thenoilif

So they'll sell it here officially?

Will it be 399 usd in baht plus 7% VAT only?

If they can sell for 13999 baht or lower, I'll wait to buy from them instead of buying from MBK.

I will probably be a bit more than that. It is technically still an import so there will be an additional import tax on it. My guess is it will be closer to $500 USD at first.

Hit and run?

How can you be "disturbed" that I said pizza in much of the U.S. matches up to anything in Italy? It is an opinion that many people agree with. You seem to think that your opinion has more validity than anyone else.

There were so many things you said in your post that honestly made zero sense and you continue to make zero sense. I was disturbed by the fact that you repeatedly said that America "owns" pizza and then provided backup to this statement. I viewed this as a bit of a culturally elitist attitude which I find disturbing given that you seem to be misinformed on how italians actually eat pizza. Have you ever been to Itlay? Well I have and pizza is offered up for consumption in many different forms. You can have it for lunch, dinner, and even get it on the street and eat it as a snack with your hands.

Furthermore, my main point was that they are just different and made for different tastes. The longer I've lived here I have come to appreciate the more true, Italian style pizza because they generally use fresher and better ingredients like freshly cut tomatoes, salami, mozzarella di bufala, which in my opinion is better than most of the crap blend cheeses they use on American pizza, I also love a good brick oven charred crust. They also tend to combine ingredients that offer up flavors that compliment each other and unlike most American variants, they don't overload the pizza with sauce and cheese which can can drown out the toppings. But like I said previously, there are certain types of American pizza that I do miss from time to time but if given the option between true Italian pizza and say NY pizza I would go with the original.

Why must thais change (ruin) pizza, and make it taste like shit?

I sure don't make or look for westernised thai food.

Because it was first adapted to the American market, so it was second hand already, from there on it went even further down.

For real pizza go to Italy.

The voice of ignorance. Pizza in much of the U.S. matches up to anything in Italy. Many people think that it is better.

Italians are wrong. Not about cars or suits. About pizza, and they’re not entirely mistaken about that, only about crusts and buffalo-milk mozzarella. They’ve got the tomato part right. Pizza was created by the Italians—or maybe by the Greeks, who brought it to Naples, but let’s not pile on the bad news. Right now it justly belongs to us. We care more about it. We eat more of it, and unlike the Italians, we appreciate it at dinner, at lunch, and at breakfast, when we have it cold, standing up, to make hangovers go away. Italians don’t really understand pizza. They think of it as knife-and-fork food, best after the sun goes down.

Read More http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/200905/pizza-american-pie-25-best#ixzz2TVQBeR8d

Wow bud, I am American and I am disturbed by this. Your mentality is why so many people hate Americans. Pizza in American much like every other cuisine has just been changed from its origins to fit American tastes, we dont own it! It's been SUPER SIZED from the original more delicate and healthier version and has basically become giant flat bread sandwiches. The only American pizza that I really like anymore is true NY style hand tossed pizza, unfortunetly this style of pizza hasn't caught on here.

Maybe this is unrelated..but kind of since we are talking about burgers here.. but there is a place called Fatty's Bar & Diner (Not much of a "diner" atmosphere ...but anyway you can search for their FB page)

Well this place has a different atmosphere but if you're looking for a good burger I would like to recommend one of theirs and the price is around 160 baht ..comes w/ fries as well

Also I noticed some guy ordered fish & chips there, it looks really good too(I didn't try it)

They also have other American dishes -- I wanna go back soon but they're only open in the evening/night so sometimes it isn't so convenient for me

Fatty's is the best place for American comfort food bar none. It's cheap and everything that I've tried has been very tasty.

ACD is also very good but like someone else mentioned the food is very inconsistant, which seems to be typical with a lot of western food joints. I will give them props for their shakes, though. As much as Thai's love sweet things, especially ice cream I've always had a hard time finding a good milkshake here but not anymore. A plate of burger and fries and a cold chocolate shake to wash it down = heaven. I'm not sure if this place has staying power with Firehouse right around the corner (cheaper and better food) but I will keep going back as long as it's open.

If you ever make it up to BKK I picked a good one up at Ikea for 169 baht. Works perfectly.

http://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/30157235/

Would be interesting to see the ranking adjusted to salaries. I have a feeling expats in Tokyo get more compensation than Bangkok. Also an expat working there not on a corporate assignment i.e. employed by a local firm would earn much more than expats in Bangkok working for local companies. The 50-70k legislated monthly salaries for work permits comes to mind. How do expats fare in other cities for earnings vs expenses? I'm curious because sometimes I feel it is very hard to save and have a good lifestyle in Thailand unless you are under a corporation's wing.

