What Faux Pas Did You Make As A Newbie Thai Culture Invader?

[hanibal7]

I thought hair was moi(maybe moy) and said to a lovely thai girl in a restaraunt she has beautiful moi.she wasnt too pleased and i felt dreadful when i was told not all hair is moi only pubes lol.

[wade72]

Heard one where a ladies name was "Noi" but the guy kept saying it "Hoi", which she was not happy about, but to polite to correct him

[wolf5370]

The one faux pas that sticks in my mind is on my wedding night. After the reception we went to the honeymoon suite followed by an entourage of close friends and family for the final ceremony. The bed had rocks and flowers on it. Later the two of us had to kneel on the bed facing each other while someone gave a blessing. No one had tutored me on what was going to happen or what to do. She (wife) then started a wai and bowed towards me, and thinking I was supposed to do the same ended up head butting her.

If looks could kill.... whew! The others in the room just burst out laughing and waving their hands that I wasn't supposed to wai her. Yeah, big faux pas and embarrassment.

Oh God, I remember this. They bundled us into the bedroom with jasmine flowers etc apon it and backed out closing the door. I was stunned and thought it was like a medieval wedding where you had to walk out and show the guests a blood smeared blanket (hymen rupture). I leant forward and whispered to her if we were supposed to make love now. I never got her reply, other than her shocked face, as the guests burst back into the room to take photos - could have been much worse if I'd not asked I guess

[keestha]

In my beginning days in Thailand once I was staying in a beach resort in the South. I was chatting with the waitress, who at some moment said she was going to sleep. I wanted to say I was also going to sleep, but instead of that I informed her that I was going to sleep with her. (Phom ja pai nawn douay, mispronouncing douay).

Later I worked in an office in Bkk. Once the housekeeper asked if she could take away my coffeecup. I wanted to answer affirmatively, but instead of that I surprised her with a vulgar expression for sexual intercourse. ( said au dai instead of kep dai).

Talking with a colleague about a woman who was working in the same office, I wanted to say that she had two children. Instead of that I said something which was interpreted as me saying she had two balls. (said khao mee sawng look, should have been khao mee look sawng khun).

Edited June 2, 2008 by keestha

[Valjean]

First newbie mistake was thinking Thai Visa was a good source of information to avoid Faux Pax...

I did once mean to say "I have two kids" in Thai and instead said "I have two balls". "song luke" versus "luke song khon". That was a good line to get a first date going and guess what things did get going and my assertion was verified! So alls well that ends well.

[DaoDao]

First time visiting my dad I made a wai to everybody and my dad kept runnig behind me trying to put off the weddingoffers [is she your daughter, I give you all my cows and the ones from the neighbour...] oops!

[damocletian]

My worst faux pas still gives me the sweats now and only took place last week but the experience was so traumatising I may even need counselling.

I needed breakfast and eventually found myself for the first time in the Oriental cafe bar in the Emporium on Sukhumvit. I had scarcely time to take an end seat at the counter bar and to spread my things when the staff all started to giggle whereupon a wild eyed oddball bunch of scruffy paunchy farang pushed their way past me taking photographs using their mobile phones. Bizarrely, this took place in total silence and despite asking for an explanation they all left as enigmatically as they had arrived. Frankly, the whole thing completely unnerved me and I was left in no fit state to continue with the petit dejeuner. Apart from wearing a pink shirt I can't imagine what it was that I had done to provoke such a reaction.

Is there an etiquette at the Oriental I had somehow breached?

[grantbkk]

It has to be wearing a tank top in Bangkok. Now when I see the young tattooed, bald, smoking, drunk with a tank top or no shirt at all walking on Sukhumvit I inevitably think back to when I thought nothing of it. Today, depending on how I feel, I am either repulsed or amused.

I always enjoy the Foodland Soi 5 zoo. People demanding cellular service at the meat counter. The middle eastern people trying to bargain down their grocery total with the perplexed cashier.

The majority of the post here reinforce my belief that talking with my hands rather than learn the language is a good choice.

[damocletian]

Any advice?

[Spee]

For me, definitely the wai and the feet.

With the wai, it was not so much then when but the how. I was not putting my hands in the right position for the situation whether with persons of lower standing or higher standing.

With the feet, I knew about the custom of not pointing the bottoms of feet intentionally at people. But as someone with bad knees and worse ankles, my preferred way of being on the floor is either seated in a chair or lying prone. Sitting on top of my lower legs, or cross-legged for extended periods becomes very painful. The first time the monks came to the house, I was trying to reposition myself and my feet accidentally got pointed in the wrong direction. I could hear some of the elder village women scoffing at me, but what can I do. Now everyone understands, including the head monk, and I just sit in the chair.

Now that I think about it, there is probably another one, too. That is when street shopping, haggling a bit about the price but then not buying anything. In Thailand, as in other parts of the world, merchants expect haggling and don't respect the customer unless there is some haggling. But when the haggling is done, it is customary that a price has been agreed and there is an expectation to buy something. I didn't do this when doing some street shopping along Yaowarat during one of my first visits and I should have.

[bkkmick]

Getting my hair cut years ago. She started trimming the back of my head with the electric clippers. It was tickling me. Instead of saying "chokachee" (tickles) I said "chokalair" (arm pit). It took me a moment to understand why she had that curious look on her face.

[PeaceBlondie]

Then there was my first English class of mid-teenagers, some of whom were high intermediate. Paully ("you can call me Paula!!"), who would ask me what pimp and other words meant, came up after class one day and said I should not use the English word yet.

However, I never told a student, "Oh, so your nickname is Chuck. Wow!"

[mmushr00m]

Elbowing my urinal massager in the head.

Oh and odering that crysenthenum drink and mispronouncing it horribly so it meant penis. Imagine the look on the lunch lady, shocked, laughter followed by no no no no.

Now I just point at it.

Edited June 4, 2008 by mmushr00m

[klikster]

In bad Thai, kept asking for fried penis instead of fried banana.

Oh, I still do that now.

I've already quit trying to use the Thai word for banana.

A mischievous woman who sold absolutely delicious fried bananas near my house kept trying to get me to say "banana" in Thai by asking what I wanted. She only sold fried bananas.

I knew that lesson from way back when. I eventually found a solution. Other customers would look at me strangely when I would ask for fried chicken and she would giggle like crazy.

[himachal]

In bad Thai, kept asking for fried penis instead of fried banana.

Oh, I still do that now.

Keep trying, Carl. Never know your luck!

[himachal]

My worst faux pas still gives me the sweats now and only took place last week but the experience was so traumatising I may even need counselling.

I needed breakfast and eventually found myself for the first time in the Oriental cafe bar in the Emporium on Sukhumvit. I had scarcely time to take an end seat at the counter bar and to spread my things when the staff all started to giggle whereupon a wild eyed oddball bunch of scruffy paunchy farang pushed their way past me taking photographs using their mobile phones. Bizarrely, this took place in total silence and despite asking for an explanation they all left as enigmatically as they had arrived. Frankly, the whole thing completely unnerved me and I was left in no fit state to continue with the petit dejeuner. Apart from wearing a pink shirt I can't imagine what it was that I had done to provoke such a reaction.

Is there an etiquette at the Oriental I had somehow breached?

Love it !!!