timmyp

Yeah some guys who learn from their gf definitely learn Thai which, when you listen to the vocabulary used, is a bit feminine. So they might simply use some vocab which is "cute" because they heard it from their gf or their gf's friends etc.

Usually these guys are just pretty casual learners though, and so their pronunciation is still rough and their voice usually still sounds quite masculine, they simply choose to use vocab which is more feminine as they don't know any better.

I remember a guy posting a video on a fb group I belong to where he was speaking Thai, but used a few feminine words instead of the "manly" equivalent (Which is normal, Thai people do it sometimes too, but it seemed like he used it because he didn't know as opposed to a conscious choice). He had only been learning Thai for a month or so though, and with that in mind, had pretty awesome Thai for just a month or so (Which was why he posted).

If someone has only been speaking Thai for a month or can only say a few words, I don't see how that person could even sound feminine or masculine, they would just sound like a foreigner who can't speak yet. Sure, a guy who is just starting to learn might use a word that is typically female, but that's hardly enough to say that he sounds feminine. You have to reach a certain level before you can even develop a sound that can be classified as something beyond "incredibly broken."

I have heard this story before, and I don't believe it. I heard Stuart say that at a lecture he was giving, and I have heard other Thai people tell the same story about someone they met.

I lived in Japan for about 15 years, and heard Japanese people tell the same story all the time. The story was usually about an American soldier they met who had learned from his Japanese girlfriend.

I am fully fluent in Japanese (certified interpreter & translator), and much to my irritation, Korean and Chinese people who speak Japanese have said that same thing about me (I am a white guy). "You speak like a girl, you must have learned from your girlfriend." It's ridiculous because I've never dated a Japanese woman. It is just something the other Asians would say to me because they were jealous that my Japanese was better than their Japanese, so they wanted to put me down due their weird sense of competition.

I fully believe it's an urban legend. Anyone who can actually faithfully imitate the language enough to "sound like a girl" is going to have the ability to sound like a guy. Anybody who gets remotely conversational is going to speaking with more people than just a girlfriend. While the legend of the big white dude sounding like a girl seems to make logical sense: "The guy will imitate his girlfriend and say dichan and nuu, and that will make him sound like a girl," language learning and acquisition don't really work that way (I have a master's degree in linguistics, btw).

This is probably just an anecdote that people like to tell. It helps make a good point about language learning though: Think about what you say, and be aware of how you'll sound.

The Adhere 13 Blues Bar on Samsen. Often just called "the Blues bar". Definitely the best blues spot. Sometimes it's not so great on the Mon-Wed, but when the house band is there, it's always fantastic. It's where musicians go to listen as well, so it's not just lowest-common-denominator music.

The place is excessively tiny, and I think that just adds to the character.

Oh, and pratically incomprehensible in Thailand: It's not too loud!

(that is, they aren't just pumping up the volume as far as it goes, with the subwoofer 3 times as loud as the other speakers)

He has reacted coolly to comments that, according to local superstitious beliefs, the freezing of a body will only trap a soul inside the body making it impossible for one’s soul to step forward into the next life.

I'm bewildered why an adult would want to get circumcised anyway?

It's not that I don't empathize with the bewilderment that folks have with the odd imitations of western food, but I also can't help but think how silly it would be for a Thai person to go to Chicago and frequent Thai restaurants while claiming, "They just don't get how to make som tam in Chicago. And their imitation of phat thai is bizarre."

I am not a fan of the street bugs cuz

1. some are really greasy

2. it's street food, and sanitation is a concern (do I sound obssessive about cleasliness?)

But now the market has answered my calls!

I am happy and curious to give these critters a try. I'm not much of a crisps/chips snack guy, but I will have a few in the name of cullinary progress.

There was a story on NPR yesterday about the same thing:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/15/394849989/street-food-no-more-bug-snacks-move-to-store-shelves-in-thailand

This guy is making a great move by releasing this line of snacks. It's a totally open market! Gotta love the name of the product line: "Hi-So"

What are these high-pressure water guns they mention? Are they made as toys, or are they for cleaning walls and removing paint?

I just searched out of curiosity... I guess they're talking about this sort of thing?

I could see this getting out of hand, I guess. In the video the Soldier of Water knocks over a bowling pin with a squirt.

What are these high-pressure water guns they mention? Are they made as toys, or are they for cleaning walls and removing paint?

Reminds of me of this creepy story...

This is one of those stories that has no influence on the world and doesn't affect my life in any way whatsover, but yet, I am curious to know more. What a freaky incident.

There's a common joke in Japan about secretaries putting harmful cleaners into the boss' coffee. Actually, the joke is that when he's being a jerk, the secretary washes the cup with really strong chemicals, then only partially rinses it out. It's a joke made by the secretaries on how to get back at the boss.
I've never heard of someone actually carrything this out, but when evil secretaries who hated my guts offered to bring me tea or coffee, I always declined...

