Why are expats so bad in Thai?

[richard_smith237]

I just reduced a ticket speaking Thai...  I got caught out and was unable to safely exit the central lanes (no motorcycles) to the frontage lanes.

 

The Jolly's stopped me...  I explained that I knew I shouldn't be there, but when I saw the sign it was unsafe for me to slow, or change lanes due to fast traffic... the safer option for me was to continue on and take the next slip road to out of the central lanes (Vibhavadi Rangsit Road).

 

The fine was B1000 for being in the middle lanes - I talked them in to taking B200... I'm not sure I could have done that in English and may well have found myself giving up my license, having to return the next day and paying the B1000 fine and getting my license back. 

 

Of course, someone will come along and say they never make road mistakes, never break a traffic regulation, or would never request an 'on the spot fine' instead license confiscation...  It would not be worth arguing people who think like this. 

 

 

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My neighbours are all middle class, beer, black label and barbeque. 

I don't socialise with the village people.

My neighbors on the left are teachers across the soi airline execs and on the right government security specialists.  They all speak both Thai and English.  That's middle class to me.  Sure they all speak Lao and one or two local dialects but out of respect for me change to Thai or English when we chat. 

[roo860]

My neighbours are all middle class, beer, black label and barbeque. 
I don't socialise with the village people.

Don't blame you mate, I wouldn't want to socialise with The Village People, especially the one with the dodgy moustache and leather studded cap.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

My neighbors on the left are teachers

One of my neighbours is a Thai (English) teacher, he's 60 and just retired.

We go out cycling together in the mornings, he can say 'go straight', and 'go home'.

That's all the English he has, which surprises me as he's taught the subject for 35 years.

Oh well, we're happy enough just cycling together, he's never tried to speak to me in any Thai language.

Give me another 10 years and I'll have him shouting 'turn left' and 'turn right' doubling his English vocabulary.

Edited November 6, 2018 by BritManToo

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

One of my neighbours is a Thai (English) teacher, he's 60 and just retired.

We go out cycling together in the mornings, he can say 'go straight', and 'go home'.

That's all the English he has, which surprises me as he's taught the subject for 35 years.

Oh well, we're happy enough just cycling together, he's never tried to speak to me in any Thai language.

Give me another 10 years and I'll have him shouting 'turn left' and 'turn right' doubling his English vocabulary.

I lived in CM for 3 years with a number of women from Bangkok who all spoke Issan/Lao.  They had no trouble being understood in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand.  How much of a problem is it?  I remember a few different words , yip baht for 20 and got instead of delat.  Some minor things but never had a large problem communicating like you make it out to be. 

[direction BANGKOK]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

That's because the Thais don't rate chicken breast and can't understand why anyone would be daft enough to order it.

"Surely he must mean deep fried chicken feet", they think.

RIght, and I am not being critical of them or anything, but this is the type of stuff that makes it very frustrating. I mean, I can't even order white chicken meat no matter how much I practice Thai. Makes one want to give up... at least me it does. 

 

Btw, my never ending joke to myself in Thailand is "I wonder where the hell all the chicken breasts go?" lol. Because I swear I have never walked past a chicken on a stick stand and seen it. A couple times maybe but even then I bought it and somehow it turned out to be dark meat lol. 

Edited November 6, 2018 by direction BANGKOK

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, direction BANGKOK said:

RIght, and I am not being critical of them or anything, but this is the type of stuff that makes it very frustrating. I mean, I can't even order white chicken meat no matter how much I practice Thai. Makes one want to give up... at least me it does. 

Some Thais , when they hear a felang speak , they just think that as they dont speak felang , they cannot understand what you are saying , even if you are speaking in Thai .

  I was in restaurant  recently and I ordered some red pork , speaking in Thai (Moo deng) , I said it a few times and the waitress failed to understand  , she went and got an English speaking waitress and I said to her in Thai "Moo deng" , that waitress understood what I wanted and she said "Moo deng" to the other waitress 

[blackhorse]

RIght, and I am not being critical of them or anything, but this is the type of stuff that makes it very frustrating. I mean, I can't even order white chicken meat no matter how much I practice Thai. Makes one want to give up... at least me it does. 
 
