Farangfalloon: The Birth Of A New, Useful , Funny Word?

[Jingthing]

Today I experienced a FARANGFALLOON.

Now before it happened I hadn't invented the word, but after the experience the word popped into my head, yes, that was a FARANGFALLOON.

Here is what happened. I went to an eatery that serves both Thai and Western food. They have a separate Thai and Western menu. I had been there before and have only tried the Thai food as their western food doesn't look all too exciting.

So I order in Thai:

chicken penang

beef salad

both phet phet

I get the penang but the beef salad is strips of beef on the side of a western salad (with a big old bowl of salad cream on the side). Oh boy!

Well I wasn't in the mood for even the minor conflict of sending it back but after the meal I did confirm that they do indeed have normal Thai beef salad available.

I had a chuckle and then it hit me: FARANGFALLOON

OK, not the first time this kind of thing happens. It happens to many of us, alot. But then there is that new word: FARANGFALLOON

Farangfalloon is of course based on the old new word GRANFALLOON. Granfalloon is an invented word by that late great modern American black humorist/satirist novelest Kurt Vonnegut. The definition follows below.

Now I feel farangfalloon makes sense in this way:

-- it is funny sounding word, we shouldn't get too serious and upset when we experience the many farangfalloons inherent in Thailand living

-- a granfalloon is the false concept of community when you have something in common, like you are both from Liverpool, a farangfalloon is the Thai equivalent, the Thais that commit these farangfalloons falsely assume that everyone with the white skin shares the same traits (such as preferring Western salad even though the person ordered Thai salad and extra spicy to boot)

-- farangfalloon rhymes with granfalloon, sort of

-- falloon suggests foolishness, and farangfalloons are definitely foolish

-- gran and farang share the root RAN, cool huh?

-- Vonnegut had a dark vision of the world but also a very humorous one, what better frame of mind to be in when experiencing a farangfalloon?

-- Flemish people seem to enjoy anything with falloon in it, but thats a granfalloon not a farangfalloon

Now, it's your turn. Please tell us about some of your recent and/or favorite FARANGFALLOONS.

Wiki

A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat's Cradle), is defined as a "false karass" (imagined community). That is, it is a group of people who outwardly choose or claim to have a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual association is actually meaningless. The most common granfalloons are associations and societies based on a shared but ultimately fabricated premise. As examples, Vonnegut cites: "the Communist Party, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Electric Company, the International Order of Odd Fellows—and any nation, anytime, anywhere." A more general and oft-cited quote defines a granfalloon as "a proud and meaningless association of human beings." Another granfalloon example illustrated in the book was Hoosiers, of which the narrator (and Vonnegut himself) was a member.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Jingthing

[Maestro]

I am moving this from “General topics” to the forum “Farang Pub - fun, entertainment and Expat life”, where it will be better placed.

--

Maestro

[Jingthing]

Thanks, M, that should kill it.

If you are not sure if your experience was a REAL farangfalloon, post it here and get an informed opinion, farangfalloon or not a farangfalloon.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Jingthing

[Thaddeus]

New words ..... Ok, can I have a go.

Blingthing...... a poster more concerned about his contribution getting noticed rather than the actual content.

[nidge]

New words ..... Ok, can I have a go.

Blingthing...... a poster more concerned about his contribution getting noticed rather than the actual content.

:D

[Jingthing]

Jab taken but if the content isn't viewed, then does it exist?

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

[Thaddeus]

You bet ya sweet bippy it does..... (thank you Rowan and Martin)

Everything is viewed, sampled, copied and taken down as evidence.

BTW, you can't really clap with one hand, you can do other things, but not that.

[Jingthing]

This farangfalloon thing, its not having resonance.

[Thaddeus]

Another new word ........ it has Desonance ...... i.e. The ability to sink like a lead balloon

[Jingthing]

Another new word ........ it has Desonance ...... i.e. The ability to sink like a lead balloon

Good one!

I will try again:

FARANGFALLOON:

Those times when people of European descent in Thailand are treated by Thai people in silly ways, because these Thais for whatever reason assume all people with "white" skin have shared identities and characteristics, but whose mutual association is actually nonexistent.