The actual salaries generally are not effected by location unless its a undesirable locale, what is effected is the overall package or at least it is at my firm and several other firms that I am affiliated with. For example, if your salary is say 100, 000 u.s./yr you can expect to receive that plus a bonus for working abroad, relocation allowance that is based on family size, and living expenses based on the cost of living in that area. I've worked in HK, KL, Singapore and now BKK and my standard of living has basically stayed the same from place to place as I've moved around.

I do know some firms just give a set allowance for living and its left up to the expat to find a place so in this case I can see where the rising costs could effect the overall package.

I have never had a high opinion of English Teachers in Thailand but this chap is barely literate in the language.

How on earth could someone like this get a job teaching?!

Patrick

I'm sure English teachers have a low opinion of snobs like you. Not all English teachers are scumbags. A lot of them love what they do and contribute greatly to this country. Next timr, engage your brain before typing

One of the reasons why Thailand's English competence is one of the worst in the world is because they allow anyone who speaks English as their native tongue to be an English teacher in some capacity.

They also look at English teaching as a business with many teaching jobs being managed by agencies that are only concerned with profit.

The only schools that actually use western criteria and hiring practices to vet their teachers are the International Prepatory Schools where they do proper background checks and require that teachers have legitimate educations and experience. Outside of these schools, a native English speaker can go dowm to Khao San Rd pay 1000 baht and get a fake college diploma and basic teaching certificate and then get a job at most schools in the country, no criminal background checks, no verification process of their creditials.

I have found that most english teachers in Thailand are running from something, using the job to fund a long sexpat trip, new age backpackers, and with a small few actually here because they enjoy teaching. The ones that do enjoy it generally dont stay because the working conditions for English teachers are poor compared fo other Asian countries like S. Korea, Vietnam and Japan where legitimate nglish teachers are more respected Nd better paid.

The mafia is thick in the air here. The violence level actually seems low for the level of mafia. It can only get worse. Who in Thai politics would have the massive cajones (very life threatening) to take on the mafia forces as was done in Sicily?

Being a bit dramatic. Last time I checked the mob in Sicily are locals. In Pattaya its non-local Russians that were talking about here. The russian mob is there because local authorities permit them to be there. The authorities can just sit back, collect retirement and let the Russians do their thing. The russians are just tenants and can easily be evicted at any time. Dont let the whole LOS thing fool you, Thailand has its own mafia and they can be just as ruthless as any other.

While the title and some of the ideas expressed in this article are misleading there is in fact a Russian Mafia in many tourist areas in Thailand and their presence is growing. I wouldn't say that they are "running" things in these areas but they have more influence over goings on that any other non-Thai organization has had in the past.

This is no different than any other crime syndicate in other countries. The syndicate pays off the right people and they are allowed to do their business without reprecussion but if they get too far out of line they get slapped.

It's comical that anyone would assume that they have even a remote idea as to the specific presence of any organized crime syndicate or how they operate. How they are shown in movies is completely different than real life so assuming they have little presence because its not obvious is very nieve.

Lastly, I trust very little news these days as most agencies are driven by certain agendas that can create bias reporting but I imagine that a little more research was done to write this article than what most of you have done. In fact, I'm guessing that many of you have never even been to Pattaya.

OP, you have brought up an interesting situation and I want to expand on my previous post. I to am a bit of a let loose type of partier myself. It was not uncommon for me and my friends to go out in the states, throw caution to the wind and do whatever gave us the best experience and let the cards fall where they may. Upon moving to BKK two years ago I have found the bar and club scene in BKK to be very tame compared to the US, Spain, South America, and other party scenes like Amsterdam and Germany. Thailand's cultural conservatism doesn't allow for complete and uninhibited self-expression especially anything in a sexual or physically revealing manner. Basic things that we take for granted in the west like public displays of affection and revealing clothing or fairly uncommon and generally reserved for bargirls and farangs but even then these things will draw negative comments and looks from the masses.