Btw, my never ending joke to myself in Thailand is "I wonder where the hell all the chicken breasts go?" lol. Because I swear I have never walked past a chicken on a stick stand and seen it. A couple times maybe but even then I bought it and somehow it turned out to be dark meat lol. 

I guess it's because the breasts don't deep fry well or boil well and come out to dry.

[Nyezhov]

15 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

 

Btw, my never ending joke to myself in Thailand is "I wonder where the hell all the chicken breasts go?" lol. Because I swear I have never walked past a chicken on a stick stand and seen it. A couple times maybe but even then I bought it and somehow it turned out to be dark meat lol. 

thats funny, the Gai Yang lady near my condo always has it. Its all over here in Thonburi. Maybe they hide it from the tourists to make sure there is enough for Thai people.

[marcusarelus]

26 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

RIght, and I am not being critical of them or anything, but this is the type of stuff that makes it very frustrating. I mean, I can't even order white chicken meat no matter how much I practice Thai. Makes one want to give up... at least me it does. 

 

Btw, my never ending joke to myself in Thailand is "I wonder where the hell all the chicken breasts go?" lol. Because I swear I have never walked past a chicken on a stick stand and seen it. A couple times maybe but even then I bought it and somehow it turned out to be dark meat lol. 

The chicken breasts go for "cow men gai."  It is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand in every food court and on every street corner.  Just ask for Cow men gai and you will get below.  How can you think it is not available in Thailand?  The mind boggles.

[direction BANGKOK]

24 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

The chicken breasts go for "cow men gai."  It is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand in every food court and on every street corner.  Just ask for Cow men gai and you will get below.  How can you think it is not available in Thailand?  The mind boggles.

Well, I realize that. Anyway, I wasn't clear with my point, I was talking more beef on a stick stands, but thank you for mentioning that though. 

 

I will tell you what though, just to reiterate my point, if you walk up to a food stall and say cow man gai you wont assuredly get what you showed. So, if your order did not come out as planned, with verbal directions, what would you tell them? Or, are you saying you can order "cow man gai" in Thailand and 100% of the time get only white meat chicken breast?

Edited November 6, 2018 by direction BANGKOK

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Back in the UK I was a teacher and lived next door to English doctors, lawyers, social workers, nurses, retired professionals.

In Thailand, I'm retired and live next to Thai lawyers, factory managers, teachers.

 

You'll have to explain to me how the class systems don't relate?

It was a joke, Joyce. Or maybe not. Brits and Thais seem to share the same class consciousness. Australians don't, and IMHO that's a good thing.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Lacessit

[marcusarelus]

20 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

Well, I realize that. Anyway, I wasn't clear with my point, I was talking more beef on a stick stands, but thank you for mentioning that though. 

 

I will tell you what though, just to reiterate my point, if you walk up to a food stall and say cow man gai you wont assuredly get what you showed. So, if your order did not come out as planned, with verbal directions, what would you tell them? Or, are you saying you can order "cow man gai" in Thailand and 100% of the time get only white meat chicken breast?

20 years of ordering cow men gai all over Thailand I have always gotten chicken.  Sometimes white mixed with dark meat but always chicken.  It's kind of like going into a bar and asking for a good looking woman.  You pays your money and you takes your chances.  Normally I eat what I'm served. ????

[Nyezhov]

26 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

Well, I realize that. Anyway, I wasn't clear with my point, I was talking more beef on a stick stands, but thank you for mentioning that though. 

 

I will tell you what though, just to reiterate my point, if you walk up to a food stall and say cow man gai you wont assuredly get what you showed. So, if your order did not come out as planned, with verbal directions, what would you tell them? Or, are you saying you can order "cow man gai" in Thailand and 100% of the time get only white meat chicken breast?

Well let me help your Channel here. Walk up to a Khao Man Gai stall and you are getting white meat chicken, oily rice,  soup and cukes as pictured herein. And if you are in a Thai area, you are getting blood tofu too.

 

"Beef on a stick" stands are few and far between outside places like Chatuchak if they exist at all. Maybe you mean Moo on a Stick. Thats Pork. Stick stands dont sell Gai Yang. Stick stands sell Moo on a Stick, sometimes Chicken chunks (trying to think of where I saw one). Or hotdogs or meatballs. Or Squid stick stands. Gai Yang is sold by Gai Yang stands which also serve Somtam. At a Gai Yang stand, you can get chicken breast on a stick with the wing attached. Its flat and yummy. 

