category of "bar girl"?

So how do those descriptors translate across Asia.  Does "bar girl" automatically mean prostitute?  Or could it mean hostess or simply cocktail waitress?

I guess the closest comparison to a 'bar girl' in China would be a KTV hostess. Much like the Japanese hostesses that you have described, the overwhelming majority of KTV hostesses are paid to sit, chat, laugh and sing with men in the karaoke bars and encourage them to purchase overpriced food & drinks and nothing more. Not really considered a bad or shameful profession at all. Most KTV clubs are reputable (and very popular with both men & women) places of business in which no illegal activities take place.  With that being said there are some seedy KTV clubs in China where the hostesses also work as prostitutes but this is the exception rather than the rule. All of the Chinese KTV clubs that I have been in were huge establishments which encompass several hundred karaoke rooms and were very clean with very nice sound equipment, etc. They were all very family friendly - popular with men, women, parents, grandparents, etc. The hostesses come into your room at regular intervals to take your drink & food orders and for an added price will stay and sing songs with the occupants.

[thekfc]

Thekfc's quote of the day:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

[Ray]

Bob S & Capstone are correct in their depiction of the typical bar girl/hostess which is in line with the typical girls working in the bars/night clubs in the Philippines.

The hostesses are paid to sit with the customers just like Bob said. They are supposed to hustle drinks at an inflated price for the privelege to spend some time with them. The girls typically get 50% commission on drinks. Their job IS NOT to engage in prostitution or any other illegal acts. In some clubs, you can purchase a pass or “night off” for a girl to leave the club with you. What she does is entirely up to her and has NOTHING to do with her job in the club.

There are also female bartenders, change girls, cigarette girls, waitreses, etc. who can all be classified as bar girls because they work in a club. They ARE NOT all prostitutes and scammers as the totally inexperienced Zulu would have you believe.

When a typical Filipina bar girl goes out with a customer and sleeps with him, is she just a common prostitute? Not necessarily. I would say that the overwhelming majority of the Filipina bar girls that engage in this sort of activity do so only with a select few customers that they like and trust. Many of them have steady "boyfriends" that are/were also customers. Only a relative minority of bar girls would take money for sex from ANY paying customer that comes along. So the definition of hooker/prostitute when describing Filipina bar girls is somewhat skewed from the typical American male’s perception of the classical street walker/crack whore image.

"Most" bar girls are good, decent people who are only trying to make a living any way they can. They ARE NOT evil beings or scammers!

Zulu just told us that his cousins’ wives were prostitutes and he knows this because…? Because he thinks he knows EVERYTHING. He knows that those girls whom he was chatting with on line were bar girls why? Because they all told him that they were bar girls? No, because he knows EVERYTHING.

When Zulu spends some real time on the ground and in actual Philippine night clubs/bars, then you can listen to his personal experiences with Filipina bar girls and take them for what they are worth. But until then, he is just another confused and ignorant American male with no experience to base his opinions on.

Ray

[jm21-2]

There are also female bartenders, change girls, cigarette girls, waitreses, etc. who can all be classified as bar girls because they work in a club. They ARE NOT all prostitutes and scammers as the totally inexperienced Zulu would have you believe.

Let's not forget betelnut girls....though apparently they have been misrepresented a bit in the media due to young artists being over-zealous in their portrayal of them as downtrodden and sensuous....

I would bet some girls become mistresses as well, rather than prostitutes. Or girlfriends who are only with the guy for the money he provides. Whatever you want to call that. Well, a lot of guys on this board are going over there because they want to snag a young beauty with the promise of security and stability....so can't trash those girls too much without the pot calling the kettle black...

And also keep in mind a good hostess can get pretty good money without sleeping with a guy...my fiance knew a guy who spent about $20k USD in about 3 months on those girls because he thought they loved him.


The whole thing is kind of silly though. As far as I can tell, Zulu's big tip is that places with clubs and bars (bigger cities) have more girls who are currently working in bars and clubs. Shocking. Doesn't cover the fact that the small town girl you're talking with might be thinking about becoming a bar girl or may have worked at a bar in the past. And scammers could say they're from just about anywhere.

Based on my experience in China, Thailand, and Taiwan I would suspect internet cafes in the PI have more gamers than scammers...can you order beer there? The smoke in some of the Chinese internet cafes was a killer...if a scammer was working all day in one of those she'd probably get cancer and die in no time...

[thekfc]

Based on my experience in China, Thailand, and Taiwan I would suspect internet cafes in the PI have more gamers than scammers.

My sister-in-law owns an internet cafe in Manila (The cafe is attached to one of the sister's house & I was in the cafe constantly as it had a/c),  I also went inside a few other cafes in both Manila & Cebu and the majority of the people I saw in there were gamers (of all ages) & people chatting with a overseas family member.

[Ray]

Let's not forget betelnut girls....

That's a new one on me(?)

[piglett]

My sister-in-law owns an internet cafe in Manila (The cafe is attached to one of the sister's house & I was in the cafe constantly as it had a/c),  I also went inside a few other cafes in both Manila & Cebu and the majority of the people I saw in there were gamers (of all ages) & people chatting with a overseas family member.