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and hand it out for Japanese tourists in Thailand as well....

Why??

In general the Japanese, both expats and tourists, are behaving better than many other nationalities.

Beg to differ on that one. Had three Japanese consultant engineers in my office at one stage, they all spoke advanced English, large multi-national oil company.

The Japanese engineering consultants made no attempt to fit into the existing picture. Demanded the Thai staff behave like Japanese, expected priority treatment for everything never a thank you, and got angry because local Admin Mgr. and maid staff knew nothing about the correct food to buy for them and how to serve it.

Japanese people are an incredibly snotty bunch. That type of elite snobbery is in every country, but I never cease to be awe-struck by how extreme it is in Japan and among Japanese folks outside Japan. Even for Japanese who are supposedly "integrated," it really seems it is more like they are content living with the stupid silly funny natives rather than "integrated."

Japanese people are very picky about how others behave in public, and it is a cultural tradition to complain about it and look for those being what they see as inappropriate.

I think it's a great lesson for many in Thailand to see Japan put out this list of etiquette after the Thai gov put out a list of etiquette to Chinese visitors.

Interesting to know if the male model showing his ars3 was a farang.

Here's the video. He's a farang, and appears to be wearing a clear G-string. Shucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOeTVJcndQw

Gymware and Ultimate fitness are both good. They aren't as cheap as I was expecting in Thailand, but the equipment is good and it's not overpriced.

Gym and training seems to be a big thing with many Farangs in Thailand....can only be good I suppose. It's just that before I came to Thailand I never knew or met anybody back home (Europe) that went to a Gym or discussed keeping fit.

It really depends on the circles you travel in!

But I certainly notice a trend among people living outside their countries to pursue "self-improvement." Not just farang, but anyone who has changed cultures. I think it probably stems from exposure to another culture driving people to analyze their own culture, and then themselves.

I've seen them a couple of times, and never saw a fight.

It's great to go to shows like that where everyone is such a dedicated fan.

The songwriting is great (at least what I can get from the lyrics).

I took a month long class on Thai music last year, and we looked at Mo Lam, Luk Thung, and Phleeng Chitwit. Most of the Phleeng Chiwit tunes were Carabao. I really enjoyed the class. I wish I could understand the lyrics better.

Carabao has a pedal steel player who encouraged me to get a pedal steel. I am still struggling to learn it... but it was Carabao that made me decide to pick one up!

Lots of people find it hard to believe, but the tap water in certain areas is safe, no filter needed.

Here is a list of cities and jangwats that have been declared safe. The list is growing.

http://www.pwa.co.th/contents/service/save

(sorry, names of the cities are all in Thai)

I drink the tap water all over Bangkok and drank the tap water last time I traveled to a few of the cities on the list. I have never gotten sick.

If the filtered water vending machines on the street are as bad as I hear, and if in fact 30% of bottled water is failing safety tests, then I'd say you're better of drinking the tap water.

Some years ago I was breath tested 5 times in Udon Thani Police Station and although I hadn't been drinking was still worried what might be produced. The excuses for yet another test were quite funny, " you didn't blow long enough, you blew too long " as examples.

I was breathalyzed 3 times in Japan in 2010. They used three different airbags. I think they can just change the mouthpiece, right? I don't really know.

Anyway, I didn't have a drop to drink, so I didn't mind exhaling again and again for them. I found it funny that they were so sure I had been drinking. Next they discussed getting breathalyzers from another stock, but finally gave up and decided that I was sober. There excuse the second time was that sometimes the reading isn't accurate. The third time they said that they just want to be sure. Each time they stressed that I really need to take a deep breath, which I dutifully did. That was down in Fukuoka, which can be pretty backwards compared to Tokyo.

I got pulled over in Bangkok at a police stop. They asked me if I'd been drinking. I said that I hadn't (and I hadn't), so they just sent me on my way without checking me.

Most people over a year or more, have built a tolerance level of bacterial infestation of the gut. If you have a filtering system running water through your kitchen sink. I would not be concerned. Brushing teeth using water not filtered, is not a big risk. After brushing use Listorine, or some other mouthwash will kill any germs after one minute of slushing.

It's really not a case of building tolerance to the water.

If the water supply is unsafe because it allows bacteria in, then while it is true that you can get used to common bacteria in the water system that you wouldn't be used to otherwise, there will continue to be new bacteria seeping in, and that new bacteria is going to continue to make you sick. "Getting used" to a dangerous water supply is temprorary, it will make you sick again.

People don't get sick and repeatedly sick on Bangkok tap water because it's not dirty, not because they are used to the bacteria.

If you eat street food, you are taking far more sanitation risks than drinking tap water. I've got nothing against street food, but a person eating street food and then opting to buy bottled water has a screwy understanding of the dangers.