You would think that even in a private and secluded venue like a dimly lit night club these things would be a little more accepting but that's not the case. All of these places are monitored by CCTV's and local authorities just waiting from someone to cross the line so they can use that as leverage to extort money. Bar owners are always skating on thin ice as it is as they generally operate on the wrong side of the law and only are allowed to do business because they pay enough money to the right people to do so but even the smallest slip up can be costly so they also try to keep certain depravity at a bare minimum and as I stated previously public nudity is a big no no.

Taking the nudity out of the equation, you can still let loose but in a reserved way. You and your friend are foreigners so there will be some level of acceptance that a Thai women wouldn't be granted. Dancing your asses off, being overly flirty, getting wasted to the point of passing out isn't an uncommon sight for foreigners, men or women. You may not receive the same amount of positive responses that you are used to back home but if your main goal is to just have fun no harm will be done at least from a legal standpoint and any other caution will be the same as if you were in your home country and that is some men may try and take advantage of the situation or you may get kicked out of the bar. If you really want to party hard, I suggest meeting as many people as possible. There are always small parties going on and if you get in touch with the right people, invitations to these parties are easy to come by as they basically are open invitations to anyone who knows of the party. You can let loose a bit more at these gatherings then you can at clubs and bars.

I have been so disgusted in Phuket with this insulting tripe right at my face, I turned on my phone, and recorded them discreatle, then in Thai told them as I was walking out that I am putting it on Youtube and their boss will be calling them tonight for sure.

The look on their face was priceless.

Wow, seems like a lot of effort to get one up on some poorly paid retail sales clerk. Would you go through the same effort to get someone in the same position who treated you so poorly in your home country?

I don't know guys, maybe it's just me but I have never had an issue with a retail sales clerk while shopping in Thailand. If anything, I find them too helpful and eager. I will say that Thai's do have a different concept of what is insulting. Calling someone "fat" seems to be part of everyday Thai conversation and they don't deem it as insulting. Thai's don't have the same stick up their butts like we do in the West, they aren't as "politically correct" and other than insulting their parents, they have pretty thick skin. I for one think it's refreshing and adds to the relaxed way of life here. If you find it insulting then why don't you just refuse to buy from them? That will have a greater effect than having some personal vendetta.

Public nudity isn't acceptable anywhere in Thailand besides the red light districts and at more free spirited gatherings like the Full Moon party. The two girls who danced naked during a recent Songkran celebration were ostracized in the national news for months following the incident.

This is one of those things where if caught, the police will tend not to look the other way so I would only party like this in areas where nudity is accepted (red light districts) and you still have to be a bit careful because technically it's still illegal. Thai authorities may take advantage of the situation in order to extract a "bonus" from you.

If you're looking to have a great time and let loose "The" Full Moon party and Khao San are the safest bets but even the well know "hook-up" clubs in BKK won't be accepting of flashing. Some of the smaller, less developed islands in the south are also great for uninhibited partying.

I've pretty much found all of these in BKK but they generally come with a high price tag. Mexican at La Monita's is excellent and comparable. Firehouse on Soi 11 makes a great burger. If you can't find it at a restaurant, there are grocery stores like Villa and Central Food Mart in Central World that sell most ingredients.

For me the things I miss the most that I haven't been a able to find here are:

Taco Bell - My staple after a night out on the town. It's now been replaced by street stall Thai food

Fresh deli meats - Boars Head deli meats and cheeses specifically

New York style Pizza - Huge slices dripping with grease

Philly Cheese steak sandwiches

Fresh snow and king crab legs dipped in warm butter - The high end hotel buffets here just don't compare to sitting on the beach cracking open a bunch of legs and sipping on a ice cold beer, Corana with a lime please

American Style Chinese food - I miss eating noodles out those little white cardboard containers

American style Italian food - Italian food here is not hearty enough. I want some baked Ziti, Chicken Parm, meaty meatballs and spagetti

It's funny how I didn't really miss much from the states before I started writing this but I could go on and on. At least I've found a good burger and mexican food.

OP,

One thing that you should learn about some Thai girls, especially the ones that will date a foreigner, is that they value security and compassion over all other traits like looks, riches, and especially age. They want to feel secure in their relationships and not just financially. Many have been seriously f'ed over by an ex-bf, generally Thai or a young farang so they may seek out an older farang as they feel that they will be appreciated more and not be cheated on, the older guys are more likely to settle with the first pretty girl they find whereas us younger guys like to play the field much more. The older guys also are more likely to stay in Thailand long term, maybe forever while the young guys are more prone to stick around for 1 to 2 years and then move.