 

There is a lamb on stick stand in Chinatown. Tasty, but not at 40B per.

 

Hope this clarifies.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

Some minor things but never had a large problem communicating like you make it out to be. 

Never mind, just keep ordering your servants around.

[marcusarelus]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Never mind, just keep ordering your servants around.

How many languages do your neighbors speak?  Thai, Lanna, Issan and a smattering of English? 

 

What's wrong with having servants?  I'm helping the Thai economy and the people whom I pay a good wage to. 

 

I came to Thailand so I could live like British royalty and they have servants don't they?  The Queen and Sir David Attenborough are voted the most admired people in Britain so it must be OK?  Or maybe you feel they are better than me? 

Edited November 6, 2018 by marcusarelus

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

How many languages do your neighbors speak?  Thai, Lanna, Issan and a smattering of English? 

Another for the ignore list.

[direction BANGKOK]

30 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Well let me help your Channel here. Walk up to a Khao Man Gai stall and you are getting white meat chicken, oily rice,  soup and cukes as pictured herein. And if you are in a Thai area, you are getting blood tofu too.

 

"Beef on a stick" stands are few and far between outside places like Chatuchak if they exist at all. Maybe you mean Moo on a Stick. Thats Pork. Stick stands dont sell Gai Yang. Stick stands sell Moo on a Stick, sometimes Chicken chunks (trying to think of where I saw one). Or hotdogs or meatballs. Or Squid stick stands. Gai Yang is sold by Gai Yang stands which also serve Somtam. At a Gai Yang stand, you can get chicken breast on a stick with the wing attached. Its flat and yummy. 

 

There is a lamb on stick stand in Chinatown. Tasty, but not at 40B per.

 

Hope this clarifies.

This somehow got complicated. It really isn't. Probably my fault, I will take the blame.

 

The point was just it is difficult to get white chicken in Thailand. Yes, you can get it by ordering cow man gai, but I know from personal experience you can get dark chicken, which I am not crazy about, you can get crunchy fried chicken with it (not crazy about either). So, how do you order only white chicken? Answer is, at least as far as I am concerend, is it can be very difficult/impossible to explian that in Thai. Hence, this is why people don't learn Thai (the subject of the thread): because you cannot even do something as simple as effectively orderimg white meat chicken with Thai words. I am sure you can actually, but it is difficult, eg how would you do it? 

Edited November 6, 2018 by direction BANGKOK

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, direction BANGKOK said:

Well, I realize that. Anyway, I wasn't clear with my point, I was talking more beef on a stick stands, but thank you for mentioning that though. 

 

I will tell you what though, just to reiterate my point, if you walk up to a food stall and say cow man gai you wont assuredly get what you showed. So, if your order did not come out as planned, with verbal directions, what would you tell them? Or, are you saying you can order "cow man gai" in Thailand and 100% of the time get only white meat chicken breast?

 

If you go to a food stall that sells "cow man gai" and ask for it that is what they will give you.  If they don't then either that isn't one of their dishes or you are saying it very wrong.

I suspect you are trying to order from a vendor that doesn't actually do that specific dish.   

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Another for the ignore list.

Questions too complicated for you?  I'll try and simplify them if you like.  Just let me know.  This thread is all about language and expats ability to speak and comprehend it. 

[direction BANGKOK]

2 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

If you go to a food stall that sells "cow man gai" and ask for it that is what they will give you.  If they don't then either that isn't one of their dishes or you are saying it very wrong.

I suspect you are trying to order from a vendor that doesn't actually do that specific dish.   

That is not it. Maybe some folks are skipping words above. This is about not being able to order white chicken breasts at times. 

 

I am talking about stalls that only serve cow man gai. 

Edited November 6, 2018 by direction BANGKOK

[marcusarelus]

4 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

This somehow got complicated. It really isn't. Probably my fault, I will take the blame.

 

The point was just it is difficult to get white chicken in Thailand. Yes, you can get it by ordering cow man gai, but I know from personal experience you can get dark chicken, which I am not crazy about, you can get crunchy fried chicken with it (not crazy about either). So, how do you order only white chicken? Answer is, at least as far as I am concerend, is it can be very difficult/impossible to explian that in Thai. Hence, this is why people don't learn Thai (the subject of the thread): because you cannot even do something as simple as effectively orderimg white meat chicken with Thai words. I am sure you can actually, but it is difficult, eg how would you do it? 

