Went to my regular pharmacy on Sukhumvit at soi 15 at 9 am this morning before my daily bike ride to purchase some stuff. I have been visiting this place and have known these people for years. I special order medication monthly and stop in often. 

 

I was trying to explain to the pharmacy lady that I wanted the larger package of an item. She kept giving me the small version as I said, "No, the large one-- large," a few times until it registered. 

 

Apparently a clean-shaven, over-cologned, and freshly-barbered British fellow down the counter with his wife with his wife took exception to our conversation and my tone.

"Say please to the woman, mate,"  he said in a fairly strong accent that was not RP.

 

"Please mind your own business, mate," I responded, mirroring his tone, surprised at the interruption.

 

"if you don't say please and apologize I'll take you outside," he said,

"No you <deleted> won't," I answered, surprising myself.  "I have better ways to spend my morning, you should too."

 

I turned around, ignoring him as he stood there chest puffed up.  I continued talking to the pharmacist.

 
The whole time his Thai wife stood behind him looking at the floor.   

 

They paid, walked out the door and the pharmacist asked me, "Do you know him?"      

 

I said, "No."

When I ventured outside to hop on my bicycle, I was expecting another confrontation, but he was 100 meters up Sukhumvit on his way to terminal 21.

it was a truly bizarre interaction.
 

Who goes out spoiling for a fight in a pharmacy at 9 am with their wife in tow?

It was probably the way that you were speaking to the shop assistant .

It may have appeared that you were being rather rude and abrupt to her ?

How do you know he was going to Terminal?

Bloody farangs! "Why do we bother?", thought the pharmacist and the wife.

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

How do you know he was going to Terminal?

Because he made the story up. So the imaginary person was going to whatever place the OP chose. 

1 hour ago, madone said:

Who goes out spoiling for a fight in a pharmacy at 9 am with their wife in tow?

"Pattaya Man"

20 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Because he made the story up. So the imaginary person was going to whatever place the OP chose. 

Yep, a completely hapless windup. Needs some lessons in how to spin fairy tales. Maybe bob can lend him a hand. 

2 hours ago, madone said:

British fellow down the counter with his wife with his wife

So what did his wife's wife think of all this?

 

2 hours ago, madone said:

Who goes out spoiling for a fight in a pharmacy at 9 am with their wife in tow?

 
Who doesn't?

2 hours ago, madone said:

I was trying to explain to the pharmacy lady that I wanted the larger package of an item. She kept giving me the small version as I said, "No, the large one-- large," a few times until it registered. 

 

Apparently a clean-shaven, over-cologned, and freshly-barbered British fellow down the counter with his wife with his wife took exception to our conversation and my tone.

Common sense says you should use words that a Thai (or any other non-English speaking person) would easily understand. 

 

Why say 'Large' when you know Thais would more likely understand the word 'Big'? 

 

Empathy and politeness cost nothing. 

Lots of Thailand rookies about lately.

OMG, you didn't say please?
 

do brits say mate? i thought it was only aussies. 

 

25 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

do brits say mate? i thought it was only aussies. 

 

Brits do say mate but only to someone when they actually are a mate. Aussies say it to everyone because a large number have an extremely limited vocabulary and/or are too intellectually challenged to actually remember anyone's name. I think that is the main difference.

1 hour ago, Keeps said:

Brits do say mate but only to someone when they actually are a mate. Aussies say it to everyone because a large number have an extremely limited vocabulary and/or are too intellectually challenged to actually remember anyone's name. I think that is the main difference.

Im one of them for the life of me i can never remember names,mate is a universal stand by.

7 hours ago, mogandave said:

How do you know he was going to Terminal?

 

The same way he knew the Thai woman with him was his wife was his wife. 

how many leo's consumed to come up with that nonsense ?

 

2 hours ago, heybuz said:

Im one of them for the life of me i can never remember names,mate is a universal stand by.

False.  "Mate" is never used in this way in the U.S.  If someone calls another person their "mate" it refers to their spouse or significant other.  So, if an American male calls another male their "mate" they would be referring to them as their gay partner.

 

5 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

False.  "Mate" is never used in this way in the U.S.  If someone calls another person their "mate" it refers to their spouse or significant other.  So, if an American male calls another male their "mate" they would be referring to them as their gay partner.

 

im not american or yank i was answering keeps quote and it was a localised use of the word universal.

8 hours ago, madone said:

I was trying to explain to the pharmacy lady that I wanted the larger package of an item. She kept giving me the small version as I said, "No, the large one-- large," a few times until it registered. 

Do you think she was so stupid that the needed time to register that there are small and large packages?

Or was your English or Thai or sign language so bad that she didn't understand what you want?

 

It's unlikely that the other guy would have gotten involved if you would have treated the lady at the counter better.

6 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Why say 'Large' when you know Thais would more likely understand the word 'Big'? 

Does he not know the Thai for large/big when buying beer?

Every non Thai speaker who like a beer now and then knows that one!

 

PS; Every Pharmacist I have dealt with in Thailand speaks very good English!

 

Is this some of that AI generated stuff ? and you should have said "Please" ,

 

regards worgeordie

9 hours ago, madone said:

Some british <deleted> wanted to fight me earlyish this morning 

He's one of the psycho foreigners who has escaped from Pattaya 

4 hours ago, Keeps said:

Brits do say mate but only to someone when they actually are a mate. Aussies say it to everyone because a large number have an extremely limited vocabulary and/or are too intellectually challenged to actually remember anyone's name. I think that is the main difference.

 

Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis use mate in at least four ways. To address a friend, to address an acquaintance whose name they have forgotten or don't know, as a friendly one-word exclamation at something done or said by another. And in the case in point, to piss off a stranger in a confrontational manner. 

 

And you are correct.  Of the three, Aussies are the more mentally challenged and have a limited lexicon. 

 

 

Try using the word yai instead of shouting at her in English

OP may have unresolved issues around proper interaction with females that have a higher educational level than bar girl.

One must of course bear in mind the nuances which social position bring to such conversations - England is of course a class driven society, unlike the other constituents of the United Kingdom, or indeed our antipodean associated nations, whose egalitarianism is beyond reproach.

 

So an upper class privately educated Englishman (admittedly unlikely to be about such business on Sukhumvit Soi 15 at such an hour) would perhaps suggest that it was such an unlikely conversation as to be perhaps risible, and certainly provoke an element of disbelief. The more ursine of the species, using the catenation with which their speech is so often distinguished, might say "yeraving alarff mate", or even "yertalkingbollocksmate"!

 

Either way, their meaning, and reaction is quite clear!

 

I don't think that this thread is going the way that The OP thought it would. 🤦‍♂️

 

1 hour ago, Ohyesuare said:

 

The same way he knew the Thai woman with him was his wife was his wife. 

That's Bigamy, mate.

An interesting thread.

 

 

4 hours ago, Keeps said:

Brits do say mate but only to someone when they actually are a mate. Aussies say it to everyone because a large number have an extremely limited vocabulary and/or are too intellectually challenged to actually remember anyone's name. I think that is the main difference.

Utter rubbish.  many Brits refer to strangers as "mate"