You should never get hung up on one girl as there is usually a prettier one that will be interested in you and your insecurities right around the corner and 100 more after that.

I finally read the SM article and I as usual I find it highly self serving. Not sure if SM has an sort of business affiliation with the brewmeister but this seems to be a marketing campaign to get people to come back to Soi 33 which would benefit the interviewee's business interests greatly. The biggest red flag was the whole part about there being less highly paid expats in Thailand. I'm one of these expats and I've been coming and going to Thailand for over 14 years and it's pretty obvious that the Expat community has grown considerably. Part of this is due to the lack of jobs in the West. More and more young professionals are seeking work abroad, especially in Asia, and the economic boom here has created many jobs in industries of real estate and finance. In the past, the jobs were not plentiful but were available but very few western foreigners wanted to make the move to Thailand. There may be a slight decline in the ultra high expat packages (200,000-300,000/mth) but they have been replaced with many more lower packages (100,000-200,000/mth).

The one thing I do agree with in the article is why Soi 33 is dying. There's nothing there and it's completely off the radar as far as places to hang out. Sure the women dress nicely but the overall quality wasn't better than other areas but you pay much higher rates. I guess the draw was that the women were uni students and could actually carry on a decent conversation but most of the young guys I know that pay for women aren't looking for a GFE they all just want ST. They could care less about conversation because they can get that from the normal girls around town in which there are many that want to meet a foreigner, some bad but most are good normal girls. The only issue is the latter may not be as sexually active as these young guys would like so they fulfill their needs via the bars.

Lastly, the bar scenes in Thailand are booming in order to accomodate the rise in foreign expats. The following is a list of places that have basically replaced Soi 33:

1. Thong Lo/Ekamai - The trendy place to hang out. Many up-class pubs and lounges that are full of normal, young professional Thai women who are open to meeting foreign guys. Most of the places in Thong Lo are relaxed so it's easier to hang out with friends and also to meet new people.

2. Soi 11 - Expats that are more into the club scene hang out on Soi 11. Most of the women who hang out here are in the business but some normal girls that like the attention come around as well. Places like Q-Bar, Levels, and Bed Supperclub have taken the perceived high class hooker theme from Soi 33 so many of the higher priced or "sophisticated" girls just hang out at the clubs looking for customers.

3. Khao San - Interestingly enough, Khao San has changed into an all man's land. There are several bars and restaurants that have opened up over the last few years that are considered hype and trendy so they are generally packed with young high-so thais and young expats.

4. RCA and Ratchada - The younger expats are taking the time to learn more Thai before coming or while they are here so the normally Thai-dominated places like RCA and the soapy massage shops in Ratchada are now being frequented by the younger guys with the latter also cutting into the "high-class" draw that Soi 33 used to offer.

5. Pattaya/Samui/Phuket/Soi Cowboy/Nana - I've found that the young expats prefer weekend trips to the beach P4P scenes over frequenting the big three in BKK. The bar scene in BKK is losing out to the beach scenes because you can get a total package of women, sun, beach and partying in Pattaya and Phuket. Of course the BKK venues are doing fine but I would say that the younger guys prefer the p4p clubs in BKK over the gogo's.

I don't think it's experimentation.

It's the convenience and lack of hassle.

Let's face it, Thai women, especially the younger generations are becoming very high maintenance and many of the women that pursue foreigners arent exactly the most stable or trustworthy. Included in this is the fact that most foreigners are not willing to do what it takes to integrate themselves enough into the local culture in order to be able to meet normal Thai women. All of this makes paying for companionship much easier for many young foreigners. Back in the state's wall street guys spend thousands on high price hookers for basically the same reasons so I can see why it would be a new trend given thwarted amount of financial sector expat positions in Bangkok.

I also wouldn't confine these guys to one specific demo either. All types of foreigners are into paying from tourists to teachers all the way up to guys on exec. Packages.

I didn't read SM article as I find his thinking and views to be a bit antiquated and self serving so did he mention anthing about how the young guys have a propensity to go to the bars and try and get it for free. Several guys that I know have a little game they like to play where they hit up the bars, covertly get the girl to agree to meet them after at one of the after hours clubs or get her number and give her a call another day and see if they can land a freebie. Many bar girls think that they can screw their way into relationships so their success rate is surprisingly high.

Saw the movie over the weekend. It's a thought provoking and epic film. One of those movies that needs and deserves your full attention so if you can't hold it for the duration I wouldn't recommend seeing it in theaters. Going back to see it again tomorrow.