Cow men gai is white meat of chicken with rice and chicken broth.  Chicken is gai.  White is cow or color white see cow.  Who sells chicken eggs is " Kai kai kai kai"

[direction BANGKOK]

I am gonna sum this cow man gai thing up.

 

You go to a cow man gai street food stall. You order cow man gai. I dish come out with a bunch of dark chicken meat, but you do not care for dark meat. 

 

Now, you can point and grunt and that is great. But in Thai words how do you tell him you only want white chicken breast? Saying "white" in thai does not work, I will tell you that right now. I got some good advice once and you can say "my ow nang". This seems to help, but it really is not perfect as it means without skin. 

 

What does all this mean? What am I rambling on about? I am getting up there, I do not have the patience to learn a language anymore where it isn't exceedingly easy to say "I want chicken breast". My bad, I know that, but that is my answer to the original question. I have to study Thai for a decade just to efficiently say "chicken breast", THAT is why i personally do not know more Thai. 

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, direction BANGKOK said:

I am gonna sum this cow man gai thing up.

 

You go to a cow man gai street food stall. You order cow man gai. I dish come out with a bunch of dark chicken meat, but you do not care for dark meat. 

 

Now, you can point and grunt and that is great. But in Thai words how do you tell him you only want white chicken breast? Saying "white" in thai does not work, I will tell you that right now. I got some good advice once and you can say "my ow nang". This seems to help, but it really is not perfect as it means without skin. 

 

What does all this mean? What am I rambling on about? I am getting up there, I do not have the patience to learn a language anymore where it isn't exceedingly easy to say "I want chicken breast". My bad, I know that, but that is my answer to the original question. I have to study Thai for a decade just to efficiently say "chicken breast", THAT is why i personally do not know more Thai. 

Yak see cow

[Nyezhov]

14 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

This somehow got complicated. It really isn't. Probably my fault, I will take the blame.

 

The point was just it is difficult to get white chicken in Thailand. Yes, you can get it by ordering cow man gai, but I know from personal experience you can get dark chicken, which I am not crazy about, you can get crunchy fried chicken with it (not crazy about either). So, how do you order only white chicken? Answer is, at least as far as I am concerend, is it can be very difficult/impossible to explian that in Thai. Hence, this is why people don't learn Thai (the subject of the thread): because you cannot even do something as simple as effectively orderimg white meat chicken with Thai words. I am sure you can actually, but it is difficult, eg how would you do it? 

You walk up to a Gai Yang stall, look for a breast, grab it, hand it to the lady who will toss it on the grill for you. Easy.

[direction BANGKOK]

7 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Cow men gai is white meat of chicken with rice and chicken broth.  Chicken is gai.  White is cow or color white see cow.  Who sells chicken eggs is " Kai kai kai kai"

Not true, at least as far as i know. No association of the adjective "white" in "cow man gai". 

[direction BANGKOK]

1 minute ago, Nyezhov said:

You walk up to a Gai Yang stall, look for a breast, grab it, hand it to the lady who will toss it on the grill for you. Easy.

Ok, then you aren't speaking Thai, the subject of this thread, and my point. 

[direction BANGKOK]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

That's because the Thais don't rate chicken breast and can't understand why anyone would be daft enough to order it.

"Surely he must mean deep fried chicken feet", they think.

I am requoting this post because he summed up in a sentence what I rambled on for a couple pages about ????

[marcusarelus]

11 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

You walk up to a Gai Yang stall, look for a breast, grab it, hand it to the lady who will toss it on the grill for you. Easy.

It is steamed not grilled and normally pre cooked and held in a glass enclosure at a temperature designed for rapid bacteria growth (not too hot or not too cold).

Edited November 6, 2018 by marcusarelus

[Denim]

9 minutes ago, direction BANGKOK said:

Not true, at least as far as i know. No association of the adjective "white" in "cow man gai". 

 

18 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Cow men gai is white meat of chicken with rice and chicken broth.  Chicken is gai.  White is cow or color white see cow.  Who sells chicken eggs is " Kai kai kai kai"

 

Who sells chicken eggs is :

" kry kai ky gy "