My FARANGFALLOON example from above is ordering a Thai beef salad phet phet and being presented a Western style salad with salad cream.

So, what are your favorite and/or recent farangfalloons? (I am persistent, like John McCain, but not nearly as old.)

Edited September 8, 2008 by Jingthing

[toptuan]

I like the new word "Choconivorous." When given a chocolate Easter Bunny, the tendency to bite the head off first.

[Jingthing]

I like the new word "Choconivorous." When given a chocolate Easter Bunny, the tendency to bite the head off first.

How about

Offtopicasaurus?

Look, folks, I have lived a meaningless life of excess and hedonism. I wasted my youth, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. My eyesight is shot, my hearing is shot (rock and roll) and you don't want to know about my libido. Now I live in Thailand. You know the rest. I would like to accomplish at least one thing in this life other than stimulating Grape Nuts sales (which ain't chopped liver but isn't a Nobel prize either). I know deep in my heart we will never see real taxi meters in Pattaya.

SO: How about this word? Farangfalloon?

Edited September 8, 2008 by Jingthing

[Thaddeus]

How about Flagellamortisequus.

Done quite a bit of that myself

[Jingthing]

How about Flagellamortisequus.

Done quite a bit of that myself

I would ask you to shoot me now but instead I will go out for a cocktail.

[wileycoyote]

I have always been fond of Ken Dodd's negative verb, to discomknockerate ..

eg I have been totally discomknockerated today !

[MiG16]

I like the new word "Choconivorous." When given a chocolate Easter Bunny, the tendency to bite the head off first.

no wonder I can only remain a chocaholic and no chance of ever becoming the choconivorous. I got given an easter bunny lindt chocolate and never ate it...cos it looks so cute! still sitting in its golden wrap at home

[PeaceBlondie]

Okay, Jingthing, I will humor you, and the Brits can humour you.

This farangfalloon thing seems to be, from what you are saying, a Thai activity. They (the universal Thais, all sixty-some million of them, or at least 8 waiters in the farang ghetto of Pattaya) make sweeping assumptions about us farang. Or, they make assumptions about those farang who make sweeping assumptions about them.

JT, I am happy that you love phet phet. I get spicy food when I ask for mai prik. I meet lots of different kinds of Thai food servers here. The Thai lady at Miguel's can guess what Mexican food I want when I walk up to order. The Thais at Mike's Burgers here, and the Thai girl at Hua Hin a year later, know how I like my hamburger. Bake and Bite makes the world's best sandwiches, BLT and turkey with cranberry. Even my Thai sex partners(s) know what I like. The Thais at the Texas Hamburger Palace in Houston, likewise. And my entire Thai vocabulary is maybe 44 words.

Maybe if you lived in another part of Thailand, they would not think you are part of some megalithic European-ancestral community of beef eaters and beetroot lovers. I bet some roadside stand in Naratawait would serve you spicy southern Thai food.

[Jingthing]

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Did I ever said this always happens? That PB was uncalled for. Really! It happens SOMETIMES. And it is something that would NOT happen from a Thai person to a Thai person. It is a REAL phenom that happens sometimes, yes, even in Chiang Mai.

What is this, some kind of PC thing people can't seem to get? And of course I am not talking about individual people that KNOW you! You say you will humor me. You did not. You insulted me.

Since you sound like you are on a PC high horse, lets turn the tables. A Chinese-American goes to a steakhouse in Kansas City. The waiter gives him CHOPSTICKS. Now, of course, that would almost never happen in the US, but if it did, it would be the same kind of thing as a farangfalloon. It is not that big a deal, but when it does happen, it is really kind of FUNNY, and that is why I attempted to come up with a FUNNY word about it. And I am sorry if it offends you, but I am convinced these farangfalloons happen to alot more people alot more times here in Thailand than they would to Asian descent people in the West. If that is offensive to note observations about truthful reality, then I am really FLUMMOXED!

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

If I may be slightly pedantic, I think there is a big difference between Vonnegut's word and your word. Vonnegut seemed to refer to a self-assumed but fallacious group identity which people assign to themselves. You and I are both gay American men in Thailand, but we have differences as well. Nonetheless, we might lump ourselves in the same category. Your word is about how the Thais supposedly group all farang. What difference is there between this thread and the last 543 threads about the word farang?