Less than 20% of the Thai population finish high-school.

Do you have a source for that?"

He's actually pretty close on this one but the percentage increases dramatically once you get into the major cities so his data is really irrelevant to the discussion.

"You actually witnessed the interview , in what capacity ? You are Family ? Stop b...s.....ing. Please."

Yes I witnessed the interview. I don't understand why you think this is unbelievable. Thai people are very welcoming. The woman's father is an executive at the company I work for and he took me under his wing when I first moved here and sort of adopted me. He actually introduced me to one of the woman I dated.

Why would I lie about any of this? If I wanted to boast I would have said that I slept with all of these women. Just dating them isn’t exactly some status achieving event or really anything to boast about, my question was legit and I was just trying to gauge if Thai women tend to be a little more open about their feelings compared to Western women, that’s it.

Troll much

Didn't I just say that women in the country are more friendly and chatty

Do you actually read my posts? How are those wrong assumptions if I just said that if u want to date a farmer be a farmer which you are, if you want to date a Thai women speak the language and learn the customs which you have and of course there are no other foreigners where you are because most foreigners live in the cities where things are more familiar. Most do not want to do what takes to live in the country.

You also continue to make the wrong comparisons. I have also found women in the country to be much more chatty and friendly with strangers then in the city and again I am mostly talking about the city. Women are also much more aggressive with meeting men in the country as well. I know a few foreign men who live in similar situations and they are the talk of the village. I know two guys who are the only foreigners in a small village up in Issan. Both have married local ladies and retired on good pensions. They have, by Issan standards, mansions, cars, and own their own farms. They several kms outside of the nearest town but when they or their families roll in they are celebrities. I really don't consider this a good example of "normal Thai" life, do you?

It's funny that you brought this up because I just came back from a weekend trip to Kohn Kaen. I've been a few times before and each time I experienced the same thing. I met a girl, Bee is her name, a young uni student studying Japanese culture and hung out with her and her friends (all uni students) all weekend. Went to the main strip of restaurants and bars. Ended up at U-bar for any of you that have been to kohn kaen. A bar that would be right at home on RCA in BKK. Packed to the gills and I was the only foreigner in the place. Everytime I left the table to go to the restroom I was stopped numerous times by various women offering me a drink or just to say hi. Everyone was very friendly and polite. Great place to spend a weekend. I know this isn't just me either as many of my friends have hung out in Kohn Kaen and had the same experience. I'm sure that the lure of a better life is more of a driving force here but they are still normal women and it still shows how easy it can be to meet Thai women if you get out there and interact.

“No you can't, normal Thai girls don't want foreigners as partners.”

“I totally agree and that person will be, someone her own nationality, own age and own social status. (as in 'not a foreigner')”

“The group you have described are not normal Thai girls.”

“Again you are mistaking the girls you are talking about with 'normal Thais'. Less than 20% of the Thai population finish high-school. Someone with a degree is not 'normal' or 'average' but a member of the elite. A girl educated abroad is among the 'super-elite'. Normal Thai girls left school at age 13 and work in factories and farms (and as sex workers). What you take for granted in a western woman is exceptional in a Thai woman. “

Let me ask you something. In any part of the world, and on average, does a banker date a factory worker? Does a farm hand date a doctor? Not so much but I would still consider all of these people “normal” within their society. When the word “normal” and Thai women get used generally we are referring to women outside of the sex trade industries. A high-so girl and a shop girl are normal people just in different social classes so a foreigner can date women from any of these classes as long as he integrates himself and is accepted in these classes and just because he’s a foreigner doesn’t exclude him from this either. I have already explained in depth how this works so not going to do it again.

I will just say that, unlike yourself, I have personally experienced this and know many people who have dated, been in serious relationships and married all types of Thai women whereas you just want to make simple, blanket statements with zero back-up.

As for your statement about education, did you ever stop and think that your statistics are nationwide and really do not apply to what I’m talking about. Where do most young, professional foreigners live and work? Hmmm, maybe the cities and especially BKK where the percentage of university educated women increases dramatically. Given that Thailand is mostly an agricultural country with only a couple of metropolitan areas it's safe to say that the "normal girls" I am mostly speaking of are urbanites. It would also be safe to say that young, professional expats do not represent the foreign population currently residing in Thailand so your overall points are a bit moot. If you want to date a factory worker or a farmer then go be a farmer or factory worker, you will have no problem finding a woman.