Oh, just one more thing: There is no getting used to dirty water slowly. Once the bacteria is in your system, it's going to run its course. I remember a traveler in India back in the early 90s who said that he got "used to" the water by starting to brush his teeth with it, then after a few days of sipping a bit. "Now I'm up to a full glass. Soon I should be able to drink it all the time." That was silly. It's not a poison that your body builds a tolerance to. Once bacteria is in your gut that you can't fight off, it's going to run its course, whether it is just a sip or an entire liter.

Water quality has improved considerably over the years. There is a project to make water drinkable all over Thailand. They are adding one area at a time.
Here is a list of the cities, jangwats, and provinces, etc. where water is safe to drink. That is, not just potable, not just for brushing your teeth, but safe to drink right out of the tap without a filter. The list is in Thai.
http://www.pwa.co.th/contents/service/save

The water is safe to drink in Bangkok. Nobody drinks it, though. People have filters in their homes, or they purhcase filtered water (usually from the water filter vending machines you'll see in every soi).

People will tell you that the water isn't not safe. The foreigner concensus is, "This country is a mess, there is no way anyone should trust the water," and I think Thais with any money don't want to be associated with the economically down trodden, so they don't drink the tap water either. It is true that the water used to be dangerous to drink, but nowadays, it's fine.

I have been drinking the water in Bangkok straight out of the tap, and I have never gotten sick. It is not a case of being used to the water, because I have never gotten sick from it in the first place. I started drinking the water last August after reading more claims from the government that the water is safe. I thought, "I don't believe it, so I'll test it with my own gut." It's fine, and now I drink it.

Many people will argue that it just might be where I live, that pipes in other areas are something to worry about. I drink tap water all over the city, and it's fine. My 70 year old parents just visited, and they drank the tap water and never got sick. Note that we only drank tap water in areas listed as safe on the link that I sent you: Ayuthaya (safe since 2005), Nakhon Rachasima (safe since 2005), Nakhon Sawan (safe since 2008), Lopburi (safe since 2002), Sukhothai (safe since 2000) and Chiang Mai (safe since 2000).

I posted a silly video demonstrating that the water is safe, and that link is below.
I can't speak for metals in the water, or BP from the PVC piping, but as far as gut-threatening bacteria go, straight tap water is fine for you and your family.

If you want to continue fearing it and distrusting claims that it is safe, then I'm sure the bottle water companies are more than happy to sell you their products.

I grew up in Chicago, where on St P's day, they continue to dye the Chicago River green for one day a year.

It would be nice if they would dye it blue for the other 364 days.

I used to work for an interpreting company, and we did some legal stuff like court cases, police reports, approval & confirmation of services, insurance reports... I remember several times having to interpret between married couples. It boggles my mind to think people would get married and have such a language barrier between them.

I've heard people say things like, "some things don't need language to be expressed." Sure, that's true. But many things can only be expressed through language.

Of course all that matters is what makes you happy. I just wonder where I went wrong thinking that so much depended on clear communication.

>Scorpions, wasps, frogs and other edible insects

I'm sure everyone who read this caught the grouping error. I think the intended group wasn't "other edible insects," but "Stuff that we think most people reading this article think is gross to eat."

Frogs in Thailand are either in an insanely spicy curry dish, or a full-frog kebab. All the full-frog kebabs I've come across had been prepared hours before, and were unpleasantly cold, much like an old piece of fried chicken (and to repeat a cliche, that's how they tasted).

I accept bugs into my food with open arms, provided that:

1. They get chopped up and don't look like bugs anymore

2. Preparers stop using that nasty cheap oil to deep fry them

3. Some serious spices to get rid of that bug taste.

I've tried them all, and they have all been excessively greasy with a nasty cheap cooking oil. Actually, the grasshopper usually aren't greasy. Has anyone seen any steamed bugs?

Also, all the bugs I've tried have a "bug" taste. It's not pleasant, something like a nasty peanut, a nasty peanut with legs. But I think that taste could be buried with other ingredients pretty easily.

The grasshoppers I've had don't have this taste, probably because of the salt and the fact that they aren't very "meaty."

I heard a news interview on the US's NPR a couple of years ago with a toxicologist in Canada saying that these incidents were clearly intentional poisoning. I can't find the interview, though.

Times sure have changed. I remember being able to pick out Japanese mobsters on the street (Tokyo) with their 'punch perm' and thick necks. This gent looks like an anime character.

There have always been loads of Yakuza who didn't dress like that and didn't do their hair like that. Often those with the look you describe are low-level, because they are essentially giving away their Yakuza membership through their dress. That has been the case for 20 years.

Nowadays there are loads of Japanese men in industrial towns who dress and walk in the stereotypical yakuza way just to look tough (they have no affiliation), much like clothing typical of gang members in the U.S. became fashionable for some groups of people.