Most waitresses in tourist towns rightly assume that most customers with white faces do not want spicy food, and serve them accordingly, with the correct assumption that we confuse mai prik with my prick.

[Jingthing]

If I may be slightly pedantic, I think there is a big difference between Vonnegut's word and your word. Vonnegut seemed to refer to a self-assumed but fallacious group identity which people assign to themselves. You and I are both gay American men in Thailand, but we have differences as well. Nonetheless, we might lump ourselves in the same category. Your word is about how the Thais supposedly group all farang. What difference is there between this thread and the last 543 threads about the word farang?

Most waitresses in tourist towns rightly assume that most customers with white faces do not want spicy food, and serve them accordingly, with the correct assumption that we confuse mai prik with my prick.

That is fair, but just as Vonnegut took literary license, so did I borrowing part of his new word. Now am I no Vonnegut, but he isn't writing anymore. This is totally different because it is not about the word farang at all! It is about a specific PHENOM that happens sometimes to European descent people in Thailand. It is not about the actual European descent people. Totally different. I am surprised a pedant like you had to ask.

So you make up a reason this happens here. That is one reason. Another reason might be xenophobia and not considering us as individuals. Whatever the reason, when it happens, I am suggesting that we don't get upset, that we take it with humor, and thus I suggested a silly word to describe the phenom. I already acknowledged this idea doesn't have resonance. A trial balloon of a farangfalloon, sometimes they fly, sometimes they flop.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[5tash]

Today I experienced a FARANGFALLOON.

Now before it happened I hadn't invented the word, but after the experience the word popped into my head, yes, that was a FARANGFALLOON.

Here is what happened. I went to an eatery that serves both Thai and Western food. They have a separate Thai and Western menu. I had been there before and have only tried the Thai food as their western food doesn't look all too exciting.

So I order in Thai:

chicken penang

beef salad

both phet phet

I get the penang but the beef salad is strips of beef on the side of a western salad (with a big old bowl of salad cream on the side). Oh boy!

Well I wasn't in the mood for even the minor conflict of sending it back but after the meal I did confirm that they do indeed have normal Thai beef salad available.

I had a chuckle and then it hit me: FARANGFALLOON

OK, not the first time this kind of thing happens. It happens to many of us, alot. But then there is that new word: FARANGFALLOON

Farangfalloon is of course based on the old new word GRANFALLOON. Granfalloon is an invented word by that late great modern American black humorist/satirist novelest Kurt Vonnegut. The definition follows below.

Now I feel farangfalloon makes sense in this way:

-- it is funny sounding word, we shouldn't get too serious and upset when we experience the many farangfalloons inherent in Thailand living

-- a granfalloon is the false concept of community when you have something in common, like you are both from Liverpool, a farangfalloon is the Thai equivalent, the Thais that commit these farangfalloons falsely assume that everyone with the white skin shares the same traits (such as preferring Western salad even though the person ordered Thai salad and extra spicy to boot)

-- farangfalloon rhymes with granfalloon, sort of

-- falloon suggests foolishness, and farangfalloons are definitely foolish

-- gran and farang share the root RAN, cool huh?

-- Vonnegut had a dark vision of the world but also a very humorous one, what better frame of mind to be in when experiencing a farangfalloon?

-- Flemish people seem to enjoy anything with falloon in it, but thats a granfalloon not a farangfalloon

Now, it's your turn. Please tell us about some of your recent and/or favorite FARANGFALLOONS.

Wiki

A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat's Cradle), is defined as a "false karass" (imagined community). That is, it is a group of people who outwardly choose or claim to have a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual association is actually meaningless. The most common granfalloons are associations and societies based on a shared but ultimately fabricated premise. As examples, Vonnegut cites: "the Communist Party, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the General Electric Company, the International Order of Odd Fellows—and any nation, anytime, anywhere." A more general and oft-cited quote defines a granfalloon as "a proud and meaningless association of human beings." Another granfalloon example illustrated in the book was Hoosiers, of which the narrator (and Vonnegut himself) was a member.

There was recently a thread where you argued that the word "farang" was racist and impolite to use when referring to westerners. Now you invent some stupid word containing the word "farang". You certainly are one mixed up buffoon.