What it boils down to is many foreigners and by the sound of things you’re in this demo, come here and stay in familiar places and do the typical foreign route through Thailand. They stay mostly in areas where there are other foreigners. They learn little useful Thai, know nothing about or refuse to adapt to local customs and culture. They choose to let women come to them and the ones that do are not “normal women” as a normal Thai woman is generally shy and conservative. The man has to initiate the conversation and in many cases the guy has to be “familiar” to the woman. Foreigners just assume they have zero chance, give up before it happens, too lazy to try or really have no clue on how to become a “local” that they don’t even bother but based on my experience it can and does happen if you make the effort.

The OP says he is on an expat package so we can assume his salary is good for Thailand. He also insists money is not important for the Thai women he dates. Those women must know he earns well because as he says, "they are introduced through friends of friends." My question is, would those same women be as interested if he were on a 30,000baht teacher'S salary?

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Thaivisa Connect App

I'm going to be a bit condescending here because it really is warranted. In what part of the world is this not an important part of dating and relationships? My point in saying that it wasn't about money was to not portray these women as money grubbers. They have their own money from work and their family but as with any good family they want the best for their daughter. Women know this and aren't going to waste their time if their family isn't going to approve of the relationship. If they know the guy isn't going to stick around or be able to help contribute to the family's well being than why would they allow their daughter to date him. There are no retirement homes here and even the wealthiest families look for the younger generations to support the older once they can no longer care for themselves. It's left up to each family to take of their own. A major difference between Thai and Western culture is in Thailand younger generations truly "respect" their parents. If the family has financial means to do so, the children will live at home until they marry and part of the approval process is the man must demonstrate that he can be a good provider for their daughter and possible grand children. He also must demonstrate that he is a respectable and decent man. I've actually witnessed the "interview" process that takes place between a family and potential suitor and it consisted of the man and woman sitting in front of the entire family, in this case over twenty people, and basically he went through an interview process. "Face" is a major part of Thai culture and most good families especially the business oriented ones will not risk losing face by accepting someone considered "undesirable" to be allowed to marry into the family. Many normal Thai women know this and it prompts them to be picky about who they date.

This being said, I am sure that there are a lot of teachers on this site so what I'm about to say is not my personal belief but what I've gathered of Thai society in general. Thai's don't look at foreigner English teachers as respectable people. That 30,000 baht a month may be a more than most Thai's make but it amounts to minimum wage for a foreigner in Thailand and one of the lowest jobs we can obtain. Thai's know it doesn't take much for a foreigner to get a teaching job here as they've seen convicted pedophiles, druggies, backpackers, high school drop outs, etc. get teaching jobs for years. Not to mention that they perceive foreign English teachers as mostly whore mongers, criminals who were forced to leave their home country and hide out in Thailand, or just people who couldn't make it in their home country. There is also the biggest issue of all and that's the fact that teachers are transients. Very few stay here for extended periods of time and most good families fear that their daughters will be taken away to another country. If all you've experienced are bargirls and money grubbers than all of this may not apply because the same family devotion that keeps a good girl from dating a bad guy also can prompt a girl, good or bad, to settle for a relationship solely based on money. Unfortunately this is the predominant perception that foreigners have of Thai women.

Based on my experience and the experience of others, I believe that I and many of the "new" young professional expats that are making their way to Thailand meet these "desirable" traits that normal Thai's look for and are having more success with normal women as apposed to previous generations of foreign visitors. We make comparable salaries to an upper middle class or even some high-so Thai's. Our jobs are usually long term contracts and the nature of our work basically requires us to learn to speak Thai and understand the culture in order to do business in this country. Through doing business, we develop connections and friendships with Thai's and spend more time in places that cater to Thai's. It also helps that trends in Thailand are shifting from East Asian preferences to western preferences. Girls now swoon over Western actors and pop stars and some of the more vain ones long for a "luk kreung" baby from a blond haired blue eyed father. Many University girls outside of the more conservative Chulalongkorn set, are more than eager to date young foreign guys.