I don't wish to join the "cock fight"
However,  when i,  myself , was in Manila , in person,  with my very own wife,  i , did,  infact,  see mostly gamers at the 1 cafe,  that Marily & i went to.


we probably went there a total of 3 or 4 times to either use a computer or get copy's made. these trips were always during the day so i have now way of obtaining 1st hand information about the sort of cafe customers that were on hand in the evenings.

piglett

[tessbrittain]

Guys, guys...geee quit all this fighting.......

I am so glad I am not married to anyone of you....LOL
Kidding aside....

Please stop this nonsense.

Tess

Off to Manila on the 28th..wish me a good trip.. Dave H i'll be in Butuan April 4th...

[thekfc]

Have a safe & wonderful trip Tess.

[indaycare]

God Bless your trip Ate Tess, be safe! 

[piglett]

Guys, guys...geee quit all this fighting.......

I am so glad I am not married to anyone of you....LOL
Kidding aside....

Please stop this nonsense.

Tess

Off to Manila on the 28th..wish me a good trip.. Dave H i'll be in Butuan April 4th...

stay away from those duck eggs
baaaaht .....yuck
my wife tells me that the men eat them when they are drinking
i don't ever recall waking up & saying man O man i drank so much that i started eating 1/2 formed baby ducks





piglett

[thekfc]

stay away from those duck eggs
baaaaht .....yuck
my wife tells me that the men eat them when they are drinking
i don't ever recall waking up & saying man O man i drank so much that i started eating 1/2 formed baby ducks

piglett

Piggy, how many baluts did you eat?

me = 0 

[CyberGlitch]

Despite how odd and disgusting they look I've told myself I'll try one when I eventually visit. If I'm still with the same girl she's promised to try one as well since she's never had one. Should be interesting to say the list. I've read mixed reviews on the taste of them.

[thekfc]

When my wife was still in Taguig & we were chatting, I always hear someone passing by selling balut and shouting  BALUT. 
Just about everybody in her family eats it - except on brother-in-law.  They keep telling me that it is better than viagra, well I will stick with coconut wine.   

On our recent grocery shopping trip my wife bought a few, there are still 2 left. 

[michaelb]

When my wife was still in Taguig & we were chatting, I always hear someone passing by selling balut and shouting  BALUT. 
Just about everybody in her family eats it - except on brother-in-law.  They keep telling me that it is better than viagra, well I will stick with coconut wine.   

On our recent grocery shopping trip my wife bought a few, there are still 2 left. 

I demand to see the manager.

Yes sir, I'm the manager. How may I help you?

I want my money back.

What seems to be the problem, sir?

I was in here last night and had a dozen oysters  balut.

Yes, sir, and.....?

One of 'em didn't work.

[thekfc]

I demand to see the manager.

Yes sir, I'm the manager. How may I help you?

I want my money back.

What seems to be the problem, sir?

I was in here last night and had a dozen oysters  balut.

Yes, sir, and.....?

One of 'em didn't work.

[jm21-2]

That's a new one on me(?)

Mostly a Taiwan thing I think?

http://www.taiwan-guide.org/david/betelnut2.html

I tried some betel nut and didn't like it...pretty bad aftertaste and no discernible effect. Bought it from a fat old guy though, not a scantily clad girl....he gave me some to try for free to see how I would react.

[jm21-2]

stay away from those duck eggs
baaaaht .....yuck
my wife tells me that the men eat them when they are drinking
i don't ever recall waking up & saying man O man i drank so much that i started eating 1/2 formed baby ducks





piglett

The more you drink, the duller your palate gets....so kick back a few cups of a stronger spirit and you should be up for all sorts of culinary delights.

When I was in China I was confused as to how to eat a certain type of grilled shrimp and thought they meant you were supposed to eat it all at once (including shell and head), which I did. Turns out they just thought I would toss the head out and wanted to make sure I sucked the good stuff out of the head. Balut can't be too much worse than that, and it wasn't really bad at all....I'd be more worried because I saw some show where it was basically soaked in vinegar which sounds more nasty than a half formed egg...but a lot of people like pickled eggs I guess.

[Jeff S]

Betel nut girls - Yep - uniquely a Taiwanese thing.

[thekfc]

Mostly a Taiwan thing I think?

http://www.taiwan-guide.org/david/betelnut2.html

I tried some betel nut and didn't like it...pretty bad aftertaste and no discernible effect. Bought it from a fat old guy though, not a scantily clad girl....he gave me some to try for free to see how I would react.

Maybe if it was from the scantily clad lady then it would have tasted better.

[Jeff S]

stay away from those duck eggs
baaaaht .....yuck
my wife tells me that the men eat them when they are drinking
i don't ever recall waking up & saying man O man i drank so much that i started eating 1/2 formed baby ducks

piglett

Everyone eats balut - not just drunk Filipino men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s31nWSiminI

[thekfc]

My wife eat balut with salt.

[jm21-2]

Maybe if it was from the scantily clad lady then it would have tasted better.

Sadly did not even see a scantily clad betelnut girl, sigh :/. Maybe my fiance steered me away from areas where they might be?

The only bar girls I've seen were in Hua Hin in Thailand...and she definitely didn't want me to go hang out with them.

Such is my boring life I guess.

[piglett]

Piggy, how many baluts did you eat?

me = 0 

same here screw that noise !!!


pig

[Ray]

Betelnut girls…interesting.

They didn’t have those when I was last in Taiwan, but that was over 30 years ago.

Now the Taiwan barbershops were a unique experience. Best damn “haircut” I ever had!