[Jingthing]

You certainly are one mixed up buffoon.

I don't think we should use the word farang; rather I prefer European descent people. But the reality is people are widely using it here. And the root farang seemed to work with falloon, or so I thought and the idea was the creation of a COMIC word, so turning the word farang around comically appealed to me. I can't expect someone who would bother to post just to insult someone to quite grasp that, but thanks for your comment.

Even though PB suggested this thread was a veiled attempt to talk about the F word, I can assure you it was not! It was strictly about this new word, Farangfalloon, and the specific type of real life phenom that it describes. In that spirit, may I request people not change the topic to the F word without falloon? If they do, I will try to not further respond as I agree that specific topic has had more than adequate coverage of late.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Did I ever said this always happens? That PB was uncalled for. Really! It happens SOMETIMES. And it is something that would NOT happen from a Thai person to a Thai person. It is a REAL phenom that happens sometimes, yes, even in Chiang Mai.

What is this, some kind of PC thing people can't seem to get? And of course I am not talking about individual people that KNOW you! You say you will humor me. You did not. You insulted me.

Since you sound like you are on a PC high horse, lets turn the tables. A Chinese-American goes to a steakhouse in Kansas City. The waiter gives him CHOPSTICKS. Now, of course, that would almost never happen in the US, but if it did, it would be the same kind of thing as a farangfalloon. It is not that big a deal, but when it does happen, it is really kind of FUNNY, and that is why I attempted to come up with a FUNNY word about it. And I am sorry if it offends you, but I am convinced these farangfalloons happen to alot more people alot more times here in Thailand than they would to Asian descent people in the West. If that is offensive to note observations about truthful reality, then I am really FLUMMOXED!

Pardon me. I hereby recall my uncalled-for remark,. I see that you did not say all Thais, but you did lump together all Thais who commit farangfallonery. Yet they sometimes give us the wrong food order for lots of reasons. I hereby dismount from my PC high horse. And I suppose if my white face asked for phet phet, their experiences would tell them I do not really mean it (unless I ordered it in three sentences of flawless Thai). But then, we both learned years ago that we were not normal farang, eh?

When I frequent Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants back home in my old Asian neighborhood, I sometimes have to ask for chopsticks. My best friend, a Chinese, never got served chopsticks in a steakhouse, because he's gay.

I am not offended, so you need not be flummoxed nor gobsmacked. I breathlessly await your comments. And this belongs in this subforum because as you said, it is meant in fun.

[PeaceBlondie]

Buffoon, lampoon, farangfalloon, take it to Lamphun in the June moon. I am no Vonnegut, either. Maybe 989 times a day in Thailand, Thai waitresses assume we cannot eat very spicy food and surely did not mean it. Me, I only eat kaow phat gai, because even the cashew nut chicken came out of the kitchen boiling spicy when I said 19 words to the contrary.

[Jingthing]

farangfalloonery?

I love it. Another new word!

Farangfallooned works also, as in I was just farangfallooned.

BTW, this is kind of like live archeology. Enjoy it while it lasts as clearly farangfalloon is not going to make the Washington Post annual list of new words in the dictionary.

This new word idea has about as much life force left in it as John McCain!

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

farangfalloonery?

....This new word idea has about as much life force left in it as John McCain!

That bad, eh?

[Jingthing]

farangfalloonery?

....This new word idea has about as much life force left in it as John McCain!

That bad, eh?

On its last legs, mate. Crawling and wheezing.

So glad I didn't put any money behind it.

I guess there aren't as many Vonnegut fans as I had hoped and/or I am the only person ever to have been farangfallooned.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[PeaceBlondie]

I can nearly hear The Who in the geriatric ward singing, "We won't get farangfallooned again!"

[DNPBC0]

From a purely 'farangfallonery' point of view, can anyone please tell me what the name, 'maytheewibulwut', means?

[Jingthing]

I can nearly hear The Who in the geriatric ward singing, "We won't get farangfallooned again!"

Not bloody likely. It happens.

Its a Farangfalloon Paradise, don't you know?

From a purely 'farangfallonery' point of view, can anyone please tell me what the name, 'maytheewibulwut', means?

I'm stumped.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Jingthing