You have to ask yourself, is there a real demand for this type of fare in BKK? Outside of the US, what other country eats subs or gourmet sandwiches? I would compare this to hamburgers but will less global appeal and gourmet hamburger joints haven't exactly achieved long term success here. Many shops come and go and like almost all other restaurants here, it's style over substance. Given that most the ingredients that go into a "quality" italian are not local products, most of the sandwich would have to be made from imported goods. I've made my own at home and even with imported meats and cheeses from the US that I brought with me on my last visit, a 8" sub cost around 300 baht in ingredients just to make. About the price of what gourmet burgers go for here and generally the shelf life of even the best burger joints is roughly about two years. In order for a good sub place to work you would have to make "cool" and the next big thing which is very difficult for a farang do to unless you are hooked into the social scene of high society.

One other thing, it's difficult to compare this type of food to Mexican food. Even though Mexican food is expensive to buy in Thailand it's isn't that expensive to make. Many of the ingredients that go into Mexican food can be produced in Thailand, especially the Californian style that places like La Monitas offers. The only reason why it's so expensive is because they take advantage of the farang market.

Tingtongtourist,

Thank you for your reply and insight. You actually got the gist of my OP. As I stated previously, my first reaction to their eagerness was “run for hills” but after getting similar reactions from several women, with some really having zero financial motivations, I started to think that this was just a common thing. I am in no hurry to enter into a serious relationship and generally date a women for a long period of time before making such a commitment, just a good habit developed from dating in the West. Just because they have emotional feelings towards me doesn’t mean that the feelings are reciprocated, especially after only a couple of meetings.

Berkshire,

Firstly, if you read the entire thread you would have saw on the first page that I corrected the word “desperate” to “impatient”.

Secondly, that story you linked has nothing to do with the cases I have brought up. The point I was making about English speaking Thai women is that there tends to be less of a communication problem and the woman in that article is not representative of the “typical Thai gal” you alluded to. You have to ask yourself, why would a woman with such an impressive background be on one of the Thai“dating” sites? If she is actually a real person, she obviously is one of those women who has been pampered with attention from foreigners and went on to the Internet to continue to get attention from many men, not exactly the actions of a nice normal Thai girl. She is actually acting more like a foreign woman who has gotten full of herself, not surprising given that she lived in the West for an extended period of time. There are also many other red flags in that article that show the characteristics of a woman that either originally was a bargirl or married for money. I will agree with you that some of the women who have dated foreign men can develop this attitude since foreign men tend to also be a bit more eager to be p-whipped then their Thai counterparts and put their women on pedestals This behavior is more like that of a bargirl. ½ of the women I have dated have never even dated a foreigner before while two others had never been in a serious relationship outside of a few short flings in college while they were abroad.

Even though this thread is not about this I’ll address my opinion and experience on the matter. All of you who are saying that normal Thai women don’t date farangs are really not giving anything to back that up.

I have found that once you get outside of the money grubbers and bargirls, money is no longer a driving force behind dating, it helps in certain situations but there is much more to it. It actually becomes just like Western dating. If you are unable to meet women or easily get dates back home then you’ll have the same problem with normal women here. Once she has a college education, a real career, and if she comes from a good family she will look for the same thing in the guy she dates. These women also have some form of English education as they are now starting to teach English at most schools (public and private) at a very young age.

I think the problems are foreigners come here expecting all women to be easy targets because of the experiences they have with bargirls and poor country girls. They think that because they’re from the West, all Thai women are easy targets. They just need to sit back, flash some cash and they will all come running with their panties in hand. If that’s what you want it can be had but not with most normal Thai women.

Any good normal women (Thai or Western) wants a guy who is stable, similar in age, has a career, makes a respectable salary, present himself well, treats her with respect and has family values. I guess this is a tall order for most of you given some of the responses but it’s understandable and common sense. Of course the better looking you are (blond hair blue eyes is highly desirable to most Thai women), the higher your education and salary the more desirable you will be. A woman with a Masters Degree or higher, and with a top salary job wants someone similar and fortunately for farangs, fewer and fewer Thai men meet this criteria. This will get you the date but in order to get to the serious relationship part, you have to pass the family test. Unless the family is ok with their daughter living abroad, you will more than likely have to show a serious commitment to living here long term. I would imagine the latter being one of the biggest issues facing farangs as most young professionals aren’t committed to that.

In my field, all of my male colleagues are here on expat packages and work for international companies. All of them have above average educations and all date normal, well-educated women and most of the women are from upper middle class and high society families. These women get sent abroad for high School, college, and even some work and often times date foreigners during this time. They come back to Thailand with a preference for foreign men as apposed to Thai’s.

I guess in the end you just need to ask yourself, do you really want a normal Thai woman or are you content with a bargirl or poor country girl? All are available they just want different things.